Wednesday 24th June
Written by Kash
As I stood at the exit of Tottenham Court Road station, waiting at the traffic lights under the full glare of the sun, I looked up at the billboard for The Devil Wears Prada musical. My face was burning in the heat, and the combination of the blazing sunshine, the high temperature, and the diabolical advertisement felt somewhat infernal. It seemed as though the green light would never come and that I would be stranded there forever, unable to cross the road and reach the welcome shade on the other side. Eventually, however, the lights changed, and I continued on my way.
The rest of my walk to Bloomsbury to meet Ms F was mostly shaded, although it still took me a little longer than usual in the heat. When I arrived, Ms F excitedly informed me that her favourite supermarket, Waitrose, had just reopened following a refurbishment. Apparently, there were giveaways and food tastings taking place to celebrate the reopening, but all I was interested in was the air conditioning.
I was welcomed into Waitrose by a blast of cool air - though not quite as cool as I had hoped - and an entirely new store layout. While the redesign was arguably more intuitive, it made finding oatcakes surprisingly difficult. The promised freebies were nowhere to be seen. And then came the final blow: the cheese counter ceased to exist. No more Cornish Yarg for Ms F!
Once I had worked out where everything (apart from the cheese) was, I found myself carrying a six-pack of 1.5-litre bottles of Buxton water in one hand and almost the same weight in groceries in the other. Together, they amounted to at least a third of my body weight. The climb to Ms F's flat on the fifth floor was much easier than anticipated, given the heat. Sadly, no amount of resilience and physical fitness could compensate for the loss of the cheese counter.
Friday 19th June
Written by Jack
To launch the Southern cohort of the Future Leader programme we all came together to help out St Pancras gardens. We did a quick garden tidy up to ensure the area is kept clean for people to enjoy this wonderful green space in the heart of London.
Denzel led a group of runners with Jack leading the group of walkers, with photographer Dave capturing some brilliant shots along the way.
Future Leaders are young people that will be building leadership skills and care about their community, fitness and social impact. We had people travel in today from York, Plymouth and Cambridge - so amazing to see you all!
🎵 St Pancras Gardens are attached to St Pancras Old Church and have a long history. In 1968, The Beatles were photographed here for a famous series of pictures designed to promote the single "Hey Jude" and the White Album. More recently artists such as Sam Smith have performed concerts there.
🌿 It's a busy place right in the centre of London which attracts a lot of footfall, hence the constant need to keep litter at bay and the paths clear.
🛏 We have all collaborated and made new connections whilst efficiently getting the task done - we also discovered the war of the fallen mattress.
Huge well done on your 1st good deed Imantha, Ana, Nazifa, Malachi, Tatianna, Luna, Jemima, Javic, Mason, Lubna, Lesley, Rasheed and Jihane.
Such great work everyone 🙌🙌🙌 so excited to see what you all make happen!
Huge thank you to Havas for allowing us to use their amazing office space for our cohort workshop.
Wednesday 17th June
Written by Alex Murtough (he/him)
On a near-Solstice evening, this wonderful group made a special difference at Adelaide Community Garden!
Nestled behind an unremarkable gate — just a short stroll from Chalk Farm — sits a beautiful (and seemingly endless) stretch of lush allotments.
And this crew got stuck straight into emptying, bagging, and spreading one of Adelaide's four giant compost heaps!
Thank you, everyone — and a particular BIG welcome to Yasmin!
Friday 19th June
Written by StephDucat
Back at Ms F for some shopping. As her local Waitrose is re opening on the 24th of June following a refurb, we have to wonder to other stores. I offered last time to go to the little Waitrose, which is further away but only a 10min walk. When I arrived Ms F said as it is hot and much further she did not mind if i did not go there. Plus she didn't need much or wanted something slightly different due to the heat. So we agreed it would be the Tesco Extra. She had discovered some products she likes at the Tesco like the Halloumi cheese, the gem lettuce(tastier than at Waitrose) and the red grapes(much better here too). I even got her usual Buxton water)much needed in this heat). She was grapeful for Goodgym coming in this heat. As it was quicker due to the fact the Tesco is closer, i also helped her unfold her hoover(Dyson style) as she could not unlock it and pack it away.
Friday 19th June
Written by Nick Moore
Mr T's (cross) word of the day was Quirt. If anyone reading this knows what this means (without resorting to computer aided assistance of any description), then you probably can also solve the Times crossword in ten minutes...and I applaud you accordingly.
Thankfully the shopping task set by Mr T was more straightforward - even Sardines in Tomato Sauce were back on the shelves at Tesco, which delighted Mr T no end - as did the new bottle of Lea and Perrins that he specifically requested (and which will probably last him another five years...).
Wednesday 10th June
Written by Alex Murtough (he/him)
This special and hardy group made a real difference on Wednesday!
Battling the rain and chill, they dropped their usual dose of altruistic magic off at the communal garden in Barnes House Estate!
Thank you, everyone!
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