This evening marked our final GoodGym task of the year, and it felt especially fitting to spend it giving something back to the Quaker Centre, who have so generously allowed us to use their building as a meeting point and storage facility throughout the year.

The team split into groups and got stuck in straight away. Luke and Saber bravely tackled the bin storage area, which was home to an impressive number of cobwebs. Armed with brushes, they made a huge dent and left the area looking far more welcoming.

Inside, Emily took on the kitchen, clearing out old food and giving the space a much-needed clean and refresh. Meanwhile, Jana and Claire hoovered the storage room and removed plenty more cobwebs, with Claire also sorting out the GoodGym locker so everything is tidy and organised going forward.

Outside, Levita and Louisa added a festive touch by decorating the tree with ribbons and baubles. Once lit up, it looked absolutely wonderful and brought a real sense of Christmas cheer to the space.

We finished the evening by wishing each other a very happy Christmas, rounding off a brilliant year of tasks and teamwork, and looking ahead with excitement to the January Challenge.

Full of Christmas spirit 6 GoodGymers were up bright and early to help at the pop up Christmas shop for clients of the Kingston Pantry.

GoodGym split themselves between being personal shoppers (Anna, Petra & Julie) and restocking the shelves (Dave, Julie, Saber & Claire) with wonderful gifts including Lego, toiletry sets, cool boxes, dolls, remote control cars and even robotic snakes!

Personal shopping allowed us to meet the clients and take them around the different sections where they could select a set number of gifts. As the gifts were snapped up the shelves were quickly restocked by the team.

Meanwhile Claire put together gift packages of toys, books and clothes for some very young children being looked after by another charity this Christmas.

The Pantry's clients were delighted with their selections as it meant they could provide gifts for their families this Christmas.

We supported KVA’s Surplus to Supper Hub, an initiative that redistributes over 5 tonnes of surplus food each week. Our team helped manage incoming stock by unloading the van and moving crates of fresh and dry goods into the pantry for sorting and storage. We also cleaned the inside of the shipping-container fridge and checked dates on frozen and dry food items to keep everything safe and organised.

In addition, we sorted donated non-food items, separating gift items, home-use items, cosmetic products and more into trays, to ensure everything was properly categorised.

Overall, we contributed to the Hub’s mission to reduce food waste and support local food security by completing a wide range of practical, hands-on tasks.

Afterwards, we rounded off the evening with a wonderful Christmas social at The Albion, enjoying time together and celebrating our teamwork and the festive spirit.

A big welcome to Esme on her first outing with GoodGym Kingston. Hope to see you at another task soon!