We got properly stuck in at tonight’s task at The Kingston Pantry—a vital community foodbank based in Tolworth Recreation Centre.

Four of us ran there, two cycled, and others came on foot — everyone enthusiastic to be there, including first time GoodGymer Petra.

The Pantry had been restocked earlier in the day, so our usual deep clean wasn’t needed. But Susan, ever prepared, whipped out her trusty spiral notebook packed with 'one-day' tasks—the little jobs that never quite make it to the top of the to-do list… until now.

Here’s what we tackled: • Emma and Petra deep-cleaned and organised the cupboard under the sink, and gave all the food baskets a good wash. • Claire and Jacqui took on the fridges, clearing out spills (including a sticky raspberry juice situation). • Jana sorted out the vegetable racks • Dave got into the nooks and crannies, scrubbing those corners the mop usually misses. • Luke restocked and cleaned the pet food area • Rachel and Emma gave the stationery cupboard a long-overdue tidy. • Jacqui got the hoover out and • Petra followed up with a thorough mop for a gleaming finish.

Teamwork and elbow grease, and the job list was fully ticked off!

The Kingston Pantry plays a crucial role in supporting individuals and families on low incomes trying to cope in a time of rising costs. It was a pleasure to lend a hand, free up the volunteers’ time, so that those that run it can give their clients the best experience which includes a very high environmental health status.

GG Kingston's quarterly(ish) visit to the Kingston Pantry this evening... always met with a warm welcome by the steadfast Susan who runs this fantastic foodbank.

Our task was to give the store a deep clean. Items off the shelves, shelves wiped down, items replaced and repeat. The fridges were given a decent cleanse then floors swept, vacuumed and mopped. Everything was sparkling by the time we were done!

To reward us for our troubles, Susan had brought hot chocolate and biscuits... just the ticket after putting the effort in on a cold night.

Welcome and congrats to Jacqui on your first GoodGym! Hope to see you for another soon.

It was back to the Tolworth Recreation Centre on a muggy Tuesday for our regular clean-up of the Kingston Pantry, the area's foodbank. Shelves needed re-arranging and wiping, tackled with enthusiasm by Ben, Hazel, Jana and Rachel while Tom volunteered to don the plastic gloves and separate frozen pastries into small bags. Some rapid hoovering by Claire and we were done.

Susan, who runs the foodbank, is always delighted to see us and even furnished the group with Cadburys Time Outs, which none of us could remember having for ages. A fine reward for a rewarding task.

We had a damp start to the evening with a rainy run/walk/cycle to get to the task. Claire, Luke and Dave ran, Emily walked and Jana cylced. Tonight we were at The Kingston Pantry in Tolworth, helping them with their quarterly deep clean.

We arrived at the task and waited for the task owner. After a few minutes, we realised something wasn't quite right whilst we were still waiting... a few calls and texts later, we managed to get the code for the Pantry and let ourselves in to start on the clean. Fortunately most of us had been there previously so knew the layout and what needed to be done. A few minutes more and we were greeted by an apologetic and thankful task owner Susan. Life had gotten in the way, as it often does, and it had slipped her mind. I can completely empathise!

We smashed through the cleaning and left a sparkling Pantry in our wake. Mission accomplished.

Claire, Rachel, Dave and Camilla met up at The Lamb pub, not for a drink, but for a stretch and to warm up for the slow hill up to Tolworth Recreation Centre. Claire and Dave headed off in the lead and Camilla and Rachel took a steady pace for the long climb. Once we arrived we met Emma and the 3 Js - Jana, Jade and Jas! Susan, from Kingston Pantry, welcomed us in and explained what tasks needed to be done.

With such a good turn out we split into two groups with one team heading into the food bank for a deep clean. All the items were taken down and the shelves were given a thorough wipe down with antibacterial spray. Fridges were wiped down too. The other group was taken up to the stay and play toy cupboard where everything needed a re-organisation. All the boxes, toy equipment, books, mats and dressing up clothes were taken out of the cupboard, sorted into their appropriate box and then put back in a slightly more systematic approach.

It was just after 8pm when we finished and reconvened in The Pantry. We had the great honour of congratulating Jade who not only had done 100 good deeds but also achieved the most good deeds in Kingston in the January Challenge - she topped 28 good deeds. What a legend! She certainly deserved her crown, cap AND trophy this night. Well done, Jade! So pleased for your achievements and thank you for being a good sport and letting us dress you up.

And a big warm welcome to Camilla for joining our group on her second task to date! Great to hang out with you and hope to see you at another task soon.

This evening Rachel, Dave, Jade and Julie met at the Lamb in Surbiton for a chilly run up the hill to Tolworth recreation centre and the Kingston Pantry food bank for our quarterly deep clean.

We met Jana and Tom there and Susan gave us a quick update and showed us around before we got to work. Jana, Tom and Jade started in the walk in larder, cleaning the shelves and disinfecting the fridge.

Dave, Rachel and Julie worked on the main area. Julie moved all the items off the shelves to give them a good clean, while Dave got to work on the fridge and Rachel cleaned out the fresh produce area - surprise finds included a tangerine and a potato down the back of the bread baskets.

Jas joined and got straight onto the tins of baby food and fish, making sure the area was clean before organising everything back neatly. We were helped along by a delicious cup of hot chocolate from Susan to warm us up - thank you!

Once we were done with the shelves Jade came round with Henrietta the hoover to clear up any crumbs, closely followed by Julie with the mop. With lots of us working we had to organise ourselves carefully to make sure no one left muddy footprints on the newly mopped floor!

With that the cleaning was finished and after a few photo opportunities we headed back for a quick run down the hill to the Lamb. We’ll be back in another 3 months for the next deep clean.