A bit of a grey area

A balmy summer evening saw 5 GoodGymers gather in Teddington for a second visit to the Certitude house we had been to once before. Last time was furniture-building, and on that day they had pointed out the fence that needed painting which was to be the focus of the evening's task.

Certitude provides support across London to people with learning disabilities, autism and mental health support needs, helping them to develop new skills, meet new people and live the life they want – so they can bring their own unique brilliance to the world. GoodGym has helped out at houses in Petersham and Teddington which are home to some wonderful people, supported by caring staff.

The task was to get going on painting the garden fences, which stretch some considerable length along the side we were working (and there are other sides to come!). We were armed with two giant pots of paint and 4 brushes between the 5 of us, meaning we had one person rotating out to entertain (?) the others. The paint was a very grey shade of grey, but to our dismay we found it did not deliver the "one coat" effectiveness promised on the tubs - instead seeming to soak into the wood of the fence and not change the colour that much.

We ploughed on regardless, enjoying the evening and the attentions of two of the residents who had come outside to help supervise the task, talking excitedly about their upcoming holiday. By the end of the session we had created a bit of a grey area, but in a positive way :-)