There is a special community that meets - in an unsuspecting basement - on Tottenham Court Road every Wednesday during the year's colder months.

Orchestrated by the brilliant Brooke and the team (including the super kind Russell) at the American International Church, different community groups come together to cook, build beds, and make a home for an evening. 💚

The C4WS Homeless Project provides warm respite from the streets and a supportive step towards stable accommodation.

Since October, our wonderful GoodGym folk have been setting up dining rooms, assembling camp beds, and finding out the best way to fight with a duvet cover.

And last night was no different ☺️

Our lovely group - of Alex, Auriela, Caitlin, Gosia, Jackie, John, Louise, Siobhan, and Steve - worked with aplomb and speed, and all whilst sharing stories and laughter ♥️

We'll certainly be back as soon as the evenings sharpen and darken 💛

Thank you, everyone, for bringing your energy and time last night!!

Tonight was a bumper crop of GoodGymers, with not one, not two, but three new Greenwich residents looking to do some good. Welcome to the fold, Yun, Phyllis and Cecilia!

After an icebreaker sharing our favourite pancake toppings, Geraldine led us for a lovely river run to James Wolfe School for our first task with them. On arrival there was, let's face it, ABSOLUTE CHAOS. I for one relied on high levels of initiative and everyone enjoying a nice chat 😁

But d'you know what, after scouting out what needed to be done, we organised ourselves as well as can be expected of 15 people scrabbling around in the dark and in typical efficient GoodGym fashion, we'd soon finished moving all the crates to the side of the shed, recycling a load of boxes and sweeping up all the leaves in sight.

Crate work team!

Next week we're back to Wednesday at the same start location. Sign up here.

This weekend we've got lots of tasks. Saturday morning: Maryon Wilson Community Garden, Rose Garden Action Day Saturday afternoon: If you fancy a trip further out to join our Bexley friends - gardening at the Community Hospice by Bostall Woods. Sunday: Westcombe Woodlands

Until next time!

(Check out Gosia's wonderful Insta video here!)

There is a large hall in Tottenham Court Road's American International Church.

It's the sort of hall you can imagine Charles Dickens in - he'd probably say something profound like - this is a nice hall.

And it's usually home to West End casts rehearsing plays and musicals - if you sneak in on a Wednesday night, you'll usually glimpse costumes and sets and a large double bass.

But last night we were tasked with turning the hall into the evening's winter shelter. And by 'we', I mean our wonderful group of our first good-gymers Auriela, Kiera, and Kayla (welcome, all!) and our Camden regulars Alex, Emilie, Emily, Gosia, Louise, Jackie, John, and Steve!

On arrival and having been welcomed by our brilliant host, Brooke, a smaller group of Auriela, Emilie, Kiera, and Kayla headed straight to an empty room that they soon turned into a welcoming dining room!

And while our smaller group were good-deeding, our larger group were doing the same - the hall popped with beds and the beds got dressed with warmth!

After 30 happy minutes, we turned out into evening Camden just as the shelter's guests were starting to arrive - nice one, everyone!!

It's been nearly a whole month since we last helped the American International Church's winter shelter.

That was New Year's Day when the streets were quiet... restful... contemplative...

...yesterday the streets were positively noisy... thoroughly restless... and (perhaps) quite thoughtless!

Eight of us - Alex, Alison, Charlie, Jackie, John, JC, and Steve - gathered in Somers Town - in a nook of quiet - to warm up with a game of Simon Says, before we navigated our way (while sharing stories and conversation) through Bloomsbury's bustle.

A wonderful group of four - Gosia, Ivar, Jo-Anne (on their first good deed - welcome!!), and Will - met us on Tottenham Court Road and we descended down into the basement from which scents from the evening's cooking were bubbling..!

If I'd set up a time-lapse camera, I'd now be able to see a wash of red t-shirts sifting duvets from sheets, pillow cases from towels, amidst camp beds popping up and out and into place. In 25 minutes, this group set up a welcoming space for the evening's guests.

And while this was happening...

Another group were speedily opening tables, arranging chairs, and laying tablecloths - the empty room became the dining room - and it was fit for the food (also being cooked by volunteers) in the kitchen next door.

A big thank you to you all! As well as to our brilliant host, Brooke! Here's to next time!!