There’s no denying that donation sorting is a serious business and when we help out at the Community Hospice warehouse we are careful to sift out the best items ready for the shop floor. But there's always room for a little fun along the way.

Today’s haul really packed a punch with a knockout collection of sports kit — gym gear, an England tracksuit top, a taekwondo top (yes, we learned it’s officially called a 'dobok'), and a bundle of boxing gloves🥊🥊.

🔔🔔Ding, ding, seconds away: cue Johnny and Ivar stepping into the ring for a dramatic slo-mo face-off for the camera. Of course, it was show and no blows... float like a butterfly, pose like a champion.

Meanwhile, Sarah snuggled into a cosy Mickey Mouse blanket hoodie, proving that donation sorting can have its soft side too.

And what about the scarves and neckwear galore that we unpacked? Too good to pass up another photo opportunity, we layered them on for a group shot depicting chic charity shop couture.

From ringside rivalries to fashion statements, it’s safe to say we covered lots of angles today. Plenty of donated bags emptied and sorted in to men's, womens, kids, shoes & bags, linen & homewear, accessories, prom dresses, Christmas garments, and items that, sadly, didn't hit the mark for resale.

The time flew by and at the final bell we headed home, happy that we'd rescued lots of clothes from landfill and set them on the journey for a new life ♻️.

Thank you to James and Andrew in the warehouse team for having us. We'll be back again tomorrow, when Caroline, Simon and will Lisa taking over where we left off.

It feels like a long time since we've helped out at a junior parkrun in the sunshine, but this morning the sun had got its hat on, and there was a real buzz at Eltham Park South as 122 children and their grown-ups gathered ready for the off.

High fives hands at the ready we took up our marshalling positions and cheered everyone round the two laps.

So many smiles, such good vibes, and a beautiful corridor of blossom as we headed out of the park towards our second good deed of the day, at the Community Hospice warehouse.

7 GoodGym-ers met Liz and the team today at a new Community Mission venue, The Pet Cemetery on Shooters Hill, by the Charlton Lido & Hornfair Park. Our mission was a very long way from a Stephen King movie though, with a lovely spring sun shining down on us.

The venue has lots of history, part of Charlton Village Conservation Area. Originally the Blue Cross Quarantine Kennels at Shooters Hill, the site was acquired to house the dogs being brought back home by returning soldiers and families after the first world war. Nowadays, it's looked after by the Friends of the Pet Cemetery,  who work to maintain this as a tranquil space and respectful memorial to the 4-pawed friends buried there.

Lots of volunteers meant we got plenty of tasks completed, including removal of a huge number of Sycamore seedlings, which we were assured would have turned the area into a Sycamore forest if given the chance. Along with this was weeding the beds around the edges to give the flowers more space to thrive, cleaning the wall plaques, sweeping away debris from the tall trees around, and clearing tiny plant growth from between the paving slabs. 

Helped along by a 4 pawed friend, Otis the cockapoo, we were soon out of time but could see we'd made an impact. Thanks all & Have a great weekend ☀️

Last night we met at Charlton house for a warm up and the heady prospect of finishing our task in the light! 🎉

The ice breaker involved sharing our phobias which ranged from belly buttons, to snakes, flying and fingers near eyeballs (eugh). Luckily none of the phobias were encountered on our run through Charlton Park down to the lovely Charlton Manor Primary School.

Here we were reunited with GoodGymers who met at the task and with Michael who was armed with brushes galore, paint, wet wipes and gardening tools. The task was to paint the kitchen and fences in the nursery area and get rid of all the pesky alkanet. We got to it, and many hands make for light painting so after fourty minutes we had a large section complete and lots of weeds in the bin. Excellent job team!

After a quick intervals session in a triangle round the school we stretched and headed home. A lovely evening with a lovely bunch, thank you all 😊

On Saturday we're helping at the Pet Cemetery in Hornfair Park and next Wednesday we're sorting at the Bridge Community centre.

Until next time 👋🏼

Rachel