I was faced with a (first world) dilemma this morning in the aisles of the world's politest supermarket - Mrs S is always insistent on me getting her the Lindt 85% but the shelves were bare - so I had to make a decision on whether to go with 70% or 90%...of course when I got back and updated her she replied she'd have been very happy with either...

Following the request, I gave Mr R a call about an hour before I planned to arrive. He was very grateful for the heads-up, as it gave him plenty of time to get ready for the delivery.

I headed to the local Sainsbury’s and picked up a medium-sized bottle of semi-skimmed milk. Upon arriving at his place, I called him again to let him know I was outside, given the broken doorbell.

We settled the payment for the milk, and he was very thankful for the help. It’s missions like these—simple, direct, and well-coordinated—that remind you how much a small gesture can mean to someone's day.

Last night GoodGym Westminster gathered at the Bayswater TRAID shop, where runners and walkers were ready to roll up their sleeves to tackle a very generous delivery of blue bags bursting with donated clothes.

A huge welcome to Francesca and to Delphine who both came to their first mission - great to meet you!

For anyone new to the world of TRAID, the work they do is very impactful. The charity collects unwanted clothing and redistributes it through their shops, raising funds for projects that improve working conditions and sustainability in the fashion industry. By giving clothes a second life, they help reduce textile waste and challenge the throwaway culture of fast fashion. They also contribute to other sustainable projects across the globe. Every sorted bag is a small but meaningful step toward a more circular wardrobe. And there were a lot of bags!

We quickly formed a system—opening, inspecting, hanging, and sorting into categories. We know from past tasks it’s part organisation, part detective work to figure out where everything belonged.

Delphine came armed with an excellent hanger-saving trick to keep larger items from sliding straight off which instantly improved everyone’s efficiency. Francesca brought serious credentials to the operation, drawing on her past volunteering in charity shops. Meanwhile David tapped into his early experiences in Camden Market, demonstrating an expert eye for clothing types around the rails.

There was plenty of hanging, plenty of sorting, and we even uncovered the occasional hidden treasure that appeared from the depths of a blue bag. After an hour of focused teamwork, the pile had shrunk dramatically and the rails were looking much more manageable.

By the end of the session we’d made a noticeable dent in the delivery, and the store manager told us how helpful it had been to get through so many of the many bags that had arrived. A big difference in just an hour’s work.

Next week we’ll be back again—this time to help remove unsold clothing ahead of the sale. You can sign up here

Great work, team. 👕💪

A very short list today for the friendly Ms J - and helpfully she had the empties of the coffee box and vinegar glaze bottle that she wanted in her recyclable bag, such that all I had to do was find the matching pair on the shelf in Waitrose and I'd win the game - she'd correctly guessed I knew what a banana looked like so I wasn't (thankfully) supplied with any old peels...

At the top of Mr R's list was Yoghurt (Blue), to which I asked if that was what he actually meant..."not the Green one" he replied, and it all became clear - full fat vs zero %...

I guess it's a good sign that we spent more time having a chat across the kitchen table this morning than discussing the finer details of Mrs S's list - although she was keen to ensure I got a cheaper variant of Radicchio than last week, that cinnamon was good for me, and that the 2 baking potatoes must be of similar size. With routine comes familiarity, especially when she (again) described the porridge oats as the one with the Scotsman on the box...