Wednesday 20th September 2023
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Report written by Sam Lefevre (he/him)
When it rains, it pours! Unfortunately, that meant the task owner for the outdoor task at Cossall Estate messaged an hour before to cancel! Yet, fortunately for us, we had a second task. TRAID came to save the day as their final day of sale ended on Wednesday night, so they need our assistance to clear the summer season clothes all out and luckily, it was an indoor task too!
There was an added twist to our group run tonight, we met Carine and Ed from ZDF ("a German BBC") as they wanted to film us for their "culture in Europe" piece to show their German audience what GoodGym is all about.
They met Sam and all of the GG runners including Emma, who they used as their protagonist for their piece at Old Spike Roastery. We welcomed Maria for her first group run after attending eight community missions over the week! The time arrived to 18:45 and with all the runners crammed in, they listened and ZDF filmed Sam's intro speech before heading out for a warm-up for the last time (or second last time) on the Green.
After our warm-up, Sam's ice-breaker for tonight was fitting as he asked: It is Secondhand September and since we're going to a charity shop, what was the last secondhand item that you brought?
Many mentioned a piece of clothing from a suit jacket to shirts, but also jewelry, furniture (but from Ebay) and kitchen utensils. Ensuring that items have a second life and nothing goes to waste...
Say Käse 🧀
After ZDF filmed an intro piece with Emma, Sam led from the front as Anna backmarked to ensure no one was left behind. The run was only a short 1k as we ran through the backstreets of Peckham, but at least we got our legs moving. We made it to TRAID to find Ed filming us as well as Mikhail and Paulin getting stuck in with the task at hand. Elena also met us there.
We come here every quarter to help clear out the TRAID store as the fashion season moves with the seasons.
Our main task was to unclip / un-hang the clothes on display before putting them in a massive cardboard box, so that it could be shipped back to the main warehouse for re-distributing / some clothes will come back next summer. At the same time, the hangers needed to be bagged or boxed by type. This looked like a daunting task with the amount of clothes left on the rails, but once we got into a rhythm, it was done within 20-30 minutes.
Lastly, we had Sam, Isaac and Maria taking down Sale signs whilst Mikhail hoovered the floor. There was a large group taking the time to sort and match shoes that needed to be bagged up with the last shoes missing a pair being discharged in another bag.
ZDF used this opportunity indoors to film us doing our work whilst they interviewed someone from TRAID, Sam and their protagonist, Emma.
Finally, we got in our group photo before heading back to Old Spike saying goodbye to TRAID and Carine and Ed from ZDF! A quick 1k run back to base for a quick stretch in the light rain.
Some of us went for a pint or two at the White Horse to de-brief and catch-up!
Thank You to all the GG-ers
A personal thanks from me to all those who came out tonight! Firstly, a massive thank you to Anna and Daryl for backmarking the run there and back. Thank you to the rest of you for coming along as it was chunking it down all day and running in the rain is never fun. In the end, doing one task at TRAID worked out with the amount of clothing and hangers that we needed to put away. At least, we stayed dry for an hour!
Thank You to TRAID, Carine and Ed
GoodGym is all about getting fit and doing good! We praise the runners/cyclists/walkers who come to get fit and help out, but we often forget about our task owner. I would like to take this opportunity to thank TRAID who ensured we had a task tonight as the rain cancelled our second task! Also, a thank you to Carine and Ed for filming us and we hope the piece will inspire someone in Germany to start their own version of GoodGym!
Charity selling secondhand clothes, aiming to improve workers' lives in the global textile industry.
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