Florence, Jules and I went along to help clear up after the annual Cat Patrol Christmas event at St Jude's Church.

As was the case last year, the event volunteers had a lot of the packing up under control, but we were glad to be able to assist with sweeping the large halls, emptying some of the bins and giving a bit of love and attention to the star of the show, Darwin the cat.

Darwin had spent the afternoon greeting visitors alongside Santa himself, so didn't seem too keen when we asked for a photo, but it had to be done.

Jules and first-time GoodGymer, Gabrielle, attended a recent volunteer day at the Forever Stars Serenity Garden in Highfields Park, Nottingham. They were part of a team helping to prepare the garden for it's next petal installation day. Find out more on the Forever Stars Facebook post..

Forever Stars is an East Midlands charity dedicated to supporting families who've experienced stillbirth, infant loss, and perinatal or neonatal death. They provide a range of services and facilities, including the Serenity Garden which opened in 2021. The Serenity Garden currently has two sculptures within the grounds. These sculptures have been designed for petals to be added to them when families wish to have a remembrance petal for their baby.

Today I helped Dale at the YMCA with prepping the kitchens ready for decoration by the local college students. This would be as part of their work experience and also potentially a first step into a painting and decorating career for them. A good hour well spent! Jules

Read more about the YMCA's Peachey Street project here

Plus extra well done to Jules as this was her 10th GoodGym task - congratulations!!