Barbra Streisand celebrated her birthday on Wednesday - Happy Birthday, Barbra!!

I know this because of the OnThisDay website. And Wikipedia. I double checked on Wikipedia. I trust Wikipedia, but I didn't trust OnThisDay.

But now, of course, I do. And they tell me that Wednesday would also have been William of Orange's 491st birthday - big numbers, Will!

Then there's Lou Thesz - who was a wrestler; and Philippe Pétain - who was a French general; and the list goes on and on. But...

...does it mention GoodGym Camden... why heck, it doesn't! What would Barbra say, OnThisDay, hey?

Because it was big news as our merry group met outside the Francis Crick on Wednesday evening - GoodGym Camden was 11!!

Dan, Faye, Jackie, John, Lucy, and Steve met in spring light and we started the evening with a gentle warm up game of Get to 33!

Warmed and chatting, we strolled next door to the special King's Cross Story Garden. Housed above the British Library's car park, the space is a cared-for curation of nature and crafts, sat snug and peaceful amidst King's Cross's hub-bub.

Chimen (who was on their first good deed - welcome!!), Emre, and Louise joined us on site, where we were welcomed by the lovely Holly, the Story Garden's Manager.

Our task was simple - get things out of the way - preparing the way for the removal team, who will be taking stock over to the garden's new permanent home a stone's throw away.

We got to it, dismantling gazebos, shifting pallets, lifting portable saunas, and then making things tidy and neat once again.

Over 45 minutes, this team of 10 made such a difference, and we did so whilst sharing our own stories and laughter.

Thanks, everyone, I really appreciate your work, and I hope to see you at another session soon!!!

It was yesterday evening. I made tea. I sat on my bed. I opened my computer and went to YouTube.

how to DIY fill hole in wall

This was what I searched, folks. I was still scarred from my last attempt at using polyfilla. Which was 20 minutes before the check-out-scary-inventory-deposit-reducing-meeting at my last rental. They took the deposit, folks, they took it to do the holes again.

Yet... this evening was different! And certainly because I was surrounded by the wonderful Alice, Faye(who was on their first GoodGym good deed - congrats!!), Jackie, John, Liz, and Steve.

We'd grasped the spring worm this evening, enjoying the longer light to traverse the bustle between Barbican and the Brady Arts and Community Centre, where our task awaited us.

Social Action for Health are a gorgeous charity working within the community in Tower Hamlets, and they need their volunteer room at the Brady spruced and enlivened, and we'll be doing just that over the coming weeks.

Our task this evening was to get the ball rolling, which we did by removing brackets from yesteryear and filling their left-behind holes.

This group took the tasks and ran with them to completion. Amidst a setting twilight, this room became a happy space filled with screwdrivers, pliers, hole filler, putty knives, and hoovers. And 40 minutes later, we'd gotten this space a short span away from being ready to paint.

Thanks, everyone, I had the most wonderful evening, and you made a real difference this evening.

Nice one!

Before the clocks spring forward, we always know our evening tasks will be dark... yet sometimes... we also hope for the dry!

Yesterday felt like a flipped day of meteorological halves, with the morning bright and warm, and the evening... less so!

The weather didn't, however, dampen our moods and spirits.

Emre, Steve, and I met with smiles outside King's Cross Station, and we took a happy and steady run up through Camden and over to Kentish Town.

We talked about Emre's home in Cyprus, teaching, history, and more! It was a joy to share that time and run together :)

We arrived in Kentish Town just as the sun had fully descended, and we met the wonderful Suzanna who'd arrived with a wise umbrella in hand.

Through the gates into the Willingham Close Estate we went, and we were met by the friendly Hilda and John, who give so much of their time and skills to their community.

Our task - amidst the continuing rain - was to create some breathing space for recently planted hedgerow stalks. We donned our gloves and got to pulling out the surrounding weeds, nettles, and grass, creating the air and room for these new plants to flourish.

Thank you, all, for your work and time - it was cold and wet, yet fun and enjoyable too - and we made a difference yesterday :)

We've been heading to the American International Church since December.

Since then, we've visited 10 times, always assembling, dressing, and organising the beds for their weekly winter shelter's guests.

Wednesday last week was the AIC's final winter shelter until the autumn, and we welcomed Elizabeth, Jackie, John, Lici, Louise, and Steve to our final hullabaloo until we return in October or November.

Our group's speed reflected our comfort in this space, as we swiftly made up the evening's beds in the male, female, and volunteer quarters, and we did so to our (now accustomed) speaker filled with sounds from the 80s.

I've loved this task over the past few months. Each week we make a difference. The shelter is made possible through the collected efforts of multiple people - the overnight helpers, the evening cooks (whose creations always smell so good), the AIC's core coordinating team, and... our very own GoodGym-esque help. It's a joy to be part of something that truly helps folks who need it.

We welcomed my partner, Suzanna, for the final couple of minutes, before we headed off for a well-earned spot of pasta on Tottenham Court Road!

Thanks, everyone, and see you soon, Alex

I have been scrolling back through the GoodGym guidance.

Become an expert at speed scanning. Through PowerPoints and PDFs, even the odd hard copy document too. My eyes are hurting and my heart is racing. I've had 17 coffees but I think - finally - I must now give up.

I sullenly have to confirm this news.

GoodGym doesn't have any guidance on Borough Theme Tunes...

...but that doesn't mean we can't create some!!

Our wonderful core Camden group of Jackie, John, and Steve had a significant task ahead of us when we arrived at the American International Church last night. We were back to help out at the AIC to set up their winter shelter, which they run from November to March every year.

Between the 4 of us, we had to: a. sweep the large hall ready for the shelter; b. bring in, assemble, and dress 13 beds in the large hall; and c. do the same for 2 beds in the smaller side room.

We'd been moving and working for perhaps 75 seconds before Steve opened Spotify... searched for the music that seems to have accompanied our volunteering for a little while now... and hit play on Dire Straits!

We chatted and worked for 40 minutes, before packing away and looking ahead to next week and our final time at the AIC this season.

Thanks, all, for your work and for a wonderful evening :)