It takes all sorts

Three Goodgymers turned up at the Genesis base in Oldfield Park in Bath on Wednesday evening to help sort some of the donations the charity receives.

We couldn’t resist trying on the impressive headgear, while the task certainly appealed to Helen’s neat gene - she did a serious amount of folding.

Spending an hour organising clothes and books donated to a charity doesn’t sound like a big deal but to Hilary Long from the Genesis Trust it makes a huge difference.

Tops, jeans and coats will go to homeless and vulnerable people who come to its Lifeline day centre. They will help keep them warm during what is likely to be a bitter winter. The less practical items - such as a shimmery camisole unearthed by Meyrick - will be sold to raise money to run Genesis’ various projects. These range from life skills support to the increasingly-needed food bank.

As the cost of living crisis worsens and money gets tight, charities have to come up with new ways to fundraise. Our other job involved crating up hardback books ready for a specialist to view. An unwanted volume could turn out to be an early edition worth hundreds of pounds.

Those that don’t sell can still make money via an app like Ziffit.com. Let’s hope they want cookery books - we packed up dozens!