Tonight was one of our biggest turn-out mission this month where 13 Goodgymers helped KVA’s (Kingston Voluntary Action) Surplus Hub with their task list. Immediately, the team busied themselves by splitting into two groups. The first group moved all the crates from the van to inside the hub, unpacked them, sorted out donations and put them into the appropriate crates so that these can be packed away in the storeroom.

The second group swept, mopped, cleaned and tidied up the two kitchen areas to make it more accessible for KVA’s volunteer team and clean from any future pests.

Welcome Laura, on your first task!

A big January Challenge squad was out on a chilly night as we headed back to the British Heart Foundation shop for some more window dressing. Emily, Clare, Dave, Anna, Luke, Susannah, Jonathan, Eleanor, Amy, Laurel, Tom, Marcos and Rachel were quickly called into action by fetching sporting and gym items from the cavernous storage areas upstairs to hopefully encourage buyers to start thinking about fitness and exercise.

We got there in the end, with particular aesthetic guidance from Susannah and a final inspirational touch from Marcos to hang badminton racquets from the ceiling.

It's always a really fun task with the BHF and this was no different. A bit cold for too much running, but extra kudos to those who did.

This evening marked our final GoodGym task of the year, and it felt especially fitting to spend it giving something back to the Quaker Centre, who have so generously allowed us to use their building as a meeting point and storage facility throughout the year.

The team split into groups and got stuck in straight away. Luke and Saber bravely tackled the bin storage area, which was home to an impressive number of cobwebs. Armed with brushes, they made a huge dent and left the area looking far more welcoming.

Inside, Emily took on the kitchen, clearing out old food and giving the space a much-needed clean and refresh. Meanwhile, Jana and Claire hoovered the storage room and removed plenty more cobwebs, with Claire also sorting out the GoodGym locker so everything is tidy and organised going forward.

Outside, Levita and Louisa added a festive touch by decorating the tree with ribbons and baubles. Once lit up, it looked absolutely wonderful and brought a real sense of Christmas cheer to the space.

We finished the evening by wishing each other a very happy Christmas, rounding off a brilliant year of tasks and teamwork, and looking ahead with excitement to the January Challenge.

It was a dark and chilly evening but that never stops GoodGym Kingston from showing up and getting the job done. Tonight's task we were at Elm Road playground with the task of digging/scraping/sweeping the borders of all weeds and mulch that has accumulated over the years.

As we were readying ourselves for the task we were joined by a local Community Support Officer from the Met Police - she had heard about our work in the area and had come to connect and give a helping hand. No arrests were made but the weeds were guilty of loitering and needed to be removed from the area.

Accompanied by a few local residents, we all donned head-torches and gloves, grabbed our tools of choice and set to it. The hour flew by and we had soon filled several bin bags full of the offending weeds and thick mulch. Amazing to see the difference our efforts made. Mission accomplished.