We had a whopping number of 13 Goodgymers cleaning out the KVA’s Surplus to Supper Hub so we split up into three groups.

Group 1 had John, Tom, Saber and Dave who washed the van and cleaned out the industrial fridge. Firstly, John, Tom and Dave sponged it down with warm soapy water and then Saber put his shooting skills to the test with the pressure washer. Then, they attempted to clean the fridge by taking all the crates out so the floor was clear and ready to be washed. However, they realised the hose was too short and couldn't reach inside! Oh no, better luck next time guys! This still made a great workout with all the washing and lifting! 💪

Next, we had group 2 with Emily, Amy W and Marcos cleaning the kitchen. Making sure the sink area and cooking equipment were all sanitised down, wiped and moped the floor until sparkling clean and mud-free!

Lastly, we had group 3 with the slightly hardest job of the night… Louise, Claire, Luke, Anna, Jonathan and Rachel were entrusted to reducing, sorting and moving crates of non-edible items (e.g beauty products, mother and baby small items, clothes and event decorations) to a small pantry cupboard. It was very much like playing a few rounds of Tetris!

Aside from that, we all finished the tasks that we set up to do. Great job everyone, see you all next time!

It was lovely to visit a new venue in Kingston for Tuesday's week's task, for all that we've all walked past Hestia's office without knowing it was there. Hestia has an enormous site up a few flights of stairs on Eden Street where it runs the Good Energy Club, a community project created to help people with mental illness or issues with low levels of mental wellbeing through physical and social activities.

There were acres of surfaces to wipe, around table tennis tables, music rooms, conference rooms and offices, dealt with by cloth from Anna, Tom, Rachel, Jana, Emily, Laurel, Sabir, Sekar and Jonathan.

Meanwhile Luke and Marcos performed heroics with a hoover across never-ending carpets as Dave, Louise and Levita refused to allow the thorough cleaning of the kitchen to beat them.

Perhaps the highlight of the whole evening was our host John, who supplied us not only with good humour but Pepsi Max, sweets and biscuits, and might even become our newest GoodGym recruit. While some of the gang headed off for a well-deserved drink for our monthly social at The Albion, we'll all look forward to coming back to a great spot very soon.

Tonight we had the great opportunity to go to two different charities as both could only take a limited number of volunteers. So that's what we did, we split the group in two and went to Refugee Action Kingston and Growbaby.

Levita reports about the task at Refugee Action Kingston

Louise, Sekar, and Levita supported the team by sorting through donated clothes and separating items suitable for those seeking assistance. Saber worked with the girls to create a peaceful and clean corner where refugees could read the Quran whenever they wished. Dave and Jonathan gladly used their strength and handyman skills to repair the bulletin boards, making them neat and presentable. It was indeed a fruitful and rewarding evening.

Emma reports about the task at Refugee Action Kingston

A crew of GoodGymers made their way on bike or on foot to Growbaby, rolling up our sleeves to bring order to the wonderful chaos of donations they have recently received.

A key job was to pack away the winter coats and set up a rail of spring coats and wellies - ready for some April shower puddle stomping! As a charity which provides free clothes and equipment for little ones aged 0–5, some of us were needed in the stock room to match up tiny shoes - always a satisfying task - give the nappy and milk stores a proper tidy, and sort through bags of new donations to get everything ready for the families who need them.

Better book in our next seasonal trip for the summer hat and sandal sort-out?

Saturday 4 GoodGymers met with the Canbury Community Garden team to attend to much needed garden duties. One team armed with spades and garden forks took on the 3 compost bays, digging, lifting, tossing, turning compost, and then recovering the compost bays with a blanket of fresh straw. Meanwhile the second team attended to the pond area, clearing fallen leaves, and mud, fallen rocks, and re-securing the pond liner. Topped up the pond with water collected from the swollen, fast moving river. A job well done!

After what seems like endless rain this year, today we enjoyed a crisp, dry evening - perfect for a spot of bramble bashing. With head torches on and spirits high, the team gathered to tackle a brambly jungle that had been growing way too confident in its ability to take over the space earmarked for pollinator planting. We met Georgina, Kingston's new Biodiversity Officer, who talked us through the task and handed out much needed gloves, loppers and waste bags. We were also joined by a local councilor and a couple of willing local residents - all help welcome so thanks for the extra muscle!

It's always amazing how much can be done within an hour when many hands work together. We lopped, hacked, yanked, ripped and dug our way through the mess of thorns and, although not 100% clear, made a massive impact on the patch. This was certainly a satisfying task even if it did leave a few rips in clothes and our skin got some free acupuncture.

Excellent work team!