6 GoodGymers caught some good deeding vibes amidst London’s festive fare!

Settled in the heart of Piccadilly sits St James’s Church.

At this time of year, it is a favourite of tourists and Londoners alike (arriving for carols and services aplenty), and we had to bustle our way through the crowds to arrive on time last night.

Yet we were soon off and away to a peaceful garden, where this special group — of Alex, Charlie, Imogen, Kush (new to GoodGym — a huge welcome!), and Steve — made a wonderful difference.

Huge and bountiful trees border this green space, and they’ve been shedding their summer coats since October. Our task was to rake the lawns and sweep the paths, clearing the leaves for good for another year.

The brilliant Catherine from Green City Projects was our host, and alongside her we turned a leaf strewn garden into a clear, safe, and tidy spot in just 60 minutes.

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

There was a lot to do for the eight of us, helping set up Kentish Town Farm's Christmas fair. Working as a team, we put up ten rows of bunting: not that plasticky stuff you would buy in a mini-mart, but nicely home-knitted triangles of random colours.

There are a varied selection of buildings in the farmyard: offices, sheds and animal houses, so each row of bunting presented a different challenge: where to hang it from, how to get up to the hanging-from place, and how to stop the things sagging in the middle, where people were walking past, without snapping the thin string

There was much more to do: moving heavy tables to be used for stalls, presents to be wrapped for the £2 children's "lucky dip", and bags to be shifted. DaMarcus and Jackie decorated a whole shed, and we even recruited a potential new Camden GoodGymer!

12 GoodGymers dodged the rain and helped a Central London winter shelter!

Our friendly group visit the American International Church every winter to help out at their wonderfully important winter shelter.

Coordinated by C4WS, homeless people can get access to at least a month of shelter and support. Warm, safe, and supportive spaces.

And last night was our first trip back this season.

This brilliant group — of Caitlin, Chandrima (on their first good deed — welcome!!), Danny, Emily, Helen, Imogen, Jacqui, John, Loz, Sarah, and Steve — made a healthy difference in the swiftest time.

Beds upon beds were dressed and made, a dining room was brought to life, and gifted toiletries were set out ready for using.

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

7 GoodGymers added good deeding and coffee to their Saturday mix!

There are three flower beds on Camden Square that are now cared for by the local community.

Two are already filled with rich colour while one is getting ready for shaping.

And it was this latter bed that caught our focus this morning.

Hannah joined us on their second good deed (welcome!) and Maria traveled over from West London (welcome!), and they joined our regular Camden crew of Imogen, Helen, Jackie, and John.

We grabbed spades and forks and dug deep into the earth to lift a hefty pile of weeds and roots.

After 60 minutes of work and conversation, we left a tidy space and headed out for coffee :)

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