This task started life as a bit of an experiment after we discovered Tub2Pub, a brilliant recycling campaign run by Greene King Pubs that raises money for Macmillan Cancer Support while giving plastic tubs a second life. We wanted to give it a go so we hatched a plan to turn it into a GoodGym group task.

One of our GoodGymers rallied the residents on a local development to leave empty tubs outside for us to collect and deliver to the nearest pub drop-off point.

We’re talking festive goodies here - Heroes, Celebrations, Quality Street, Roses and even the humble cream cracker tub - the kind that take over supermarket shelves in the run-up to Christmas. It did feel like a bit of a gamble though... would people still have them lurking in cupboards this long after the decorations came down? We set off not entirely sure if we’d find anything.

It wasn’t the most promising start. The first couple of roads were completely tub-free. Then we spotted our first lonely tub waiting patiently, and from there our collection slowly grew.

By the end of our mission, we happily delivered a tower of around 25 tubs to Ye Olde Black Horse pub, alongside clocking up a brisk and refreshing 5km walk.

The pub will send the tubs off to be recycled. Once shredded and the plastic is sold, the proceeds will go straight to Macmillan Cancer Support, turning empty chocolate tubs into real-life support for people living with cancer.

In just an hour we combined social exercise 🚶‍♂️🚶‍♀️, fresh air, helping the planet ♻️, and supporting an incredible charity 💚. A pretty great way to spend an evening if you ask us!

Next year, we’ll schedule the task for sooner after Christmas and aim higher, hopefully collecting even more tubs. Time to start saving those Celebrations containers!

Last month we cleared the contents from an art cupboard at Holy Trinity Lamorbey Primary School.

Tonight we were back with Jane, the vice principal, to dismantle the big shelving unit in the middle of the cupboard. Cue screwdrivers 🪛, saws🪚and hammers 🔨, and impressive team work in a confined space.

As the cupboard got emptier, the corridor outside got fuller with the demolition debris, so we found a trolley and did several trips to the skip in the car park.

Next door we took on the gentler task of tidying the computer room. With laptops, headphones and mice neatly organised it looked spick-and-span for classes to use tomorrow.

Cupboard swept, corridor cleared and computer room in order, we posed for a team photo and it was time to say goodbye to Jane and head home.

I'm constantly amazed by how much a posse of GoodGymers can get done in just an hour. And always with such good cheer and enthusiasm.

Looking forward to next month's visit to help tick off more tasks on the school's long to-do list .

On Sunday, a cheerful crew of GoodGymers headed to a very trashed corner of Blackfen, near the A2 and the Co-op car park, ready to take on… well, far too much rubbish. What followed was part clean-up, part treasure hunt, and part therapy session.

By the end of the mission, we’d collected 12 bags of general rubbish, 3 bags of glass bottles (safely popped into recycling), and—because why not—one sewing machine. Yes. A sewing machine. Sadly, it did not come with instructions or a matching table.

To keep spirits high, we played Litter Picking Bingo, and can proudly say we found everything on the card—and then some. Full house, anyone?

While it’s always a bit heartbreaking to see how careless people can be, every GoodGym session restores our faith in humanity. Because for every fly-tipped sewing machine, there’s a group of volunteers willing to show up, muck in, and make things better—one bag at a time 💛♻️

Blackfen is cleaner, our bingo cards are complete, and humanity is back on the “mostly decent” list. Another good job done! 💪✨