We were back at one of GoodGym Kingston's favourite spots this evening: the ever-generous charity, Growbaby. As per usual there was a mountain of sorting to do but this time it was different... Growbaby are moving location in the near future and needed us to not just sort their donations but take a critical view as to what should really be moved across and what doesn't make the cut.

After running, walking and cycling our way to the task, Rachel gave us the brief and we got stuck in. Luke took charge of car seats, Claire wrangled with the play mats, while Anna, Emily and Hannah sorted books, board games, toys and kitchenware. Jonathan put his best foot forward sizing up the shoes, Marcos and Sabir checked food and milk against use-by dates, and Hannah and Dave kept the baby toys under control.

The hour went by quickly with so much sorting, assessing and plenty of chat. Bin bags were filled, shelves were tidied and countless items were organised and ready for their next chapter. Most importantly, GrowBaby is now one step closer to a smooth move to its new location.

Job done, we headed off into the evening, powered by the satisfaction of another mission accomplished.

On 4 August, seven GoodGymers came together for a one-hour mission at Hestia Good Energy Club, a mental health service supporting the Kingston community. Although it was only an hour-long session, we had a huge area to tackle, around a third of the size of a football pitch! Claire led the run to Hestia, while the rest of the team made their way directly to the task. On arrival, we received a warm welcome from John at Hestia, who had thoughtfully provided Diet Coke, biscuits and crisps to keep everyone refreshed before we got started. After a quick break, it was time to get down to business. Armed with all-purpose spray as our "weapon" and cleaning wipes as our "shield", everyone quickly found their role. Marie and Laura took charge of the vacuum cleaners, working their way across the extensive floors, while Luke, Claire, John, Tom and Sabir tackled tables, chairs, window sills and every surface that needed a deep clean. With music playing in the background, the atmosphere was relaxed and upbeat, making the hard work fly by. It was brilliant to see the teamwork in action, with everyone coordinating seamlessly and helping wherever needed. Before long, the entire service had been transformed, with every corner left sparkling clean, all within the hour. John from Hestia thanked the team for all their hard work and told us how much the clean would benefit the members who use the service. We rounded off the evening with a group photo in front of a fantastic 3D beach mural created by the Good Energy Club members. A perfect backdrop to celebrate another successful community task. A fantastic one-hour session, great teamwork and another local community space left cleaner, brighter and ready to welcome the people who rely on it.

Gave my 81st full-blood donation in Hinchley Wood (Surrey/London border). All went well.

It was a hot and sweaty evening, but that didn't stop an incredible team effort as we helped Voices of Hope prepare for their move into Kingston Library. We wasted no time getting started, splitting into teams as soon as we arrived. Dave, Luke, Marcos, John, Jana, Sabir and newcomer Hannah took on the heavy lifting, carrying desks, cabinets, pinboards and other bulky furniture down flights of stairs and into the waiting skip.

Another team tackled a ground-floor room packed from floor to ceiling. We uncovered everything from children's books, stickers and umbrellas to an old projector screen, mountains of shredded paper, a coat stand and even a monkey face cut-out board, which naturally became the star of our group photo later!

It quickly became clear that the fastest approach was a human chain. Claire, Anna and Emily kept everything moving, with paper sorted for recycling while the rest of us passed item after item towards the skip.

Outside, John soon earned the title of "King of the Skip", climbing aboard to pack everything in while Dave joined him to make the most of every inch of space. By halfway through, the skip was already nearly full.

Louise kept us organised, directing what needed clearing next, while cardboard was flattened and everyone pitched in. After a quick water break to admire how much we'd achieved, we tackled one final room full of heavy boxes, discovering a fascinating old book filled with historic photographs of Kingston Library that may even be of interest to the museum.

As the last items disappeared, Sekar swept whilst Anna vacuumed and Louise, Hannah and Marcos helped pick up the many small paper pieces off the floor. Nikita kept the human chain flowing of the last few bits to the skip. Hannah even rescued a few children's books for her classroom.

In just one hour we'd filled a skip, emptied multiple rooms and left the building ready for Voices of Hope to move into their new home. We celebrated with chocolate bars, plenty of smiles and a brilliant group photo—some of us perched on the skip, others pulling faces through the monkey cut-out.

A fantastic evening of teamwork and an amazing amount achieved in just one hour! 💚

Tonight was all about watering as the heatwave continues to keep everyone and the plants hot and thirsty.

Having located the handle for the water carriers and extra buckets Dave, Luke, Claire and Jonathan headed to the river to fill every bucket, wheelbarrow and watering can in sight.

Wheelbarrows loaded with water were wheeled over to the GoodGym flowerbed for watering all the plants to keep it looking colourful and keep them going for a few more days.

Meanwhile the water carriers were taken to the community garden and emptied into the waterbutts. As fast as they were filled they were emptied for watering all the vegetables.

By the end it was a slick operation emptying the water carriers into buckets and into the waterbutts.

In between all of this Tom and Laura managed to give the compost heaps a good turn as well.

Let hope we get some rain before our next visit.