Last night’s GoodGym session in Westminster took us back to St Andrew’s, where our task was to tackle the vast amount of arts and crafts supplies and sort everything into trays ready to go into the new storage before the kids return next week. There was an incredible amount to get through — paints, craft materials, games, and all sorts of wonderfully creative things for the children to discover and enjoy. Looking at it all laid out, it was easy to see what a brilliant resource this is: not just fun, but materials that can help children develop skills, express themselves creatively and even use art as a form of therapy.

It was also eerily quiet without the children around. We’re so used to the voices, music and activities happening all around us that the silence felt quite strange. Still, there was something surprisingly therapeutic about working our way through the supplies. Khai, Adrian and I settled into a good rhythm, sorting, organising and gradually turning the chaos into something much more manageable.

We even came across one particularly intriguing bag of equipment that was definitely not very kid-friendly — more suited to adult consumption! Let’s just say we were careful not to let any bunny business get mixed up with the children’s crafts. 🐰

By the end, we’d worked our way through the supplies and everything was organised and ready to be moved into its new home. Adrian was really pleased to see it all sorted, which made the evening feel particularly worthwhile.

Another visit to St Andrew’s, another good deed done! It’s lovely to know that the work we do helps keep such a valuable community resource organised, welcoming and ready for the children who rely on it. We might not have heard their voices last night, but we could certainly imagine the noise, creativity and fun that will soon fill the space again.

Thanks to Khai for the punspiration this week!

This Monday we were really pile-ing on the pressure! A sunny Bank Holiday lunchtime saw the team return to tackle the task we started last week. We arrived ready to shift the last bit of the pile, which initially seemed manageable. However, as soon as we started moving it up the stairs, it became very clear that this was a much bigger job than we first thought!What followed was a fantastic all-over body workout as we shovelled, shuttled and shifted the remaining mulch up the steps. We were watched over by the estate manager, who was very supportive of the progress and pleased that access would finally be reinstated to both the estate and the bins. With the sun shining we pushed through. The result? A massive sense of satisfaction when we finally got it done and looked back at the cleared space. Great work everybody!

Another great GoodGym Hounslow session happened last night, with plenty to celebrate and two important community tasks helping local green spaces recover after the drought.

🎉 Celebrations all round

A huge congratulations to Maxime on his 100th Good Deed! That is a fantastic milestone and a testament to the time, energy and commitment he has put into helping others in the community. Reaching 100 good deeds means 100 occasions of turning up, getting stuck in and making a tangible difference — one task, one neighbour and one community space at a time. What an achievement!

We also gave a warm GoodGym welcome to David, who joined us for his very first session. It was great to have him along, and we hope this is the first of many GoodGym adventures.

💦 Watering after the drought

With our local green spaces needing some extra care following the drought, we split into two groups for two very worthwhile watering tasks. One group headed to Abundance in Chiswick, helping to water their community growing spaces. Organisations like Abundance do so much to bring people together around food, nature and sustainable local communities, so helping to keep their plants healthy is a small but important way of supporting that work.

The other group headed to Wild Chiswick’s allotments, where there was plenty to keep us busy watering plants that had been through a tough spell of dry weather. Wild Chiswick helps protect and nurture local biodiversity while keeping valuable community growing spaces thriving. We even had a curious fox was keeping watch over proceedings! 🦊

🤝 Reuniting!

We decided to skip the usual workout in the interests of bringing the groups back together and spending more time as one team. Neither group was short of a workout, though. At Turnham Green, the watering crew had to carry heavy watering cans all the way across the Green from the rockery — definitely enough functional fitness to make up for skipping the usual fitness! Next week, we’re back to normal with our session at Chiswick House — workout included!

A big well done to everyone. From 100 good deeds to a first session, and everything between and beyond, it was another great night of doing good together. 💚

A big GoodGym Wandsworth welcome to Alice, who joined us for her first group run last night! 🎉 We hope you enjoyed your first session with us — although perhaps we should have warned you that it sometimes means shifting a truly ridiculous amount of mulch…

We started with a warm-up and a question about the quietest place on earth before heading out on our run down to Doddington. Once there, we were faced with a big challenge. The council had kindly donated a huge — absolutely massive — pile of mulch, but unfortunately it had been dumped in a spot that blocked access to the bins, a parking space and an entrance to the estate. So the priority was clear: move it, and as quickly as possible.

We grabbed whatever we could find that had a viable cavity — tubs, bags, boxes, buckets and anything else capable of holding mulch — and got shifting.

What followed was the ultimate full-body workout. No separate fitness session required! Legs were getting a workout carrying loads up the stairs, arms were doing the heavy lifting, and our cores were working overtime to keep everything stable as we hauled mulch up the stairs.

And we really did move mountains. By the end of the session we had transported at least half of the enormous pile. At times it felt like we weren't making much of a dent, but take a look at the before-and-after photos and you'll see just how much we achieved. 💪🌱

A massive well done to everyone who got stuck in. Next week is a bank holiday, so we'll be switching things up with a lunchtime session. Exactly what we're doing is still to be confirmed, so watch this space! 😉