Yet another three-hour session at the Community Hospice Shop, sorting through clothes and all manner of curiosities. This time it was just Caroline and me representing GoodGym, alongside our ever-cheerful supervisors, James and Andrew.

As usual, the time flew by. We kept ourselves amused with the weird and wonderful items that pass through our hands — it’s like rummaging through the backstage wardrobe of life. I was particularly delighted to discover a Spongebob Squarepants soft toy, which brought an immediate smile. Not long after, a Spongebob onesie appeared too!

I have a bit of a soft spot for Spongebob. On a long-haul flight back from some far-flung destination, I once watched an episode out of sheer curiosity. I was instantly hooked by the madcap, ridiculous, but genuinely hilarious world of Bikini Bottom, the underground city where he lives. Rather aptly named for this line of work.

Later, I couldn't resist trying on a rather fetching ‘Game Over’ hoodie-robe hybrid. It looked useful for lounging around and watching the Women's Euros. Fingers crossed that it’s not game over for England after today’s match (Wednesday the 9th) against the Netherlands...

Meanwhile, Caroline was busy modelling some of our more eccentric finds. First up: what she described, optimistically I thought, as a "loungesuit". Next came what I’d call a shepherd’s jacket, which wouldn’t look out of place in a 1970s TV drama or on a hillside with a flock of sheep. Good heavens, 1970 is 55 years ago!

Just another day in the magical mystery tour that is the sorting room!

We were back at the Community Hospice warehouse this morning from 10am to 1pm for another stint of clothes sorting.

Andrew was the staff member on duty today—always friendly and efficient. He welcomed us and spent some time showing the new Goodgym volunteer, Maria, the ropes as it were. Caroline and I are feeling like the veterans now on our fifth clothing sorting expedition.

Soon we were back into the usual rhythm: sifting through bag after bag of donated clothes. As always, it was indeed a mixed bag—literally and figuratively. Some people clearly go the extra mile, delivering beautifully laundered and even ironed clothes folded to perfection. Others, not so much.

One bag in particular stood out: a pile of jeans absolutely splattered in white paint. I found myself wondering who on earth imagines these are still usable. Into the rag bag they went.

I found another item that to me wasn't immediately obvious what it was. Then I realised it was what you might call a 'sports balaclava'. Something you might wear running in cold weather conditions or perhaps use for more nefarious purposes!

As usual, the time passed quickly and I believe we all felt it was a satisfying mission with a good work done. Congratulations on your first ever GoodGym task, Maria 🥳.

Simon

Two cages of donations sorted by us Good Gym Peeps. Good work!

A mixed bag as always - today featured many substandard shoes and mondo mankey socks!

Halloween making a decent appearance once more as you can see in our pics. (Some people really make an effort 🎃👻.)

Still loads of winter cuddlies in the mix too. Sad not much designer stuff today - so less cash for the charity. Fingers crossed for more EBay friendly things next time.

Ann, Caroline & Simon.

Another lively clothes-sorting session at the Community Hospice Shop with Caroline and Ann, all under the watchful eye of James. While we’re surrounded by everything from hoovers to hairdryers, musical instruments to power tools—and books galore—our mission is clear: sort the clothes!

Our sorting categories? Excellent, Good, Not Bad, Bad and ugh! It’s remarkable what turns up. Some donations are so stylish and classy and sometimes whole bags full and it makes you wonder why someone would offload such lovely stuff. Then there's stuff on the other end of the scale. I don't dwell on it though because there's lots more to sort!

The three hours fly by as we laugh and chat, especially when we uncover something utterly bizarre—items of clothing that defy logic. No labels, no clues, and no obvious way of getting into them! It's like trying to solve a textile puzzle. Who wears this stuff? More importantly—how?

The job is an education in fashion, function, and the fantastic creativity of designers. One minute it’s a cashmere coat, the next it’s... well, we're not entirely sure. But whatever it is, it keeps things fun.

I had a good time sorting out donations this Sunday morning in the company of James from the Community Hospice warehouse team who put on some great music and the time just flew by. It didn't feel like a 3 hours tasks at all.

Today's theme: Disney tops, hoodies and trousers. I also found 2 sets of piggy slippers 🐷🐷 and a few fun tops.

Cleared a whole cage of bags, and started a second one 💥.

Thank you, Goodgym, for this task and the opportunity.

This was the second of two GG Bexley sessions at the Community Hospice warehouse, sorting donations this weekend.

James from the Hospice team had a warm welcome and loads of bagged items ready for us to sort through.

We were particularly on the lookout for dresses for proms season, and there were quite a few 👗.

Like Ann, Simon and Caroline yesterday, we came across lots of winter coats and snuggly warmer clothes as people have been clearing their wardrobes for the summer. These will be stored until the autumn.

There was plenty of summerwear too, and a surprising number of brand new items... clothes with labels still in place, and unworn shoes 👞👟👠 in their boxes. It's definitely worth checking out the Hospice shops to make some great value purchases!

Time flew by as we chatted and sorted. As we said our goodbyes thank you cards from the Hospice team made feel us very much appreciated.