Karen, Sheila K, Sheila A and Jane helped out at the Baby Bank on another busy morning. As we arrived, the facility was receiving a van-load of buggies which had been abandoned at the airport. Our task was to give them a clean and leave them to dry in the sun. We made short work of it and were rewarded with an indoor job, picking out new toys for 10 children to accompany their Christmas pyjama packs. Karen and Sheila K then earned massive numbers of Brownie points by between them making teas and coffees for the volunteers and doing the washing up afterwards. The remainder of the time was spent putting together clothes and toys for specific referrals. A very productive morning!

A handy seven made their way to the Burchetts green infant school to clear away the autumn detritus. We spent the hour getting the play areas free of the golden leaves on a chilly evening. It was a job well done.

Karen, Laura and Sheila gathered at the Braywick Plant Nursery on what is the last scheduled Goodgym community mission here. The finances are not working out and this fantastic facility is planned to close at the end of the year unless a rescue plan can be devised. We worked alongside 3 young men from Talkback, who gain valuable experience and skills in Horticulture from their weekly visits. We were sorting and trimming the perennial plants being over-wintered, and by the end of the session we had gathered a dustbin full of trimmings including several acorns which had fallen into the pots whilst they had been outside. Goodgym has been supporting Braywick Plant Nurseries since April 2023, and 55 different GoodGymers have carried out 96 tasks. Let's hope that a rescue plan can be found.

This was a return visit to Ms M for some more gardening. She has a beautiful garden but worries that she can no longer tend to it by herself; anything close to the ground or stepping up a ladder is now very difficult for her. This time she asked me to cut back a rampant passiflora, a passion flower plant, that had reached the house gutters and was not showing any sign of slowing down, given the mild weather we've been enjoying this autumn. Once I finished that, I tackled the weeds in the lawn. The green bin was already full by then, so a hippo bag came in handy. Ms M was very pleased with the results and she is forever so grateful to have some GoodGym help.

A group of sailing club members and one goodgymer set to work on a very warm November day to tidy the edge of the riverbank. This involved some tree balancing and wading in shallow water. After some time the bank was looking much tidier. There was lots of interest from walkers in the activity and the dogs looked hopefully at the large pile of sticks!

Sheila K and Karen attended the Baby Bank today on the regular Friday slot. They helped unload some donations from cars and sort donations of Christmas gift bags containing new pyjamas, a book and a selection box which will be given out to needy children next month. Sheila helped take the bags of unwanted clothes down to a van for recycling before joining Karen doing the second checks of donated clothing.