We got properly stuck in at tonight’s task at The Kingston Pantry—a vital community foodbank based in Tolworth Recreation Centre.

Four of us ran there, two cycled, and others came on foot — everyone enthusiastic to be there, including first time GoodGymer Petra.

The Pantry had been restocked earlier in the day, so our usual deep clean wasn’t needed. But Susan, ever prepared, whipped out her trusty spiral notebook packed with 'one-day' tasks—the little jobs that never quite make it to the top of the to-do list… until now.

Here’s what we tackled: • Emma and Petra deep-cleaned and organised the cupboard under the sink, and gave all the food baskets a good wash. • Claire and Jacqui took on the fridges, clearing out spills (including a sticky raspberry juice situation). • Jana sorted out the vegetable racks • Dave got into the nooks and crannies, scrubbing those corners the mop usually misses. • Luke restocked and cleaned the pet food area • Rachel and Emma gave the stationery cupboard a long-overdue tidy. • Jacqui got the hoover out and • Petra followed up with a thorough mop for a gleaming finish.

Teamwork and elbow grease, and the job list was fully ticked off!

The Kingston Pantry plays a crucial role in supporting individuals and families on low incomes trying to cope in a time of rising costs. It was a pleasure to lend a hand, free up the volunteers’ time, so that those that run it can give their clients the best experience which includes a very high environmental health status.

On a sunny mission for Goodym, Emily and Jana rolled up their sleeves and got to work transforming the garden at the Staywell Centre in New Malden. With just two hours and two determined volunteers, the challenge was clear: tackle the overgrown patio and the cracked, thirsty flowerbeds that residents overlook each day.

Emily and Jana began their garden conquest at opposite ends of the patio, digging out stubborn weeds from the paving stones until they triumphantly met in the middle – a perfect horticultural harmony! Then it was time to take on the flowerbeds. The parched, cracked earth put up a fight, but a well-aimed hose brought it back to digging condition.

Emily showed true grit clearing the weeds beneath the shady oak tree, while Jana took on the flowerbeds with focus and flair. Halfway through, the cavalry arrived in the form of Clair, the Centre Manager, who cycled in to lend a hand and, most importantly, brewed a very welcome cup of tea for the hardworking team.

As they sipped their tea and admired the transformation, there was no doubt: the Staywell garden was looking well and truly weed-free, thanks to this green-fingered duo!

Helping create window displays for the BHF is always one of the most enjoyable tasks we do and it was no different on Tuesday.

Summer festivals was the request, so a big team of us got to it. Tom, Petra, Anna, Claire, Jana, Dave, Emily, Laurel and Marcos were up into the BHF's 'Narnia' storeroom and the various spaces bringing down chairs, sleeping bags, guitars, a teepee, plastic flowers and everything in between. Special praise to Emily and Anna for somehow assembling a tent in a very tight space!

We seemed to have done such a good job that it was attracting admiring glances from shoppers outside as soon as it was finished. We rounded the task off with a well-earned drink at the Albion for our GoodGym social.

This morning we met up with Magdelena and expert creator on all things flax, Paul. After some weeding and roots digging up, we had a very informative chat by Paul on the whole process of flax growing and materials made by using his historic methods using it minus the seeds. We all chose to stay a bit longer to finish the process of mixing compost into the soil, sowing the seeds and watering them. Goodgym now has 2 square meters of flax which we can keep updated on. Great job from Emma on her first task, here's to many more.

This week’s task saw us making the most of the lighter evenings with a lovely outdoor gardening session. Some of us ran, others walked or cycled, but we all met for a productive evening in two local green spaces: Canbury Community Garden and our nearby GoodGym garden.

With a big group on hand, we got loads done. One of the main jobs was reinforcing the sides of some well-worn raised beds that were bursting with growing vegetables - Marie-Noelle and Emily took on this key task.

With water levels in the Community Garden’s rain butts already dropping, Luke, Dave, Yana, Sabir and Emma wheeled barrels over to the Thames, collecting water in buckets to fill the barrels which were then wheeled back and stored in the flower beds for future use.

Meanwhile, Ana, Emily and Jana tackled the massive compost heap, giving it a good turning over. Sabir, Yana and Dave got stuck into weeding duties.

Over at the GoodGym garden, Claire, Luke and Emma checked on this flourishing space—full of tulips, daffodils, and established shrubs—taking care of deadheading, weeding, and with Claire making plans for future planting.

This was a Workout for Nature, a physical volunteering task supporting local green spaces in celebration of Earth Day, as part of a collaboration with WWF.

Great work, team!

This week's group session had the team pedalling into action to support Full Cycle with a hands-on task that wheely put our teamwork to the test. The mission? Clear out the side of the building - a tight, dark alleyway crammed with wheel rims, old bikes, and a jungle of brambles.

We formed a human chain to tackle the task, shifting rims, tangled bikes, and debris whilst clearing, sweeping and snipping. The overgrown brambles were quite an eye sore for some but the real challenge was carefully restacking everything back into the space, making it some what more accessible. Definitely a bit different to some of the usual tasks at this community project and what better way to spend an hour; a game of bike-themed Tetris in a confined space where we found plenty of energy to complete the challenge.

Congratulations to Luke who was debuting his new black t.shirt!