Ms E's health had gotten worse since Kash and Sevan's last visit. That was worrying her and as she was proud of her garden, she was almost as concerned about the state of it. As with a lot of recent gardening missions, things had grown despite the lack of water recently and needed to be kept in check to not cause bigger problems later.

Before being able to get tools from the shed, Kash and Sevan had to deal with a drunken tool container that had toppled over and blocked their path. One of its supports had buckled and even once it was emptied, it was still leaning forward dangerously. Propping it up didn't work, then Kash had the smart idea of spinning it around. As the ground underneath wasn't level, the leaning ground one way and the leaning storage the other way equalled out and at least for a while, the storage will stay standing.

With that sorted, it was on to trimming back the plants. The three challenges were to stop any invaders from neighbours' gardens, keep the path along the centre clear of branches and cut everything down to head height. On both sides, creepers were sneaking in so Kash and Sevan did a neat job of trimming along the fence line. Ms E's own plants had some sharper edges and points, making bagging them into thin black sacks a fun task.

Roses were lopped and hydrangeas were chopped and eventually the pair managed to complete the highest priority tasks, leaving some smaller bits to be tidied up for next time.

Two GoodGymers joined the core team for the Friday pack down at St Matthew’s Church Foodbank. They lifted, shifted and gifted their GoodGym energy to help reset the space after a busy session. This is the GoodGym cool down where crates get carried, tables get folded and chairs get stacked with perfect form. The volunteer team is small and mighty and just needs a little extra GoodGym muscle to finish the week strong.

It was a LoT to give back! this week as we teamed up with Library of Things to spread the word about borrowing rather than buying. 🌱

We were joined by Charlotte, Library of Things’ Lead Marketeer, who also used to work at the Corporate Centre — so it was brilliant to have you back with us! We were also very happy to welcome Kash, a GoodGym familiar face. 👋

Jalal arrived on his bike and led us over to Library of Things in the Livat to start the evening. We got a proper look at how it all works, including their real-life lockers, before heading out into the local community with a stack of flyers - 1000 to be exact!

We found a nearby residential area and set off on a flyer-filled trail, working our way along three big roads as a team. And just when we thought the evening couldn't get more exciting, we had a very rare summer solar eclipse to enjoy! 🌞 With our trusty protective glasses at the ready, we took a little time to admire the spectacle and catch up.

Then it was back into town, where Jalal was waiting for us, happily handing out flyers to anyone who looked like they might be interested. 📣 After spreading the Library of Things love far and wide, we made our way back to Shepherd’s Bush station.

A big thank you to everyone for making it such a fun one — and to everyone who helped get the word out. Borrow more, buy less, and give things a second life! 💚

Two GoodGym volunteers joined the core volunteer team to help pack down after the busy foodbank session, packing away surplus food, moving crates, folding tables, and stacking chairs to prepare the space for weekend church services. The core volunteer team can be seen in the photograph

Tonight’s Masbro volunteering task turned into a full-on shelving showdown 😂 We had 2 shelving units to build and decided the only fair way was to compete.

Team 1: Cheski + Lillie Team 2: Matthew + Maria

Matthew and Maria came in hot with a mallet ready to go — serious head start energy. Team Cheski/Lillie had to go hunting for a hammer first, but once we were set up we were a dream team. Laid out all the pieces, followed the questionable instructions, and clicked everything together piece by piece 🛠️

Meanwhile Matthew + Maria were stuck on step 1. We offered help... they declined. Classic. Turns out the piece was upside down 👀

Lillie and I were flying and nearly done, just the wooden shelves left. Then we made our fatal mistake: we got distracted talking about weddings 💍 And that’s when Matthew and Maria steamed ahead. There was even some sneaky shelf-stealing tactics involved.

It came down to a last-minute race to get the tops on... and surprise, surprise, Matthew and Maria beat us!

Well done to all 4 flat-pack champions. Masbro has 2 brand new shelves and we have a new rivalry 🏆

Our solo GoodGym volunteer went the extra mile today, joining the FB core volunteer crew and hitting the ground running to pack down St Matthew’s Church FB at record pace. We powered through crates, tables and chairs, keeping a steady stride all the way to the finish line and leaving the space looking weekend‑ready.