Fifteen GoodGymers dashed through the 'snow' (more like leaves) to the British Heart Foundation charity shop this evening, ready to deck the halls and spread some festive cheer!

The shop was a winter wonderland waiting to happen. Boxes of baubles, piles of presents, and a tons of tinsel were waiting to be carried, sorted and arranged. The GoodGymers, armed with tinsel and tape, transformed the shop into a Christmas cracker. We hung stockings, draped garlands, arranged shelves, created table displays and built Christmas trees... With each ornament hung, the shop’s festive spirit grew. It was a real sleigh ride of an evening!

To add to the festivities, we were lucky enough to be joined by the Mayor of the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, Councillor Liz Green and her assistant, Brian. After a brief welcome and introduction they both got stuck in. With so many hands helping this evening we got so much done - it was a Christmas miracle!

A few milestones were celebrated this evening. Congrats to Ben and Hazel for both achieving 10 good deeds. Claire hit an amazing 150 and our unwavering leader Rachel smashed a staggering 400 good deeds! Excellent work all round and quite conveniently celebrated in the pub afterwards for our monthly social :)

What a gorgeous evening spent at Surbiton Library weeding the frontage and paths. Rachel and Dave cycled and ran from the Quaker Centre and met Anna, Luke and Jana. We had a simple task - to smarten up the front of the building by removing all the weeds and litter.

We got to work. Luke tackled the beginning of a tree that had planted itself in the walkway planters - as much as we love trees it had already started to lift and destroy the brickwork. Not the right placement for a tree at all! He also tackled an ivy root ball and made a great attempt at pulling out a large number of roots.

Dave started on the weeds in the centre of the walkway and Rachel, Jana and Anna got to work on other weeds in other areas.

The hour flew by and we made a positive difference to the area which will hopefully prevent antisocial behaviour and littering in front of this important community hub. Well done team! Great work.