7 GoodGymers braved the WINTER chill to make a difference in Camden!

It didn't feel like spring is just around the corner last night... because of... the cold... and the rain... and the smiles that sometimes look like grimaces when the wind shoots through!

Not that that stopped this lovely group of good deeding heroes!

Ariane, Danny, Imogen, Steve, Theo (new to the Camden group – welcome!), and Thierry (new to GoodGym – welcome!) must have been the hardest working group in Camden last night!

Amidst 'the weather' (!) they started out by moving an enormous pile of choc-full bin liners, emptying two crates, and sorting through an assortment of wood and metal 💪

And they then turned their magical clearing hands to a greenhouse, removing everything in the most orderly and quick manner I have ever witnessed ❤️

Before they finally got everything ready for our return visit (SOON!) when we will lift the greenhouse, walk the greenhouse, and deposit the greenhouse in a more permanent home ☺️

Thank you, everyone!

After catching up on the past week's comings and goings, of which there had clearly been a few because it wasn't until nearly 2:30 that I finally set off with trolley in tow to do Mr T's shop, it was the regular 3 base shop today.

Disappointingly M&S were all out of Sardines in olive oil, so I got double helpings of the tomato sauce version instead hoping this would keep Mr T afloat at least for the week - as always he was fine with the substitution. Spinach was not in short supply in Lidl, and everything else fell neatly into the basket.

Upon my return we got talking about curtains once again, and suggested to Mr T he orders (or more appropriately gets someone to help him order) a replacement set online, and then a volunteer would happily come along to hang them for him...more to follow next week I'm sure.

Mr E needed a room clearing for his return home from hospital, to make room for a hospital bed. I was pleased to complete this with Lydia, who was completing her very first GoodGym Mission today, good to meet you! Once given access, we transferred as much of the furniture and belongings that could be moved to the other room. Hopefully we made enough space for the hospital bed to be installed and Mr E to come back home comfortably.

10 GoodGymers making a difference in Central London!

It was the umpteenth rain-soaked evening of the year, and almost every Londoner was frowning and huddling in their attempts to stay away from the weather.

And yet this group of ten special people had decided to step into the evening!

David (on their first GoodGym session — welcome!), Kash, and Alex started the evening with a conversation-filled jog through Bloomsbury and over to Tottenham Court Road...

...where they were met by the happy group of Caitlin, Louise, Lydia, Paul, Rohan, and Steve :)

Our task was a common one for us during the winter months 👉 we were off to help set up the night shelter at the American International Church, which provides food, community, and warmth as part of the C4WS homeless support programme.

Our wonderful host (and fellow GoodGymer), Brooke, guided our efforts assembling beds, fighting with duvet covers, and setting up a dining room :)

Thank you, everyone! Here's to next time!

It's been the third GoodGym evening in a row for me and yet another occasion to get soaked (maybe slightly less than on the Tuesday's and Wednesday's group runs). Ms F joked we should have started building an ark like Noah had done in the Bible.

It was good to see Ms F taking a humorous spin on the daily miserable weather we had been experiencing since... no one remembers when. I'm sure she had enough of water, though - both as rain and as bottles of Buxton still. She revealed she still had 14 bottles of drinking water, so I wouldn't be shopping for H2O on that one occasion.

Apart from the usual veg, fish, cheese and oatcakes (utilising three discount vouchers, woohoo!), I had a special order to fulfil: a Valentines treat! Waitrose had shown love to its loyal customers by treating them to a free pack of heart- or flower-shaped crumpets. The store must have shared that love very generously as when I arrived at the right aisle they'd been all sold out. No love for Ms F this time, unfortunately, but the lady was confident she'd get them another time!

The lovely Mr T from far North must have beaten the record of getting me running for a single mission: 22km. 8 km out through busy Holland Park Avenue and equally packed Hyde Park, then 14 km back to Ealing via Paddington and Acton. Luckily, Lidl was just 130 metres away from Mr T's flat!

The gentleman praised his regulars, Nick and Loiuse, but was still happy with what I've delivered today.

Mr T is a history buff, and I learned from him that the granddaughter of the revered Polish king John III Sobieski was the titular queen of England, Scotland, and Ireland, and the mother of Bonnie Prince Charlie. A chat with Mr T and the interesting fact were absolutely worth the run!