What better way to start the new year than with perhaps the favourite task - visiting the Baby Bank at the Cornerstone Church.

Well, how about the delight of meeting the wonderful Iggi for his first ever Goodgym session? And there was the added pleasure of welcoming Ben & Fiona for their first GG Redbridge adventure! Do give them all a cheer!

Oh yeah, we had another visitor... sorry Ivo, no top billing this night!

Back to business. As per usual, it was a nice mix of walking & running & cycling that got all 9 of us down to the church, where Adam was waiting with a box & several bags of clothing to be sorted, plus the offer of tea & coffee. Whether it was down to people getting their eye in, or just a bit of a poor batch, but unfortunately there was more than the average amount of clothing not meeting the standards. But fear not, nothing goes to waste, even discarded items will find a home, such as being recycled.

All sorted and tidied up, it was time for everyone to make their way back / home / other places, job well done.

P.S..... did you know that Linda did her 500th task the other day?? She kindly brought cookies to celebrate!

9 GoodGymmers assisted at Frenford Food Bank today with festive tunes playing and tasty treats supplied to keep the party atmosphere going. We also had the assistance of a local Guide group today so it didn't take long for all the packages to be completed and loaded up on to the trolleys. There were also extra drivers courtesy of Guide parents and carers so the packages were just as efficiently dispatched.

Special mention to Angela who rounded up a couple of 9 year olds who were a great help, Angela also took a package for delivery, what a star player. So sorry you escaped our 📸 again, we will get you next time 😁

In pursuit of another kind of stardom the rapidly emptying dance studio turned into a GG lip-sinking session with a rousing rendition of Bohemian Rhapsody, our Ben was determined this should not stop until at least the musical bridge but a driver asked him for help at the crucial moment and he had to abandon the session to assist, what a pro!

Very happy to see the return of James and Mike this week recovered from recent illness and good to see Tina and Herman turning into trusty regulars in the group.

All set to leave and Gen (task owner) got a last minute request so Jenny and Katherine sprung into action packing the bags while Gen was taking the order, the package was put together and we popped the bags into the drivers car on our way out. Another good job done. Merry Christmas Everyone. 🎄

In comparison to last nights solo session at Frenford Food Bank the place was buzzing with volunteers today.

A huge welcome to Tina and Herman on their first mission. They arrived together bright an early which gave Linda a chance to show them the ropes before the hustle and bustle got under way. They picked it up quickly and were very soon part of the team.

Ben remembered to sign up in time this time 😊 and is now a confirmed regular who quietly gets on with the job, Katherine brought her usual energy to the team and AJ her skills organising and tidying of the shelves trick - she calls it OCD but whatever you call it it's very useful in the Food Bank.

Along with the other Frenford volunteers we got 38 packages together well in time for the drivers arrival.

Some had places to go so left soon after and the others hung on to assist the drivers which was most appreciated.