Don't tell that to Santa, but neither Mr G nor I are the biggest fans of the festive time in December. We still wanted to make the most of the Christmas spirit and exchanged cards: one to Mr G from a bunch of Ealing and Hounslow GoodGymers, who supported him with his shopping in the past (Mr G is lucky to live on the area's border!), and from Mr G to his trusted helpers (with a lovely pack of chocolates). Thank you, Mr G!

After a chat about pets we owned in the past, I ran to Sainsbury's to complete Mr G's usual grocery order - this time with new additions: grated cheddar and tinned tuna. Mr G may not love Christmas time, but he does love Brussels sprouts - all year round! He's been lucky over the past few weeks, as Sainsbury's was well-stocked with those little cabbages of the cabbage family.

When I was back at Mr G's, I brought not only two Santa sacks of Christmas goods, but also my partner in crime, Alan, for my double-act tonight: a tech support mission. But that's another story!

Everything went smoothly, apart from my return, with a detour over the South Acton Station, as the train track barriers on my way back seemed to be down until further notice. Well, what can I say to that? Thank you for the extra steps!

Mr G was worried: his firestick has not been working properly and he feared that he wouldn't be able to stream his favourite channels over Christmas. Solving this technical challenge brought together two of his most regular GoodGym visitors: Alan joined Kash who was fresh from fulfilling Mr G's regular weekly shopping mission straight beforehand.

After a quick chat with Mr G, the pair inspected his TV setup and checked all of the cable connections. A little bit of wiggling to make sure the firestick rested more securely in its socket seemed to do the trick, and Mr G was delighted that his streaming setup now worked perfectly with the desired remote control from his tablet devices.

That quick solution gave the GoodGymers time to start investigating another issue: Mr G's non-functioning doorbell. A dead battery was diagnosed as the culprit and after a little bit of fiddling to remove the doorbell cover, they were able to take out the old battery so that Mr G knows what replacement to buy.

This year, the Santa of Acton brought the ladies from the neighbourhood a special gift: an invitation to free fitness classes in January. And no, it wasn't a free month membership that gyms tease people with at the start of each year, but a 6-week programme for 40+ women who want to improve their health while enjoying themselves in a great company.

Santa's four elves: Maria, Sevan, Steph and Kash, took Father Christmas' sack full of leaflets and swooped across the night sky, dropping the flyers through chimneys in Acton's Mill Hill area. Hopefully, the ladies for whom the classes had been designed weren't away for Christmas, and if they were, hopefully the leaflets won't get lost in a sea of other ads before January!

It was all hands on deck at the South Ealing Food Cupboard this morning, with the delivery unloaded and the shelves stacked in record time. Stef, James, and Nicola worked efficiently as a team to get everything ready for distribution. It was James and Nicola’s first GoodGym session, and they jumped straight in — helping unload crates, stack shelves, and keep things moving smoothly from start to finish. The haul was full of seasonal favourites, with plenty of Brussels sprouts and mountains of potatoes arriving just in time for some early Christmas dinners. Thanks to the extra hands and great teamwork, everything was sorted swiftly, leaving the cupboard well stocked and ready for the community.

Fundraising event until 10:30pm with music, drinks, food, raffle tickets with the presence of the Mayor of Ealing Anthony Kelly and his wife Maria Kelly. Food went out swiftly to all the tables and the guests enjoy the following food.

Starters : Pear, Rocket and Pomegranate Salad or Hearty Pumpkin & Butter Bean Soup with Croutons

Mains : Succulent Roast Chicken Quarter or Baked Salmon Fillet or Roasted Stuffed Peppers with Savoury Seed Crumb All mains served with new potatoes, garlic french beans and a rich vegan gravy

Desserts : Creme caramel or Coconut Yogurt & Golden Granola

The food went down like a treat and the staff also enjoyed the food we cooked.

After the party was over it was time to clean and pack.

This was not the usual Ealing Soup Kitchen shifts. Once the Friday Hub was over, I was part of a massive team to prep for the Fundraising event in the evening where the Mayor and his wife would be attending. I was in the kitchen with other chefs to get the starters, mains and desserts ready for the evening. Great food prepared with choice of 2 starters, 3 mains and 2 desserts. The clock was ticking for all of us, but all was under control and we were ready for the dinner party.A lot of chopping, cooking, cleaning pots and mise en place