It was a fantastic evening supporting the brilliant parent volunteers at St John’s C of E School, where we took on two impactful tasks to help improve their outdoor spaces.

The 9 GoodGymers split into two teams: one group tackled the extensive bindweed that had taken over the fence alongside the Forest School allotment. Working among their residents - two Pygmy goats, rabbits and chickens - we made great progress clearing the fence so people can now look in and parents can now focus their time growing things in the allotment for the children to see and learn about.

Meanwhile, the second group got busy painting one side of a large shed with a holly green base coat - the first step in an exciting transformation, as another parent volunteer will soon be working with the children to create a mural on the shed that will really brighten up the end of the playground.

Both tasks were hugely satisfying, and we hope our efforts will make a real difference for the school community. To top it all off, we enjoyed a final hello to the animals on our way out - always a highlight!

This week’s GoodGym task was a split mission, with half the group heading to support the brilliant charity Growbaby.

Rachel, Jana, Manasa, Ellie, Emily and Laurel went o Growbaby and we started by sorting a huge collection of teddy bears. Once that was finished, the manager of Growbaby arrived with her large four-wheel-drive car ready for a dump run the next day — and we quickly got to work loading it up.

Rachel took on the role of chief car packer while the rest of us formed a human chain carrying everything from baby carriers and highchairs to old chairs and other bulky items. We managed to fill the car completely — there wasn’t room for a single extra item!

After that, Emily and Manasa sorted bookshelves upstairs, Ellie organised toys downstairs, and Jana, Laurel and Rachel sorted baby clothes.

In just one hour, we got through every task and helped make the space far more organised for the Growbaby team and the families they support. A great team effort all round!

Hestia's Room of Doom

Tonight we ran, walked and cycled our way to Hestia to tackle their room of doom.

Having donned our gloves after a quick biscuit (we were spoilt again by John) we emptied the contents of the room. There was an eclectic mix of items with enough hangers for a small department store, multiple printers, paint, various poles, tents and even tooth brushes.

Having cleared the room it was hoovered and the thick dirt wiped away. Everything went back in groups of similar items and the rubbish and recycling was piled up.

An hour later it looked like a different room and the Hestia team can now find everything.

Tuesday’s group run took us to Hestia’s Good Energy Club, a fantastic community space supporting people experiencing mental health challenges. Their mission is to improve physical wellbeing, support mental health and reduce social isolation - values very much aligned with GoodGym’s own.

We arrived in force and were welcomed by John, who gave us a tour before offering the ultimate volunteer incentive: snacks in exchange for our cleaning efforts. Armed with hoovers, cloths, spray bottles and plastic gloves, we got straight to work.

We were also joined by special guests Ivo and Hannah. Rather than rolling out the red carpet, we rolled out the hoovers and put them straight to work alongside the rest of the team. After deciding who was tackling which room, John put on a soundtrack of 90s classics that kept spirits high and energy levels up throughout the evening.

The hour flew by, and before long it was time for a final snack break and the journey home. John was hugely appreciative of the help, explaining that the club doesn’t have a dedicated cleaning budget and that maintaining such a large space can be a real challenge.

It was lovely to meet Hannah on her first task, and congratulations again on your new role as CEO of GoodGym.