Last night, some of us ran, some of us walked, but all of us came together on the Strand with one shared purpose: to get clothes and bedding to those who need it most.

We met with GROAD (Get Rid of and Donate), an incredible grassroots charity that collects and distributes donated essentials—clothes, shoes, bedding—to people experiencing homelessness across London. GROAD plays a vital role in bridging the gap and ensuring items go directly into the hands of those who need them.

While we waited for Andrea with the Groad van packed to the brim with donations we watched with interest all the different organisations coming together to form a real hub of support. There were lots of people providing resources, such as the highly efficient SWAT team (Sikh Welfare & Awareness Team) who were handing out delicious hot food.

As soon as the van was ready everyone quickly pitched in, helping to unload and carry the bundles across the road to where the distribution would take place. Soon, we had everything laid out—jackets, jeans, jumpers, socks, shoes, duvets—ready for people to browse and choose what suited them best.

In just half an hour, the vast majority of the donations were taken. Sadly, we couldn’t quite match the right person with a very fancy red strapless dress—but that’s a mission for another night. After a few high-fives, we said our goodbyes, snapped a quick photo, and then made our way home. If you know anyone who might enjoy GoodGym Westminster please signpost to them to this starter session coming up soon and we also have this great task coming up soon painting the foyer at a community centre.

Great job last night everybody, and thank you!