For our midweek task this week, we were back at Holy Trinity Lamorbey Primary School where we tackled the Art Cupboard of Doom 😱.

Some of us ran from the leisure centre, while others made their own way there. We were greeted by the school’s vice principal, Jane, and her gorgeous dog Brecon, who spends one day a week helping out in classrooms.

Brecon kept a close eye on our antics as we got to grips with the task at hand: emptying the long-neglected, overstuffed art cupboard, ferrying everything into a spare classroom next door ready to be sorted and reorganised by the school's art teachers.

And there was certainly a lot to move!

We came across every kind of art, craft, and D&T material you’d expect to find 🎨🖌️⚙️✂️, and some unexpected items too, including two vintage weather-display boards (likely from the 1970s), a small bongo drum, and a little paint-smudged teddy that had clearly slipped behind the shelves and been long-since forgotten.

Between trips, we took turns throwing Brecon’s ball along the corridor, keeping her happily occupied in an endless game of fetch.

Just one hour later, after plenty of back-and-forth and the occasional exclamation from Jane, “Oh, so that’s where that went", "I was looking for that last week!” and “Why would anyone have kept that?!”, it was mission accomplished. We'd cleared the cupboard and filled a stack of bin bags with bottles of dried-up plaster paints, set-hard paintbrushes, and rock-solid modelling clay.

In the new year, we hope to return to take down some of the old shelving and give the cupboard a fresh coat of paint to complete its Cinderella-like transformation into a clean and usable space once more. ✨

On Sunday, a lovely team of GoodGymmers headed to Welling High Street to give the Christmas tree its festive glow — and wow, did we earn it. The wind was relentless, the kind that tries to steal your tinsel and your dignity at the same time.

But honestly? It just made the mission feel even more special. There’s something about standing in a blustery square, sharing baubles, holding branches steady for each other, and laughing when the wind tries to decorate you instead of the tree. Teamwork turned what could’ve been a battle into a brilliant, joy-filled hour.

And the magic didn’t stop there — we even had a surprise VIP drop in! Father Christmas himself swung by to check out our handiwork and officially sign off the tree. (We’re pretty sure that counts as being on the “Nice List” twice.)

Despite the weather, the tree came together beautifully — fast, too. It’s amazing what a group of kind, determined people can do when they pitch in together. Now Welling has a Christmas tree that shines a little brighter because of you.

Windy? Absolutely. Heartwarming? Completely. Festive? As ever.

We enjoy supporting all kinds of organisations, but it’s always a little extra special when we have a personal connection.

Yesterday was one of those times, helping out the lovely team at Days Lane Primary School Parents' Association - including our very own GoodGymer and TaskForcer, Marianna - at their Christmas Fair, raising vital funds for the school.

Before the doors opened we were on popcorn duty 🍿, filling bag after bag until they pretty-much covered the whole table. Then it was onto card-folding for the crafting corner.

Once parents and children started arriving, the place came alive with a wonderful festive buzz. Frazer, Robert and Marianna took charge of the bar. Bubbles and beers for the grown-ups. Cans of pop for the little ones.

Meanwhile Johnny and I were busy at the pre-loved toys, books and fancy-dress stall, where eager kids spent their pocket money and parents snapped up some brilliant Christmas gifts 🎁 .

As the event wound down, we couldn’t resist a fun photo in some “Donutters” masks 🐘🍩, a silly, fitting end to a lovely task.

We have lots more festive tasks in the run up to Christmas 🎅🎄, and it's the perfect time to help make a difference in our local community.

As GoodGymers there's nothing we like more than starting a project and seeing it through to the end.

So last night's task was particularly satisfying, as we finished painting the Year 2 cloakroom at Holy Trinity Lamorbey Primary School - transforming the original scuffed yellow walls to a clean cream, over three separate visits.

As we rollered and brushed, there was plenty of chatter with Jane, the school's vice principal. For added entertainment, Jane showed us her favourite entry from a recently-unearthed school punishment book. Dating from December 1932:

Frightening small children with a dead rat: 2 strokes on the hand.

Eek, hopefully the only strokes on our record are our painting brush strokes!

We'll be back helping at the school next month - check the sessions listing and come and join us!