Leah and Rachel went along to help clear up after the Cat Patrol Rescue Christmas Bazaar. The event was winding up when we arrived (Santa was just leaving!) so we got straight on with helping to collapse and stack the tables, sweep the floors and bag up the rubbish. Leah also turned her hand (or foot) to balloon popping.

In 50-minutes or so we were done and dusted and ready to head on our way. We were glad that we could help out this fantastic charity and the volunteers were very grateful after a busy day. The event riased about £1500!

One of the organisers, Tanya, said 'You were both amazing, and so very helpful, after doing the event all day we were all a little exhausted, and you also provided some entertainment whilst popping the balloons…'.

Thank you to Tanya and Zoey for having us!

It was beginning to feel a bit like Christmas yesterday as GoodGym Nottingham took part in a very special task for the charity, Bags of Blessings.

Matt, Rachel W, Vicky, Rachel L and first-time GoodGymer, Jess, met at 11am and were greeted enthusiastically by Chris and Cathy. They gave us an introduction to the charity’s work and the amazing things they do and, after a quick Health and Safety briefing from Mike, we were ready to start work (but not before Cathy had made a round of tea and coffee to warm us up!).

Our job was to pack toys and gifts into bags which would be distributed to young people in need around Nottingham in the run up to Christmas. The items had already been sorted into age ranges and either male, female or non-gender specific, so we split these between us and worked our way through various age and gender groups. As well as toys, the bags were packed with things like books, soft teddies, stationery sets, crayons, some items of clothing, stocking fillers and a Christmas card (items varied depending on the age of the recipient).

At one point our pile of Christmas cards started running low, so Vicky took on the task of composing and writing festive messages in a pile of cards. Matt and Jess also finished up by stickering a pile of stationery sets that had already been put into bags.

Once the bags are packed, they go off to another team of elves who wrap the gifts and pop them back in the bag. In early December, the amazing Bags of Blessings volunteers then distribute the bags among local foodbanks and projects who pass them onto the children.

We spent 2-hours on this task, but the time flew by. It was so much fun and a great atmosphere working alongside Chris, Cathy and Mike. All of our tasks are fun, but this one really felt like we were having a clear and direct impact on those in need, and whilst packing the bags we could literally imagine a child opening their bag on Christmas Day.

Before we left we did a quick calculation of how many bags we had packed – an impressive 270!! Credit to Matt who contributed over 80 of these (and was the only one of us to keep a personal total!), but overall we were chuffed with our efforts. The charity has managed to increase the number of bags given out every year since they began, and in 2024 they have plans to distribute well over 2000 bags. We are delighted to have contributed to this total!

A huge thank you to the GoodGymers who took part in this task and welcome to Jess.

See the photos for a list of items you can donate to Bags of Blessings and a list of donation points can be found at https://www.facebook.com/share/p/19Rq7G6jTP/

About Bags of Blessings

Bags of Blessings are a charity, local to Nottingham, which distributes donated gifts to deprived young people in the Nottingham area.

They put collection boxes in local schools, churches, and businesses, with the request for small, pocket money toys, stationery, books, or items of confectionery. They then sort the donations into age groups, gift wrap each item and put 4 or 5 gifts into a red cotton bag to be distributed to young people aged 0-16 via food banks, homeless and refugee charities or organisations which support disadvantaged children.

They believe that every child deserves to experience the magic of Christmas and Bags of Blessings steps in to help Father Christmas do this for thousands of children each year.

Last night we channelled our original GoodGym roots by combining a group run and a good deed – something that we don’t always get to do in Nottingham.

Bozena, Peter, Rosemarie and Rachel met at the Bridgeway Hall Methodist Centre to head out on a jog around the local area. It was one of those evenings when half of us were running late due to traffic and general life/work chaos, so we set off a little later than planned, but we still managed a gentle 1.15 miler led by Peter.

On return to the Bridgeway Hall, we met with Leah and first time GoodGymer Faizah and the six of us enjoyed a few stretches while we waited to start the task. At 7pm we were joined by Tom and we all headed in to meet Mark from the Meadows Foodbank who, as always, greeted us with open arms and a list of tasks that he had lined up for us.

We spent the next hour hard at work around the foodbank. Peter and Tom took on the task of sweeping and mopping all the floors in the main store area and kitchen. Rosemarie and Faizah tackled a huge pile of carrier bags, dividing them into piles based on their durability (‘bag for life’, ‘bag for a few years but not life’ (?), ‘slightly less sturdy bag’, ‘paper bag’ etc etc…).

Aided by Mark’s son, Leah squashed down a pile of cardboard to leave outside for recycling. They then moved onto packing six 2-person boxes and two children’s boxes with food and supplies. Rachel cleaned the fridges and freezers and gave the pantry area a sweep and mop.

Meanwhile, Bozena had the unique task of sorting through a pile of donated books to see which were to go on the shelf in the foodbank and which would be better donated to charity. She had a great time checking out a range of ‘classics’, including a magic book where the contents disappeared and reappeared again before our eyes!

Of course we had a group photo before we left and it was great to see so many GoodGym t-shirts on show (not always possible at this time of year when we’re all covered up). Don’t we look lovely!

Well done to Faizah for completing her first GoodGym task. It was lovely to meet you!

Thanks to Mark for hosting us once again at the Meadows Foodbank. We will make a date to come back very soon.