C4WS

321 GoodGymers have supported C4WS with 63 tasks.


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CamdenGroup run
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Steve MurtoughJohn ShirleyJacqueline ShirleyElizabeth
Ben Pearce

Our Final Time at AIC This Spring!!

Wednesday 20th March

Written by Alex Murtough (he/him)

We've been heading to the American International Church since December.

Since then, we've visited 10 times, always assembling, dressing, and organising the beds for their weekly winter shelter's guests.

Wednesday last week was the AIC's final winter shelter until the autumn, and we welcomed Elizabeth, Jackie, John, Lici, Louise, and Steve to our final hullabaloo until we return in October or November.

Our group's speed reflected our comfort in this space, as we swiftly made up the evening's beds in the male, female, and volunteer quarters, and we did so to our (now accustomed) speaker filled with sounds from the 80s.

I've loved this task over the past few months. Each week we make a difference. The shelter is made possible through the collected efforts of multiple people - the overnight helpers, the evening cooks (whose creations always smell so good), the AIC's core coordinating team, and... our very own GoodGym-esque help. It's a joy to be part of something that truly helps folks who need it.

We welcomed my partner, Suzanna, for the final couple of minutes, before we headed off for a well-earned spot of pasta on Tottenham Court Road!

Thanks, everyone, and see you soon, Alex

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CamdenGroup run
Alex MurtoughJohn ShirleyJacqueline ShirleySteve Murtough

We Got (Dire) Strait To It!

Wednesday 13th March

Written by Alex Murtough (he/him)

I have been scrolling back through the GoodGym guidance.

Become an expert at speed scanning. Through PowerPoints and PDFs, even the odd hard copy document too. My eyes are hurting and my heart is racing. I've had 17 coffees but I think - finally - I must now give up.

I sullenly have to confirm this news.

GoodGym doesn't have any guidance on Borough Theme Tunes...

...but that doesn't mean we can't create some!!

Our wonderful core Camden group of Jackie, John, and Steve had a significant task ahead of us when we arrived at the American International Church last night. We were back to help out at the AIC to set up their winter shelter, which they run from November to March every year.

Between the 4 of us, we had to: a. sweep the large hall ready for the shelter; b. bring in, assemble, and dress 13 beds in the large hall; and c. do the same for 2 beds in the smaller side room.

We'd been moving and working for perhaps 75 seconds before Steve opened Spotify... searched for the music that seems to have accompanied our volunteering for a little while now... and hit play on Dire Straits!

We chatted and worked for 40 minutes, before packing away and looking ahead to next week and our final time at the AIC this season.

Thanks, all, for your work and for a wonderful evening :)

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CamdenGroup run
Alex MurtoughJohn ShirleyJacqueline Shirley
Steve MurtoughElizabeth

How to Make a GoodGym Bed

Wednesday 6th March

Written by Steve Murtough (he/him)

The below standard operating procedure was followed on Wednesday 6th March (evening) by some good people in the Camden area.

  1. Arrive outside the Francis Crick Institute at 6:15pm.
  2. Wait for Alex to appear dressed in red. He will tell you about GoodGym; a charity made for fitness and volunteering enthusiasts.
  3. Say your name and number (meaning: your position in the circle; please do not give out your personal mobile number).
  4. Alex will lead you into the bright night. Get lost in socialising chitchat.
  5. Suddenly, you will be outside the American International Church on Tottenham Court Road.
  6. Enter the church and head downstairs. Fold-up beds leaning against walls will be magically waiting for you.
  7. Unfold a bed by unclipping a small plastic fastening and be wary of the bed’s desire to fold back up.
  8. Place the plastic fastening in a purpose-made jug.
  9. Tuck a sheet onto a bed and chat to other people in red T-shirts about fitness and volunteering.
  10. Dance to Dire Straits.
  11. Invert a duvet cover and place it entirely over your head.
  12. Explore through touch the mysterious corners of the duvet.
  13. Listen to the guitar solo in Sultans of Swing.
  14. Fling the duvet cover forward and hope for the best.
  15. Once all beds are completed in the above style, go to the stage area of the church, which is found through a secret door, and set up another bed while admiring the theatrical set up in the room.
  16. Try and guess which show it is.
  17. Take a photo of all the people in red T-shirts without making it very blurry.
  18. Head back into the bright night, very proud and very happy.
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CamdenGroup run
Alex MurtoughJohn ShirleyHamadSteve MurtoughJacqueline Shirley

Back Again for a Lovely Helping Evening!

