Eight GGers kept calm and braved the stormy weather in order to finish off providing a coat of paint to the INS hall way and stairs ahead of their Xmas celebrations.

Adam led Lucy, Africa and Jade on a rather chilly evening warm up and jog through the glorious Christmas lights of Twickenham, while others such as Ken, Suze, Chris and JP found their own way. Once arrived we were ready to roll and were kitted out by task owner Sarah with rollers and paintbrushes and we set about making a splash!

We were on a roll and just like that it was job done! Chris led the way with the washing up team and it was soon time to ease down.

As travel plans meant I would be unable to attend the December mission helping the Friends of Ham Lands, I decided to take a bit of time out of my Monday to lend a hand on their regular weekly session.

It was a larger group than the regular Saturday morning crowd and we were working on a patch of brambles tucked away in the woods. As usual the brambles were being a real menace and needed to be uprooted rather than just chopped back.

We used mattocks and picks to turn the earth and get at the roots, some of which were long and needed to be chased along until the root bulb could be found. But it was satisfying work and we made good progress before calling time for tea.

After a cuppa it was back to work for another 45 minutes and we kept pushing back the bramble tide. We filled sack after sack, all of which were emptied in a compost area not far from where we were working.

It was lovely to see the gang and wish them all happy holidays.

Four GGers rolled into the weekend by giving INS’s walls and ceilings a much needed coat of paint.

Chris, JP and Adam welcomed Evelyn back for her second good gym task. We were then given direction by task owner Sarah areas that needed painting in the kitchen and hallway ahead of INS’s upcoming festive celebrations.

Overall Evelyn proved very good at rolling with it, JP managed to successfully white out all the worries of the fire exit sign, meanwhile Adam was able to lay it on thick as usual and Chris provided some much needed brush ups.

We will return on Monday to finish the job!

Not sure any of us were quite prepared to be thrust into the midst of Christmas this evening but the warmth of Lynde House Care Home welcomed us in with jingle bells on, ready to put up trees, hang lights, prep the Nativity area and tidy up after ourselves too!

This lovely home is always well decorated by the time we normally visit in mid December so it was great to be part of the first decorations going up, with a sprinkling of fake snow too!

After a soggy Saturday with three outdoor tasks in miserable weather, Sevan and Kash were looking forward to an indoor engineering mission on Sunday. Paradoxically, after the early morning rain, the day was pleasant and sunny. To add to the irony, the beneficiary of the mission, Mrs F, was not at home.

Mrs F's daughter, who was her carer, did her best to show us what needed to be done - installing a new anti-insect mesh on a window - but the mesh was nowhere to be found. Mrs F didn't pick up her phone, so the GoodGymers, sensing that the job wasn't going anywhere, asked about the secondary tasks: removing a cabinet and assembling a treadmill.

It turned out that the cabinet had nowhere to go, so it had to stay where it was. The treadmill didn't need to be assembled after all, but required an extension cable and space to be used comfortably. Sevan and Kash plugged in the exercise machine and tested it. It worked perfectly fine. It was ideal for walking, as long as one didn't need to get anywhere. Unfortunately, the GoodGymers had to put the machine back under the cabinet since there was no sensible space to leave it. Mrs F still couldn’t answer her phone, so Sevan and Kash left without epic stories to tell.

Three GGers were thrilled to be given indoor tasks at St Christopher’s on this rather damp and breezy Saturday morning.

First up, sanding down a large table to prepare it for a nice pre-Christmas revarnish. Next, we cleared items out from an old storage room and helped move a desk in to create a private consultation and counselling space.

Finally, we tested our Tetris skills finding space for some donated crockery in the kitchen cupboards. Bodies and brains well flexed, we shipped out to our various other weekend activities including birthday cake, hibernation, and yet more tidying.

Looking forward to our next visit already!