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.

Donated blood - 78th donation

Tonight's task was to help one of Kingston's amazing local charities, RAK (Refugee Action Kingston) . RAK help out refugees in the area to integrate, live fulfilling, independent lives and become recognised and active participants in their local communities. Part of this involves the provision of clothing and other essential items. Our task tonight was to sort through a load of these donations and help organise their storage system.

As with any catch-all store, there are a few departments at RAK: Mens, Womens, Kids and Toiletries. All of these areas needed reorganising and tidying up. A recent fire inspection suggesting that all cardboard should be disposed of where possible so any items in boxes needed repacking. There were also a whole load of unsorted donations that needed to be split into department or discarded, if the quality was below-par. We separated into groups and did what GoodGym does best - use many hands to make light work. Always amazing how much can be done in a short period of time!

Welcome to Kitty and John on your first tasks! Excellent to meet you and hope to see you next time :)

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!