One hour, two rooms, 3 units, 5 buggies and a million boxes v’s 10 GoodGymers.

Did we win? Of course we did with a lot of team work.

Having created a human chain from upstairs to downstairs we passed the boxes upstairs for stacking. This was relatively straightforward so we moved on to buggies, play mats, cots, toys and anything we could find. The pile grew bigger and bigger and higher and higher and we were at risk of being swallowed up by play mats and buggies so some Growbaby Tetris was required. Rooms virtually cleared there was one big unit left. After a lot of huffing and puffing it went up the stairs with not a mm to spare. Well done to Saber and Tanya’s husband.

It was amazing to see the empty rooms and we rewarded ourselves with chocolates, thank you Tanya.

We will be back next week for round 2 of Growbaby v’s GoodGym.

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 Thursday, Levita, Anna, and Farzeen volunteered at Growbaby, helping to move donation bags from the storage room upstairs to the front of the premises. We girls worked together with big smiles and plenty of girl power, and thanks to our great teamwork, the task was accomplished quickly!

After finishing, we celebrated our hard work with a tasty Chinese treat at Little Hunan. It was the perfect way to end a fun and rewarding evening together!

This week’s GoodGym task was a split mission, with half the group heading to support the brilliant charity Growbaby.

Rachel, Jana, Manasa, Ellie, Emily and Laurel went o Growbaby and we started by sorting a huge collection of teddy bears. Once that was finished, the manager of Growbaby arrived with her large four-wheel-drive car ready for a dump run the next day — and we quickly got to work loading it up.

Rachel took on the role of chief car packer while the rest of us formed a human chain carrying everything from baby carriers and highchairs to old chairs and other bulky items. We managed to fill the car completely — there wasn’t room for a single extra item!

After that, Emily and Manasa sorted bookshelves upstairs, Ellie organised toys downstairs, and Jana, Laurel and Rachel sorted baby clothes.

In just one hour, we got through every task and helped make the space far more organised for the Growbaby team and the families they support. A great team effort all round!

Hestia's Room of Doom

Tonight we ran, walked and cycled our way to Hestia to tackle their room of doom.

Having donned our gloves after a quick biscuit (we were spoilt again by John) we emptied the contents of the room. There was an eclectic mix of items with enough hangers for a small department store, multiple printers, paint, various poles, tents and even tooth brushes.

Having cleared the room it was hoovered and the thick dirt wiped away. Everything went back in groups of similar items and the rubbish and recycling was piled up.

An hour later it looked like a different room and the Hestia team can now find everything.

Another great evening with GoodGym at Grow Baby, supporting families in need.

Led by Rachel, our team — Jana, Manasa, Jonathan, Luke and Saber — got straight to work forming a human chain, quickly moving bags upstairs and building an impressive pile by the door (with Luke keeping spirits high with marathon stories along the way!).

With that done in record time, we moved downstairs where tasks were expertly assigned:

• Shoes sorted by Manasa

• Coats and dresses organised by Jonathan

• Toys checked by Luke

• Essentials stocked by Jana

• Saber helping wherever needed

We then tackled sorting winter clothes, blankets and grow bags into storage, making great progress in just an hour. With time for one final push, the teddy bear box turned into a fun finale — with Luke and Jonathan in goal as Jana launched toys over a wall of bags!

We finished with a group selfie among the piles — tired, happy, and having achieved loads in a short time. A brilliant effort all round 👏

Over at Refugee action having run, cycled and walked over we split in to teams to sort donations.

Men’s and women’s clothing as well as new donations required sorting and categorising whilst shoes needed pairing up. As always there were a few rouge items in the wrong section that needed rehoming and a few rainbow and sparkly numbers discovered for photos.

An hour after starting John and Tom had created an incredibly neat menswear department, Emma, Anna and Ellie had got women’s wear in order, Marcus had ensured that every shoe had a partner and Adam and Claire had filtered and put away all the donations.

After few snacks (we couldn’t resist) and a group photo we said our goodbyes with the runners heading off for a lovely run along the river.

Tonight we had the great opportunity to go to two different charities as both could only take a limited number of volunteers. So that's what we did, we split the group in two and went to Refugee Action Kingston and Growbaby.

Levita reports about the task at Refugee Action Kingston

Louise, Sekar, and Levita supported the team by sorting through donated clothes and separating items suitable for those seeking assistance. Saber worked with the girls to create a peaceful and clean corner where refugees could read the Quran whenever they wished. Dave and Jonathan gladly used their strength and handyman skills to repair the bulletin boards, making them neat and presentable. It was indeed a fruitful and rewarding evening.

Emma reports about the task at Refugee Action Kingston

A crew of GoodGymers made their way on bike or on foot to Growbaby, rolling up our sleeves to bring order to the wonderful chaos of donations they have recently received.

A key job was to pack away the winter coats and set up a rail of spring coats and wellies - ready for some April shower puddle stomping! As a charity which provides free clothes and equipment for little ones aged 0–5, some of us were needed in the stock room to match up tiny shoes - always a satisfying task - give the nappy and milk stores a proper tidy, and sort through bags of new donations to get everything ready for the families who need them.

Better book in our next seasonal trip for the summer hat and sandal sort-out?