This was the second of two GG Bexley sessions at the Community Hospice warehouse, sorting donations this weekend.

James from the Hospice team had a warm welcome and loads of bagged items ready for us to sort through.

We were particularly on the lookout for dresses for proms season, and there were quite a few 👗.

Like Ann, Simon and Caroline yesterday, we came across lots of winter coats and snuggly warmer clothes as people have been clearing their wardrobes for the summer. These will be stored until the autumn.

There was plenty of summerwear too, and a surprising number of brand new items... clothes with labels still in place, and unworn shoes 👞👟👠 in their boxes. It's definitely worth checking out the Hospice shops to make some great value purchases!

Time flew by as we chatted and sorted. As we said our goodbyes thank you cards from the Hospice team made feel us very much appreciated.

This was the first of two GG Bexley sessions at the Community Hospice warehouse sorting donations this weekend.

When we arrived James from the warehouse team had lots of bags of donations ready for us to tackle.

We did well - got through two cages of clothes, and found many surprises. Highlights were the silver pair of shiny budgie smugglers🤣, a very unusual large soft toy badger with a smart coat 🦡, and a long animal tail-like thing which might have been a key ring (it was left in the office for investigation!)

One man had donated a full set of motorcycle leathers 🏍, and we had Rotary Club regalia as well.

Winter coats abounded - must be spring!

Afterwards it was a nice walk back home in the sun for me.

Caroline and I had a good three-hour session sorting through many bags of second hand clothing mostly in great resaleable condition plus the occasional new items that still had labels. This is great uncomplicated work and the time goes fast while you're doing it. There was one Barbour coat which is considered a prestige item but it looked like the farmer had been run over by his tractor by the condition of it! There was also a moment when our bag fell over the edge of the table and I had to take emergency action - see photo. Thanks to Andrew for supervising. Simon

We had a great time today at the Community Hospice Shop in Welling.

Our visit began with a comprehensive tour of the premises, guided by our host, James, who gave us an insight into how everything operates behind the scenes. We also received a health and safety briefing—an essential part of the process when dealing with such a vast amount of donated items.

We learned that this location serves 16 charity shops across the borough, which means an incredible volume of donations constantly needs sorting. It’s a big task.

With our team—Caroline, Ann, Zita, and me—ready to get stuck in, we rolled up our sleeves and set to work sorting through bags of donated clothes, linens, shoes, handbags, and even the odd toy here and there.

The sorting process itself was a real eye-opener. Donations were separated into various categories: 🔹 Quality – pristine, gently used, or worn-out items 🔹 Gender & Age – men’s, women’s, and children’s clothing 🔹 Specialist Items – vintage or designer labels, set aside for specialist charity shops 🔹 Condition – freshly laundered and neatly folded vs. those with stains, paint marks, or signs of heavy wear.

It was interesting see what had been donated. There were some high-end and vintage items, lots of decent quality stuff all the way down to unusable. The good news? The majority will be resold, raising essential funds for the charity.

All in all, it was an enjoyable experience. The three-hour session flew by, and we met some nice new people along the way. I imagine we’ll be back before long—there’s always more to do, and it feels good knowing that every bit of effort goes towards such a worthy cause.

This morning saw us at the Community Hospice's warehouse in Welling, sorting donations to be distributed to the charity's shops across Greenwich and Bexley.

After a warm welcome and some training by Andrew and James, we set to work inspecting and sorting the pre-loved clothes, shoes, bags, soft furnishings and other assorted items into separate bags ready for their onward journey to hopefully find a new owner.

There was lots of chatter and the time flew by.

Thank you for having us Andrew and James. And congratulations to Jane and Zita on your first GoodGym task 🥳!

We have another session at the warehouse next Saturday. Places are limited so sign-up soon if you'd like to go along!