Wednesday 21st February

Written by Alex Murtough (he/him)

Last Wednesday, we were back at a space we're getting rather used to.

Since December, we've been visiting the American International Church to set up the beds for their weekly winter shelter (part of C4WS's wider efforts), and we now know the staff team, the regular volunteers, the new volunteers, the nooks and crannies, the cupboards and drawers, and more!

It feels like a comforting routine for me, and it's always a joy to know we're doing our own important part of a wider community effort.

And it's a special joy to do so alongside the lovely folk of GoodGym Camden. Last week, we welcomed Camden regulars Jackie, John, and Steve, as well as the wonderful Hamad on their first outing with Camden (welcome!!)

We'll be back at the AIC in early March for our penultimate session of the season, and I'm already looking forward to it!

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CamdenGroup run
Alex MurtoughJohn ShirleySteve MurtoughJacqueline ShirleyCharlie Linton

Making beds with GoodGym friends :)

Wednesday 14th February

Written by Steve Murtough (he/him)

London’s weather is cold and hard during the winter months.

Luckily, most of us can escape into bright, warm, and welcoming spaces each day and every evening. But – there are many who can’t – and we are fortunate for initiatives and community spaces, like the American International Church, who host a cold weather shelter (in partnership with Camden’s C4WS) once a week from November through to March.

At GoodGym Camden we’ve been helping to set up their weekly shelter, and this Wednesday we were back to prepare for a full house, which was scheduled for that evening. There were five of us in total, including GoodGym regulars, Alex, John, and Jackie, and we also welcomed Charlie to our group, too – a very warm welcome to you, Charlie, and it was lovely to chat and share the evening with you!

We arrived at quarter to 7, and we went in, and being well accustomed to the task, we got going. We laid the beds out, put clean and fresh sheets onto mattresses, and then we attempted the Duvet Dance – have you heard about it? It’s a new trend (not yet on TikTok), which starts with throwing an inside-out duvet cover over your head, and then fumbling about to find the duvet’s corners (although, sometimes not the right corners!), and then propelling the cover onto and around the duvet to form a perfect sleep. It is quite challenging! But – after our season with the American International Church – we are on-trend, and we hope to perform the dance to accompanying music at the next London GoodGym social...

And then, after our dancing, and chatting, and working, we were done, and the shelter was ready and prepared for their guests that evening. We took a few photos (blurry, I’m sure – right, Alex?) and we headed into the night, and took in the evening with a gentle jog back to King’s Cross.

Thank you, all, and I am really looking forward to the next one ☺

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CamdenGroup run
Alex Murtough
John ShirleyJacqueline ShirleySteve MurtoughSarah

The Strange Pillowcase of the People Who Do Good Deeds

Wednesday 31st January

Written by Steve Murtough (he/him)

My office is very close to the Francis Crick Institute, which is the starting location for our lovely Camden group. I left shortly after 6pm, and I entered the night at a gallant sprint. I ran hard, dodging commuters at a full pace, and moving my legs in a spiral of high-octane speed. Then, I turned onto Midland Road, and sprinting past the British Library, I thought I was moving faster than the car and bicycle combined. And yet – I still don’t know why – I was the last GoodGymmer there. From afar, while still moving at an eye-watering rate, I saw Camden regulars, John, Jackie, and Alex, having a natter. I almost collapsed in disbelief (and exhaustion, from all my hard sprinting).

So, I joined the natter. We caught up, and then John and Jackie headed over to our evening’s task, which is becoming a lovely, regular haunt of ours, at the American International Church on Tottenham Court Road. Alex and I soon followed, after a brief jog down Gower Street, and we reconvened at the church, where we were joined by Lici and Sarah.

Inside, we were met by the lovely, Brooke, and we were tasked to set up 16 beds for their guests that evening at the C4WS Cold Weather Shelter. Being regulars now at the church, we got to it, all of us knowing where to place the beds, and where the duvets and sheets are stored. Quickly, the rooms took shape, and while doing so, we caught up with one another and discussed our weeks and other lovely things. It was great to share the evening with you all.

Then, with the beds nicely set up, we said our goodbyes, took a quick photo on the stairs, and then we spent a few extra minutes outside on Tottenham Court Road, doing some more nattering. It was great, and I am really looking forward to the next one with you all 😊

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