Ready for the bi-annual bunting challenge tonight the team headed along to Jubilee Square. The age-old question of "how many GoodGymers does it take to put up bunting?" was certainly answered as we completed the job with almost half an hour to spare, then endeavoured to add a little more... bunting!

Getting the many hands organised with ladders, rolls of bunting and a trusty staple gun was an interesting test of coordination and precision. And of course, no GoodGym session is complete without an impromptu good deed - we squeezed in a quick litter pick to make sure the area is at it's best ahead of Saturday's Good Food, Green Fair and some over-timers stayed behind to help finish chalking out the stall locations, ensuring plenty of space for the main stage.

What a lovely evening and welcome to Shekinah and congratulation on your first task - we hope to have you back soon.

Our group run this week took us to Refugee Action Kingston and we were tasked with jobs at two different locations. Claire, Dave, Emma and Farzeen all ran and walked to one of the offices were they were asked to take apart a desk so that it could be transported to the other location. They were a very efficient team and they got to work making sure all the screws were accounted for so there would be no issue with reassembly. A staff member then drove the desk in her car to the second location while the runners transported themselves to help unload.

The second location was where all the other GoodGymers were hanging out and organising the rest of the shelving units. The women's clothing area and toiletries was tidied up by Tom, Anna and Marcos, Amy got stuck in to the bunting making sure there were no knots and neatly folding it ready to put away, and Raquel and Luke sorted the menswear. As soon as the desk arrived it went up in the lift and was reassembled well within the hour we had there.

A great session with lots of big and small jobs completed. Heidi from Refugee Action Kingston was so grateful that these jobs were completed as it then frees them up to concentrate on other important tasks within the organisation. So well done team! Thank you for all your help.

Our monthly visit to Full Cycle this evening was less about cleaning bikes and more about a monumental recycling mission.

The main task involved conquering what seemed like endless piles of inner tubes that had accumulated from just about everywhere. Just when we thought we'd rolled up the last of them, two extra boxes mysteriously appeared!

We also shifted a mammoth pile of tyres and worked on the intricate (and surprisingly satisfying) job of removing spokes from wheels.

The sheer volume of recycling we processed made such a difference, as we left leaving some of the floor clear ready for more.... bikes; maybe?! Full Cycle is such a fantastic cause, doing incredible work in the community and we love the variety of jobs we get to help with; sometimes we even learn a bit about bikes 😉. Until next Tyre-time, thanks for having us!

At Canbury Community Garden...

We met up with Marilyn for our evening's good deed before separating into two teams. Armed with buckets and a good sense of humour, Marie-Noelle, and Jana formed the ultimate human river-link, ferrying water from the river to quench the garden’s thirst. Meanwhile, Jacqui and Petra rolled up their sleeves (and their rollers) to fill buckets and cans with liquid gold. Jana, Petra, and Jacqui then went full 'splash squad,' expertly soaking the veggies under Marilyn’s green-thumbed guidance. With Purdey the pooch tailing us like a furry forewoman, we had one hour to turn dry soil into a hydrated haven and we absolutely nailed it. Mission: plant-possible complete!

Tom and Luke helped a former community garden volunteer by cutting up and removing two small trees from her houseboat-garden. They also resisting the tempting offer of a beer each while they worked - showing great restraint on the job!

And on the GoodGym Kingston plot...

The sun had been shining on the GG flowerbed so there were plenty of weeds and laurel to tackle. Ken and Dave set to work on the laurel, brambles and weeds at the back of the flowerbed making sure it looked all neat and tidy.

Marcus dug up the dead plant and the small weeds then headed off to the river to fill lots of buckets with water as the plants were in desperate need of a drink. Meanwhile Claire planted a couple of new plants and tackled the weeds.

The bed was looking very tidy and colourful by the time we left.

We got properly stuck in at tonight’s task at The Kingston Pantry—a vital community foodbank based in Tolworth Recreation Centre.

Four of us ran there, two cycled, and others came on foot — everyone enthusiastic to be there, including first time GoodGymer Petra.

The Pantry had been restocked earlier in the day, so our usual deep clean wasn’t needed. But Susan, ever prepared, whipped out her trusty spiral notebook packed with 'one-day' tasks—the little jobs that never quite make it to the top of the to-do list… until now.

Here’s what we tackled: • Emma and Petra deep-cleaned and organised the cupboard under the sink, and gave all the food baskets a good wash. • Claire and Jacqui took on the fridges, clearing out spills (including a sticky raspberry juice situation). • Jana sorted out the vegetable racks • Dave got into the nooks and crannies, scrubbing those corners the mop usually misses. • Luke restocked and cleaned the pet food area • Rachel and Emma gave the stationery cupboard a long-overdue tidy. • Jacqui got the hoover out and • Petra followed up with a thorough mop for a gleaming finish.

Teamwork and elbow grease, and the job list was fully ticked off!

The Kingston Pantry plays a crucial role in supporting individuals and families on low incomes trying to cope in a time of rising costs. It was a pleasure to lend a hand, free up the volunteers’ time, so that those that run it can give their clients the best experience which includes a very high environmental health status.