18 GoodGymers have supported Genesis Trust with 11 tasks.
Tuesday 30th April
Written by Meyrick Williams (He/Him)
The inclement weather continued this week and 8, (yes 8), GoodGymers Turned it On Again to help the Genesis trust with multiple tasks. So it rained again, but conveniently for the rain only for the journey time to and from the mission.
But that was helpful for the three GoodGymers that were weeding the drive outside of the warehouse, probably a little annoying for the others that were given tasks indoors.
Let's have a roll call, Ruth, Kate, Sarah, Helen, Tanya, Emily, Mike and Meyrick, What a turn out, but our kind host ensured we all had a Job to Do.
Sarah, Tanya and Meyrick set about weeding outside and managed to complete all areas designated for this job in the hour we had.
Elsewhere, there was no Misunderstanding as plenty of work was to be done. Genesis Trust don't just do food, they also do books, and a good deal of these needed to be sorted into boxes, GoodGymers Ruth, Kate, Helen, Emily and Mike getting right in and Carpet Crawling as they boxed books and flattened boxes.
Another successful mission, we did so much in one hour, good work team.
(apologies for the really bad Genesis song references in this report)
Saturday 23rd March
Written by Ruth
GoodGym Bath helped out at the Genesis Foodbank only recently but are always happy to come back if needed.
This time we were asked to deal with the weeds on the driveway- not only are they ugly, they also set off the alarms on the delivery trucks. Not ideal in the heart of the busy neighbourhood that is Oldfield Park.
We set to with a rather impressive edging tool and a common or garden trowel and made good progress until the hail came down in force.
Your intrepid team had to run for cover. We didn’t waste any time though - Hilary from Genesis had us collapsing cardboard boxes for recycling. They had held donations for the Foodbank, which helps people in Bath who are struggling during the cost of living crisis.
The skies cleared and we were able to clear a bit more path before home time. There’s still a bit more to do and no doubt we’ll be back before too long.
Thursday 14th March
Written by Helen Conner (she/her)
6 Goodgymers headed to Genesis to help sort a variety of donations into fancy products and practical products. Some products were more obvious than others, whilst others, we had to guess the object in an attempt to classify it!
It took us just one hour to work through a mountain of boxes to sort into crates ready for other charities.
Monday 3rd July 2023
Written by Jer Boon
Tonight we headed to Genesis Trust's depot to do some outdoor maintenance. Weeding and tidying and clearing a patio area up, and just generally making the place look smart again.
We filled one of them enormous dumpy bags with garden waste, and had a lovely time on a pleasant Monday evening. Win!
Tuesday 4th April 2023
Written by Ruth
One in five children in England don't have a book of their own. Bath charity Genesis, which supports vulnerable and homeless people in the city, has made it a mission to change that. It already runs three Foodbanks in the area and now it is planning to add a Bookbank to the mix where families can pick up a book along with their much-needed groceries.
We are not talking secondhand, dog-eared books but new copies - or at least ones in mint condition. The charity wants people to feel they are worth it. And that's where Goodgymmers Ruth and Tanya (wearing her new red GG Tshirt) came in.
Our task? To sort through piles of donated books and set aside any that didn't look perfect. These won't go to waste - some are sold to a market stall while others make money through an App like Ziffitt and the rest go to charity shops.
If you had a favourite book as a child, chances are we flicked through it this evening. Julia Donaldson and Roald Dahl featured a lot as well as Enid Blyton, Tintin, the Worst Witch and a host of classics. One of mine certainly appeared - the wonderful "Flat Stanley". We checked for broken spines, turned-over pages, leftover bookmarks and inscriptions - which, while charming, meant the work ended up in the reject pile.
We had two interesting finds - a signed copy of "The Girl with the Lost Smile" by Miranda Hart, which might make some money on Ebay and multiple copies of a picture book called "Simon Sock" - so many of them that it must be really good.
It was very tempting to stop to have a read but we restrained ourselves and reached "The End" in time, which made Hilary from Genesis very pleased.
Tuesday 18th October 2022
Written by Ruth
Three Goodgymers turned up at the Genesis base in Oldfield Park in Bath on Wednesday evening to help sort some of the donations the charity receives.
We couldn’t resist trying on the impressive headgear, while the task certainly appealed to Helen’s neat gene - she did a serious amount of folding.
Spending an hour organising clothes and books donated to a charity doesn’t sound like a big deal but to Hilary Long from the Genesis Trust it makes a huge difference.
Tops, jeans and coats will go to homeless and vulnerable people who come to its Lifeline day centre. They will help keep them warm during what is likely to be a bitter winter. The less practical items - such as a shimmery camisole unearthed by Meyrick - will be sold to raise money to run Genesis’ various projects. These range from life skills support to the increasingly-needed food bank.
As the cost of living crisis worsens and money gets tight, charities have to come up with new ways to fundraise. Our other job involved crating up hardback books ready for a specialist to view. An unwanted volume could turn out to be an early edition worth hundreds of pounds.
Those that don’t sell can still make money via an app like Ziffit.com. Let’s hope they want cookery books - we packed up dozens!
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