Fifteen GoodGymers dashed through the 'snow' (more like leaves) to the British Heart Foundation charity shop this evening, ready to deck the halls and spread some festive cheer!

The shop was a winter wonderland waiting to happen. Boxes of baubles, piles of presents, and a tons of tinsel were waiting to be carried, sorted and arranged. The GoodGymers, armed with tinsel and tape, transformed the shop into a Christmas cracker. We hung stockings, draped garlands, arranged shelves, created table displays and built Christmas trees... With each ornament hung, the shop’s festive spirit grew. It was a real sleigh ride of an evening!

To add to the festivities, we were lucky enough to be joined by the Mayor of the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, Councillor Liz Green and her assistant, Brian. After a brief welcome and introduction they both got stuck in. With so many hands helping this evening we got so much done - it was a Christmas miracle!

A few milestones were celebrated this evening. Congrats to Ben and Hazel for both achieving 10 good deeds. Claire hit an amazing 150 and our unwavering leader Rachel smashed a staggering 400 good deeds! Excellent work all round and quite conveniently celebrated in the pub afterwards for our monthly social :)

It was back to Full Cycle for a task with a bit of a difference as we were involved in helping Save the World Club, the charity which has also been sharing the space in New Malden.

Tariq had us all quickly involved in moving various bits and pieces from the roof space to be removed. Following Tariq’s lead - albeit without the sledgehammer - Ben and Hazel managed to take apart some sofas, while Dave and Luke navigated the tricky route down the stairs with them.

Tom, Rachel, Marcos, Jade and Emma also helped carry assorted items down to a skip, where a terrifying digger smashed everything into smithereens. Short but sweet, managing a huge amount of work in our session.

Claremont Gardens, in Surbiton, is where the group run took 7 GoodGymers on Tuesday night. Our tasks (in the dark!) were two-fold. To clear the pond, which is bursting with wildlife but choked by great pond sedge (not reeds, despite the heading!), and to scour the park for litter with our trusty headtorches.

Dave and Hazel suited up in waders and dove (not literally!) into the pond to tackle the sedge grasses crowding the water. They carefully saved the healthy ones to replant along the bank. Meanwhile, Emma cut back dead grasses and stacked the other plants on the side, giving any critters a chance to crawl back to their watery home.

Claire, Luke, and Marcos - glad to have a land-based job - tackled the litter pick, filling multiple bags with rubbish that had been carelessly tossed into the bushes - even though there were plenty of bins nearby! Rachel, our multitasker, enjoyed splitting her time between both tasks, lending a hand wherever it was needed.

Though the night was dark, the transformation of both the pond and park was crystal clear. The GoodGymers then returned the 2.5km back to Kingston.