10 GoodGymers completed the final winter shelter shift of the season!

We've been helping build beds and set up dining rooms at the American International Church's Winter Shelter since November, and this week we arrived for our final shift of the season!

And we had a wonderful group for the task 👉 Caitlin, Charlie, Denzel (on their first GoodGym task — welcome!), Emily, Ivar (on tour from Greenwich — great to see you!), Paul, Steve, and Thierry !!

Having been welcomed by our fabulous host (and fellow GoodGymer!), Brooke, our experienced crew knew exactly what to do, and together (and with ease!) they:

❤️ Assembled, positioned, and dressed 11 beds ready and waiting for the evening's guests

❤️ Set 20 spaces for a (delicious-smelling) volunteer-cooked dinner

❤️ Did everything while connecting and chatting aplenty :)

Thank you, everyone! We will be back in the autumn!

Tonight kicked off with me leading my first GoodGym run, kindly assessed by Steph Ducat - while I'm happy to say I got everyone there in one happy piece, I'm a bit ashamed by the short length of it...! Next time, I'm gonna train you harder!

We then returned to the scene of Saturday's pesto-making , continuing on the mission to rid Olden Community Garden of the pesky invasive species: Three Cornered Leek.

Digging the plants out of the rocky, steeply sloped banks of the orchard - carefully ensuring that all the bulbs are lifted from the ground - made for tricky work in the dark, but satisfying too. Once dug, another team carefully separated the leaves from the roots, so that Islington council can safely dispose of the stubborn little bulbs.

We all went home with a bag of Three Cornered Leek leaves, ready for some pesto making back at home. Perhaps we should host a taste-test next Monday?!