Tuesday’s group run took us to Hestia’s Good Energy Club, a fantastic community space supporting people experiencing mental health challenges. Their mission is to improve physical wellbeing, support mental health and reduce social isolation - values very much aligned with GoodGym’s own.

We arrived in force and were welcomed by John, who gave us a tour before offering the ultimate volunteer incentive: snacks in exchange for our cleaning efforts. Armed with hoovers, cloths, spray bottles and plastic gloves, we got straight to work.

We were also joined by special guests Ivo and Hannah. Rather than rolling out the red carpet, we rolled out the hoovers and put them straight to work alongside the rest of the team. After deciding who was tackling which room, John put on a soundtrack of 90s classics that kept spirits high and energy levels up throughout the evening.

The hour flew by, and before long it was time for a final snack break and the journey home. John was hugely appreciative of the help, explaining that the club doesn’t have a dedicated cleaning budget and that maintaining such a large space can be a real challenge.

It was lovely to meet Hannah on her first task, and congratulations again on your new role as CEO of GoodGym.

This morning three of us went to do a variety of jobs at Jubilee Square. We cleared weeds and did a litter pick. Also some of the buddleias were given a trim to get rid of the dying bits to allow for fresh new growth, this was then placed on the dead hedge.

A lovely Sunday morning spent at the scout hut. Three GoodGymers turned up to help out and get the hut looking well-loved. Rachel and Raquel weeded the front of the building and spent time lifting the drains to empty out the compost that had formed there. The kids loved exploring the worms and bugs that had taken up residence. Dave got the power tools out and strimmed the outside to clear the vegetation that was hanging on the pavement.

Great work! We definitely earned the sausage and bacon rolls that they very kindly provided for lunch.

Four goodgymers from different areas, whilst doing their own shopping, also picked up a few items and dropped for their local food bank.

Rachel, Laura and Jana spent an hour helping spruce up the pathway leading to the MILAAP day centre, which was covered in leaves, seeds, weeds and general debris along the edges.

After a bit of improvisation with the tools — including a snow shovel that turned out to be surprisingly excellent at scooping seeds — the team quickly got to work. Laura tackled the weeds, Rachel led the sweeping operation, while Jana helped gather debris, empty buckets and keep everything moving smoothly as the bin bags steadily piled up.

There were a few dramatic moments when overloaded bags split open, scattering seeds everywhere, but the team recovered quickly and kept spirits high.

By the end of the session, around six bin bags had been filled and the pathway was looking far clearer and more welcoming. Hopefully the residents at MILAAP will enjoy the refreshed entrance!

I volunteered at Riddlesdown parkrun with my mum who did her first parkrun there since pre Covid 😊