Two GoodGymers spent the session getting seriously stuck in: unloading a huge delivery batch and stacking those colour-coded crates like a fun puzzle, then labelling and freezing 30+ cartons of Jus-Rol puff pastry with spot-on expiry dates.

We mixed up trays packed with veg stars (potatoes, onions, parsnips, cabbages, carrots), fruity favourites (bananas, apples), and handy toiletries (diapers, toilet rolls, shampoos, shower gels), while giving fresh produce like parsnips, potatoes, and carrots a solid quality check.

The grand finale? Smashing through recycling 50+ cardboard boxes, scrubbing crates till they gleamed, and slicing egg cartons into neat 6-egg packs for later use. Pure volunteering joy – teamwork, sweat, and that satisfying “job well done” vibe!

Today I ran the short distance of 2k to help Sam of GoodGym Southwark help set up the stalls for the SE5 Forum at Camberwell Green.

Led by Barbara,we helped put up the tables, lay out the items and put up the bunting that help promote the work of the forum in providing information to the local community of Camberwell. The stall was set up very speedily. A nice task to start the day. 😎👍

Hydrangeas needed deadheading and clipped off the dead stems. All ready for a lovely summer flowering

It was a reunion for those who’ve been away in far off lands: Erinna in Oz and AJ in the US. Along with Jo and Katie, they all joined in and completed the usual FB delivery, sort and stock tasks. Baby D was as cute as ever, but soon enough, he’ll be striking out on his own and on the move out of his fun stacking trays.

Brenda, Anastasia and Gosia attended a mission in Southwark today - Ms P needed help with moving out of her property (which will be soon taken down 🏗).

We arrived at 1 pm and buzzed 🔔 two times before her relative came in and made us realise that we were not buzzing at all 😆. We were then welcomed by Ms P in the ground floor kitchen 🍽 area.

First impression was that there was still a lot of furniture and stuff around the house and clearly a lot of work still to be done! We knew that we won't tackle all but we could still try our best 🫡 and also prioritise the tasks that require few pair of hands.

At first, we were tasked with taking out a washing machine. Befre doing that we needed to unplug it and also disconnect from the waterpipes (which brought a bit of thrill as we were nor sure if water was already disconnected or we are going to flood 💦 the kitchen). Once free, we pushed it outside of the house to a designated place right to the waste collection area 🗑. After that we tackled few more items from there and then moved to the first floor.

We have spent most of the time emptying the upstair bedroom 🛏. This included taking out a bed frame, chest of drawers, curtains, a number of boxes 📦📦🗃 full of papers and stuff. Some of them were to be kept, some of them to be taken outside. What was incredibly useful was an inbuilt lift inside the house which Ms P - who uses a wheelchair - typically used to move around the house. We used it to transport items (especially the heavier ones 🏋‍♀️).

We were also given a special mission of taking down a lamp shade. Nimble Anastasia stood on the bed to unscrew it along with the bulb 💡. The shade went to the bin but we have put back the bulb which still worked (!) even after an accidental fall 😆.

We then moved to the bathroom and were asked to take whatever we can straight to the bin. Nothing unusual to report other than the bag that seemed very sturdy didn't cope that well with the load and one of it's handles snapped when we were going down the stairs. All under control 👌 and after few moments were were back on track with the move.

Throughout the task we had a little helper 🧒(maybe Ms P grandson) who also moved some of the things out as well as showing of with his toys 🧸🪀 and very cool trainers 👟 (with a small light at the back).

We tried to keep the waste area tidy and do not obstruct the parking area. In a short time the space became pretty crowded so at some point we did a bit of reshuffle to keep them compact and neat 🧹.

We said our goodbye 👋 after finishing with the bathroom. Ms P was very grateful for our help and wished us very well.

Before leaving the property, Anastasia had a great idea to take the hangers (that were planned to be binned) to the near charity shop so they can make use of them to present the clothes for sale.

Paulin and I met Mrs S's daughter to help her move a bed downstairs.

It couldn't have been more organised - the bed was dismantled and strapped up, the mattress was off, and Mrs S's daughter had planned our route.

All went to plan, and we were done within 10 minutes. A job well done.