Another mission down helping out with Student Pantry at KingsGate Church in Kingston. It was a little quieter than usual due to Reading Week but we still had a great turn-out with over 40 students making use of the services.

We started off the day by transporting goods and stocking up shelves. Amraz started off welcoming students and providing them with baskets. Anna was on the fruit and vegetable tables, giving out recipe ideas for the produce that they were picking.

Overall, another successful and rewarding mission with meeting new faces and saying hello to familiar ones.

A group of GoodGymers gathered at Elm Park Recreation Centre this evening for a community clean-up effort focused on restoring and maintaining the popular public space.

Equipped with rakes, brooms, hoes and garden shears, we tackled several neglected areas around the grounds to ensure the space remains safe, welcoming and accessible for families.

Dave and our newest GoodGym member, Callum, tackled in removing unwanted tree roots from the ground. Jana, Tom, Jonathan, Rachel, Anna, Marcos, Ken and Saber worked in small teams to sweep up the endless piles of leaves and placing them in compost.

Events like these remind us how much we can achieve when we pull together. A huge welcome to our newest volunteer, Callum, who jumped right in on his very first day and pitched in with the team!

Thank you to everyone who lent a helping hand.

Three GoodGymmers, one hour, a mountain of weeds and a well-earned slice of cake. It was all hands on deck at Staywell Raleigh House in New Malden this morning, where Sabir, Emily and Jana tackled a rather wild-looking wood-chipped area beside the new shed. The weeds had clearly been making themselves at home, with some absolute giants and even a few mushrooms joining the party. With just an hour to make an impact, the team formed a line and worked steadily forwards, leaving a weed-free trail. Sabir and Jana got stuck into the heavy-duty work with pick axe-style tools, while Emily made short work of the smaller stuff. By the end we'd filled a huge bag with weeds and made a satisfying difference. At 11 on Remembrance Sunday we paused for the two-minute silence, then rounded off with cake that Jana had brought along. Great teamwork, great company and another little corner of New Malden looking much tidier.

Well done to all those that had a productive stroll and litterpicked round our local waterways and parks. A cleanup was done in a few spots, Fishponds, along the Thames and the Hogsmill. A worthwhile task to protect our and the other animals habits and recreation spaces, made extra special by the wonderful sights to see along the way.

On a spooky crisp Halloween morning 5 brave GoodGymers headed to Canbury Gardens and the GoodGym flowerbed, The leaves were out in force hiding the the flowerbed so Levita and Cinthia sewpt them away from the font of the bed and bagged them up whilst Ellie tackled the leaves that had tangled themselves in the plants. Leaves cleared Julie joined us to plant the bulbs whilst Claire pruned and restaked the some of the plants.

Nice soft soil from the rain and many hands made it light work and we were finished in no time with the flowerbed blooming with later colour in the sunshine.

If the team thought last week's help getting Growbaby ready for its move to new premises in Kingston was tough, then it was time to think again.

After taking all of their stock up to the top floor, this week involved moving everything out of the shop altogether and into vans and lorries.

We were lucky to have a good squad on the ground as everything from bookshelves to cupboards, rails, boxes, toys and even a sofa had to find their way in.

Dave, Claire, Laura, Jonathan, Sabir and Marcos carried everything out while Cinthia and Rachel used remarkable spatial awareness to haul everything around the vans and lorries to pack as much in as possible. Tom enjoyed himself far too much moving the platform up and down.

The task was completed in solidarity with This Girl Can and their Let's Lift the Curfew campaign to highlight the issues for women being able to continue outdoor activities during winter.

They're such a great bunch at Growbaby and it was a pleasure to get active and help them on their way to an exciting new home.