The team headed to Squirrels Community Scrapstore this evening for a session that proved you don't need a gym when you have a skip to fill. We were tasked with clearing items from the van, pruning back the greenery and tackling the weeds.

The big challenge was a colossal reel of paper that had been taking up residence in the van, which took a coordinated effort from five of our GoodGymers to manoeuvre it into the skip.

While the heavy lifters were busy with the reel, the rest of the crew made short work of the greenery and cleared the weeds.

The result was a full skip, tidy yard, and a very clear space. Reel-y well done team and it's great to be back in action after a short break!

We always enjoy being back at Critical Support in Mitcham, and tonight James had plenty of donations for us to sort, ready to be distributed to local charities. These included Easter eggs, clothing, loaves of bread, fruit, veg and lots more. Our eight Goodgymers hopped to it and whizzed through the jobs in an impressively fast time. We hope to be back soon!

Gardening isn't the first activity that comes to mind on a grey January morning when it's two degrees outside, but a run to the park soon got me warmed up. Three other hardy GoodGymers were already there and Liz from Friends of Morden Park set us to work cutting back brambles and shovelling mulch into wheelbarrows then transporting and spreading it along a muddy path. There was lots of appreciation from park users (and a friendly fox) which is always nice, and by the time we'd finished you could really see the improvement. Liz kindly supplied hot drinks and a selection of cake and biscuits so we lingered afterwards for a chat post-workout. I'm sure we'll return 🦊

We celebrated a record-breaking turnout tonight with 16 GoodGymers helping at Critical Support for our last group session of the year.

With so many hands on deck, our efficiency actually outpaced our supplies. Not to be deterred, as the paper was getting low the team pivoted to wrapping smaller gifts to maximise the output, then using decorative tape to get creative and finish the job. The final result was a fantastic pile of presents ready to go.

Great work everyone, and welcome to Safiya, Kriziya , Roisin, and Lili - Congrats on completing your first task, we hope to see you again soon.