They created a 'temper'-amental masterpiece
1 GoodGymer made their way to help the Arbor in Southwark.
- Friday, 20th of October 2023
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Led by
Sam Lefevre
he/him
After weeks in the planning, Storm Babet had other plans for Alex and the staff of Temper as the task of gardening for Thames Reach in South Bermondsey had to be switched with an indoor task. Luckily, Sam and his GoodGym run club on Wednesday night had visited Dawson's Heights Community Centre to put on a first coat of paint and the task owner, Thai would happily welcome a second group sooner rather than later. The stars were aligned!
On Friday morning, Sam arrived at Dawson's Heights Community Centre for 09:30 to see Landen, one of the Temper staff, sitting outside. An eager beaver full of beans ready to take on today's volunteering task. He would have happily painted the whole community centre room by himself, but as we got closer to 10:00AM, the rest of the Temper staff including Alex (the General Manager of Temper) showed up.
As Sam does with his running club, he started the intros off with his GG speech explaining how to get involved with GoodGym before asking his ice-breaker question for today, which was: Since we're in Autumn and the weather is getting colder, what is your favourite type of soup?
We had a generational difference of opinion regarding having soup.... but those who did answered spicy lentil, chicken and mushroom, a hearty garlic soup, Thai chicken soup and even the original Heinz tomato soup to name a few!
Don't 'palette' with me; I'm feeling 'brushy' today
After our intros and answering the ice-breaker question, we got down to business as everyone made their way into the community centre, picked up a brush or roller and choose a wall to get started on. The main room had the first coat of paint up on by the GoodGymers who came on Wednesday night, but there was one wall near the kitchen that still needed a first coat as well as the ceiling. With some 90s tunes banging through Sam's speakers, everyone got in the mood for painting.
Everyone focused on their section as they worked as a team to transform this community room in the hour and a half that they were there. Brushing away and turning the pale yellow walls into bright white, they not only added fresh coats to the aging walls but also breathed new life into the heart of the community. This was the much-needed facelift this place needed.
Sam hopes that the act of volunteering itself fostered a sense of togetherness and unity among the Temper staff as it did bring a smile to Thai who could see the instant aesthetic improvements. A truly heartfelt thank you!
Thank You to Temper
A personal thanks from me to all the Temper staff for coming and experience a GoodGym session with me! There were plans to get you dirty with a bit of gardening, but with Storm Babet lingering around Alex and I opted for a soothing painting task instead. All the best with your future endeavours and possibly, see you at a GoodGym session in the near future
Thank You to Thai
GoodGym is all about getting fit and doing good! We praise the runners/cyclists/walkers who come to get fit and help out, but we often forget about our task owner. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Thai, who opened up the community centre and prepared the paint for us. GoodGym sessions wouldn't be possible without the task owners, so a massive thank you again!
Report written by
Sam Lefevre
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Led by Sam Lefevre
Southwark Area Activator since Sept 2021 Ultra runner (when I'm crazy), otherwise I stick to anything under a marathon... 🏃🏻
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