And then there was nun

Four GoodGymers met on a sunny, but still slightly chilly Saturday afternoon to help out at the Salvation Army in Nunhead.

We were tasked to do a few things, firstly, we had to take the donated food in bags and climb two flights of stairs to where they have their foodbank. This worked efficiently when we decided to split the team - Allison and Sam packing the bags, John (Salvation Army volunteer) and Anna forming a human chain to transport the bags and Katrin taking the bags for the final leg. This was done in no time!

Yet, this was only the tip of the iceberg. We had to ensure the main hall, which they use for Sunday service, was to be cleared of donations. We identified that the prayer room in the back could be used as a place to store these items - from ornaments to kids toys. However, to ensure we could maximise the space, we had to take out two settees. John and Sam tried to man handle the first settee out of the prayer room, but the settee was having none of it. Come to the rescue, Anna and Katrin, who smartly showed Sam and John, the way. With the settees out, Allison, Anna and Katrin started to transport the items and fill the room in a logical sense. Sam and John did the heavy lifting of moving the settees to the charity shop and bringing a bigger one out of the charity shop and onto the stage of the main hall....trust us, it all made sense.

After lots of lifting and shifting, we finally finished on time (an hour and a half). However, Polis and Maria (his wife) invited us to stay for a snack, which Anna, Katrin and Sam took a slice of Polis' homemade Greek Spinach Pie (filo pastry stuffed with spinach, mint and feta cheese - delicious!) from the SA café. Polis was so impressed with our work and attitude that he would like to invite us around again for a more gentle task - painting the corridors. Sam will look to set that task for May.