Hackney

Mission

Getting all bed out of shape

3 GoodGymers made their way to help an isolated older person in Hackney.

  • Dennis
  • James Gilbert
  • Elizabeth
 
Wednesday, 2nd of January 2019
Here's what Miss R of E2 had to say about the mission:

Mrs R called and was very happy about the task. She wanted me to pass on a huge thank you. She said "The runners were so polite and really listened. They took their time to do the job carefully and I want to thank you all for what you do".

Miss R of E2, mission beneficiary

After getting horrendously out of shape over Christmas (or rather, into a different one), I was keen to kick off the year with some GoodGymming. Luckily, James and Dennis were also keen to GoodGym, and joined me for tonight's mission to help Ms R.

Ms R is scheduled to have an electric bed delivered tomorrow to help her sleep more comfortably and to help relieve some back pain. Before this can happen, her current bed and mattress needed to be removed. This is where we came in to help! 😄

On arrival, Ms R welcomed us into her home and indicated the bed and the mattress that needed to be taken outside for collection. For ease of reference, the bed consisted of two divan boxes underneath, but not connected to, a motorised frame of slats. Ms R also indicated that we should definitely not touch the big, red alarm button when moving the bed (in short: 🔕). The term "not" is of paramount importance in situations like this. This gave us (me) a little concern, particularly when faced with a bed that just seemed to sprout wires. Thankfully, though, Dennis functioned as our group memory so there was no drama on this account 😄👍

In fact, there was no drama on any account. It took us a little while to find the remote to lower the frame from its raised position (i.e. to make it less bent) so that we could carry it down the stairs more easily. However, once you've eliminated every other remote in a bunch of remotes, any remote left must be the true remote you need. It also turns out that, once located, we can press the correct button on a remote like a bunch of pros.

Frame/bed less bent out of shape, it was very literally straightforward to carry the frame down the stairs and out the door. There may have a slightly hairy moment when the frame began to unfurl partway down the stairs, but this wasn't James's first rodeo, so all good. Next came the divan boxes, joining the frame outside to form a deconstructed bed on the sidewalk (a different type of being out of shape and something that I feel to be quintessentially Hackney-esque). For good measure, we stuck a note on the deconstructed bed to indicate that it was free to a good home.

Finishing up, Dennis did a quick whizz around the bedroom with a hoover (he was particularly excited to be using a genuine Henry), before Ms R gave us some refreshments, including a massive pyramid of profiteroles. Thank goodness I don't believe in new year's resolutions! 😋

Hopefully the delivery will go smoothly tomorrow and Ms R can sleep more comfortably. Thanks to James, for the extra photos, and to Dennis for being our willing model. I'm looking forward to our next mission! :)

Report written by Elizabeth


Discuss this report

Nikki
Nikki
Friday January 4th, 2019 10:46

A lovely run report and new year's mission, well done! :)

Elizabeth
Elizabeth
Friday January 4th, 2019 10:56

Thanks, Nikki. Hope you had a good new year! :D

Redbridge runner
Redbridge runner
Friday January 4th, 2019 11:44

Nice write-up, totally jealous of those profiteroles!

Elizabeth
Elizabeth
Friday January 4th, 2019 12:09

Cheers, Dharmesh! I should have taken a photo: they looked beautiful! Hope you enjoyed the holidays :)

sign in to add a comment

Share the love

Get your mission on

What are you waiting for?

Find a mission

Join us on the next run

Wilton Estate Community Garden

Wednesday 18:30 - 20:00
Led by Joel Wiles
London Fields

Find out more

Become a member

with an optional monthly donation

  • Run, walk, or cycle to help older people
  • Access sessions across the country
  • Claim your GoodGym t-shirt

Cookies help us deliver our services. By using our services, you agree to our use of cookies. Learn more