Last night GoodGym Westminster gathered at the Bayswater TRAID shop, where runners and walkers were ready to roll up their sleeves to tackle a very generous delivery of blue bags bursting with donated clothes.

A huge welcome to Francesca and to Delphine who both came to their first mission - great to meet you!

For anyone new to the world of TRAID, the work they do is very impactful. The charity collects unwanted clothing and redistributes it through their shops, raising funds for projects that improve working conditions and sustainability in the fashion industry. By giving clothes a second life, they help reduce textile waste and challenge the throwaway culture of fast fashion. They also contribute to other sustainable projects across the globe. Every sorted bag is a small but meaningful step toward a more circular wardrobe. And there were a lot of bags!

We quickly formed a system—opening, inspecting, hanging, and sorting into categories. We know from past tasks it’s part organisation, part detective work to figure out where everything belonged.

Delphine came armed with an excellent hanger-saving trick to keep larger items from sliding straight off which instantly improved everyone’s efficiency. Francesca brought serious credentials to the operation, drawing on her past volunteering in charity shops. Meanwhile David tapped into his early experiences in Camden Market, demonstrating an expert eye for clothing types around the rails.

There was plenty of hanging, plenty of sorting, and we even uncovered the occasional hidden treasure that appeared from the depths of a blue bag. After an hour of focused teamwork, the pile had shrunk dramatically and the rails were looking much more manageable.

By the end of the session we’d made a noticeable dent in the delivery, and the store manager told us how helpful it had been to get through so many of the many bags that had arrived. A big difference in just an hour’s work.

Next week we’ll be back again—this time to help remove unsold clothing ahead of the sale. You can sign up here

Great work, team. 👕💪

It was looking a bit touch and go for our session yesterday, and the day before our regular group run was to happen there was still a worrying lack of sign ups. Would we be able to go ahead? Out went the weekly email with a last minute appeal - and in came a GG hero in the shape of David!

We met during a momentary reprieve from the rain and ran a pacy 3km down to the Abbey Centre. Normally our job there is in the small community garden, but as we had recently brought a big group down, we had been asked this time to give the woodwork a good clean.

The Abbey centre is an amazing community hub near Victoria which offers a range of resources to local people. From hot food to legal advice, language classes to community choirs, it's a real lifeline.

Our task for the evening was to wash down the woodwork - over four floors of it! Undeterred, and armed with cleaning supplies, we hit the floor and began scrubbing. Discussing all things literary, the world of property and how running is the new socialising, we worked hard for almost half an hour. Our knee joints well and truly challenged, we could finally enjoy the fruits of our labour - sparkling (almost) white skirting and doors! Hopefully seeing the building being cared for will make local people know that they are welcome.

Next week there is a great session handing out clothing and blankets to rough sleepers. This is one task that really makes a difference.

10 GoodGymers making a difference in Central London!

It was the umpteenth rain-soaked evening of the year, and almost every Londoner was frowning and huddling in their attempts to stay away from the weather.

And yet this group of ten special people had decided to step into the evening!

David (on their first GoodGym session — welcome!), Kash, and Alex started the evening with a conversation-filled jog through Bloomsbury and over to Tottenham Court Road...

...where they were met by the happy group of Caitlin, Louise, Lydia, Paul, Rohan, and Steve :)

Our task was a common one for us during the winter months 👉 we were off to help set up the night shelter at the American International Church, which provides food, community, and warmth as part of the C4WS homeless support programme.

Our wonderful host (and fellow GoodGymer), Brooke, guided our efforts assembling beds, fighting with duvet covers, and setting up a dining room :)

Thank you, everyone! Here's to next time!