What a way to celebrate two whole years of GoodGym Merton! To mark our 2nd birthday this November, we doubled down on the fun with two action-packed sessions in creative spaces at Revive Wandle Roots and Little ARK heading off to enjoy a well-earned birthday drink.

It was incredible to see such a brilliant turnout and reflect on just how much our community has grown over the last two years.

Admittedly, we got so caught up in the catch-ups and celebrations that we completely forgot to snap a group photo! Luckily, John Shirley saved the day and grabbed a quick picture with a few of the team before heading off. We hope to see you back in Merton again soon, and definitely well before our next birthday!

A massive thank you to everyone who has been part of the journey so far. Cheers to two years of doing good and keeping fit, and to many more to come!

Monday’s task was a case of many hands make light work - and a little elbow grease makes for a great transformation!

We headed to the creative arts space at Merton Abbey Mills to lend a helping hand with some preparations for Little Ark's new premises in south Wimbledon. There was plenty of furniture in need of repurposing, so we rolled up our sleeves and got stuck in.

First up, there was sanding, smoothing things over and getting surfaces ready for their next chapter. Then came the priming – because every good transformation needs a decent foundation! We also got to grips with covering metal panels in colourful sticky back plastic (giving Blue Peter vibes for some of us) to make shelves So it was a case of keeping things wrapped up neatly and making sure there were no sticky situations (well, not too many!)

Bit by bit, tired furniture was getting a fresh lease of life, ready to take pride of place in Little Ark's new home. It was wonderful to see how a little teamwork, some practical skills (looking at you particularly, Chris) and enthusiasm could make such a difference.

A big thank you to everyone who came along and helped. Here's to Little Ark's new home, a fresh start for some well-loved furniture, and a future that's looking bright (pink). We nailed it!🔨

GoodGym returned to the Enchanted Autumnfest this evening to cover the peak visiting period as extra security and way-finders.

With the pumpkin patch packed to the brim with kids and adults alike, there was plenty to keep an eye on. Our dynamic pumpkin-guarding team had a blast; even with one volunteer arriving very late 🎃!

Meanwhile, over on the light trail, it was all about crowd control. The rest of the team guided visitors into the newly dubbed Graveyard of 'Doom', introducing them to 'Stan' the skeleton along the way.

Fortunately, all our 'victims' made it through intact - no lost arms or legs to report! On their way back, we kept the crowds moving smoothly while soaking up endless compliments about how incredible the trail looked. (Of course, we already knew that, having made the most of the perk to walk the trail before and after our shift!).

Time flew, and after a busy 90 minutes of spook-tacular volunteering, we wanted to stay (it was so much fun)!. An absolute blast of a return visit, fantastic job, team. Welcome to James, who was making his GoodGym debut - we hope too see you again soon. 🌟

Five eager Goodgymers (including a very welcome extra pair of hands!) dropped by Critical Support to sort deliveries ahead of the weekend!

We kicked off downstairs with two of the team lending a hand with incoming deliveries before joining the rest of the crew upstairs to tackle the main event: a Multibank pile packed with random, non-perishable items.

First up was crate-ing order out of chaos - deciphering what was already boxed up, relabelling, and re-organising everything to maximise the shelf limited space.

Sorting through these deliveries is always a fun adventure because you never know what you’ll find in the mix, an unexpected dressing-up section was definitely today's top-tier highlight!

The team worked together very well to clear the decks in just over an hour. Trading a standard workout for that box-ticking, satisfying feeling of a completely transformed room made for a fantastic session. Well-stacked effort, team!