Everything went well we served and cleaned and packed down on time.

Six Goodgymers braved the cold, drizzly weather tonight to support Merton's Community Fridge for a deep cleaning mission. Mike and Jade met our newly qualified run leader, Caroline, for the first of what we hope to be regular group run.

Emily and Rufu were already there when the runners arrived, and Georgina joined just in time for Siobhan to brief us.

There were numerous crates to shift out of the storage area to allow a proper clean. Then the fridges needed to be emptied (and wiped down) and moved so we could vacuum thoroughly behind them. Next came the cloths and spray, and with sheer determination, we tackled the often-neglected areas below and around the shelving units.

It was a real workout, with lots of heavy lifting as we manoeuvred crates of food, hauled out boxes and scrubbed at stubborn stains on shelves; then wrestled to get everything back in the right places, with a bit of reorganising along the way. Some serious grime was removed and the space felt a little lighter by the end. A huge thank you to all who joined us and put in such a fantastic effort – you're all fridge-tastic!

Our next group run and session will be in a couple of weeks, so do join us if you can: https://www.goodgym.org/happenings/kitchen-spring-clean-tidy

I arrived at the Fridge ready to lend a hand and found the new procedures were keeping things in order so it was an easy session, despite having to reorganise a pile of crates in the dark!

Goodgym Merton officially launched with a bang (or rather, a lot of enthusiastic clearing, wrecking and digging!) at our inaugural group session.

With an amazing turnout including guest appearances from Councillor Caroline Cooper Marbiah and Merton Council everyone was full of energy and quickly got to work clearing the area of debris and unwanted items. Within minutes we had made space ready to hack into the foliage and dismantle the decking.

Undeterred by the inevitable mud we were soon rolling up sleeves and removing layers as things warmed up with the unearthing of hidden treasures (including a rat tunnel).

In less than half the allotted time we had filled the large skip to the brim, cut down a tree and levelled the soil, proving that even the most daunting projects can be conquered with a bit of teamwork. Plenty of time left to celebrate our first group effort success and chat over tea and brioche buns, courtesy of the Community Fridge.

What a mud-tastic morning and start to the weekend. Fancy joining us with a future task - keep checking our sessions page and/or follow us on social media @goodgymmerton.

Today Peter and Myself with the rest of the team, cleaned and tidied after the community fridge. Weighed the left over food.

I ditched the bike today and braved a run in the cold/dark in an attempt to clock up some km's getting to a volunteering session at the Fridge. There was quite a bit of waste today so we got some extra steps in walking back and forth to the bins 🤞.