John and Emma were up early - though not too early, as Mile End Junior Parkrun doesn't start until 9:30 - to marshall the course and to cheer on the smiling kids

Marshalling plays a key role in ensuring the event runs safely and smoothly. We offered encouragement along the way, helped keep participants on course and reassured parents and spectators throughout the run. And it wasn't too cold

Events like Junior Parkrun rely heavily on volunteers, and the support from GoodGym made a positive difference to both the organisers and the children taking part at Mile End Park. The collaboration highlighted GoodGym’s commitment to combining physical activity with community support, while helping to create a fun and safe environment for local families

On a bright dry, but quite cold, Sunday morning, we joined the Friends of Mile End Park’s monthly litter pick. The task formed part of the January Challenge, giving runners a great opportunity to start the year with a positive impact on their local community and environment. A special welcome to Christopher, doing his first GoodGym task!

We arrived one by one and joined volunteers from the Friends of Mile End Park, who organise regular clean-ups to help keep the park welcoming and enjoyable for everyone. Once we were all gathered by the Art Pavilion, there was a brief introduction and safety briefing from John of the Friends, we were equipped with litter pickers, gloves, and bags before heading to our allotted areas of the park

Working together, the team collected a wide range of litter, including food packaging, cans, bottles, and general waste that had built up over the winter months. Despite the chilly conditions, spirits were high thanks to good teamwork and plenty of conversation. The park is known for great potted woodpeckers, parakeets, robins, pairs of blue tits and water fowl, as well as snowdrops

Joining this task as part of the January Challenge was a brilliant reminder of what GoodGym is all about: combining physical activity with practical help for local communities. After an hour and half, many bags of rubbish had been filled, leaving the park cleaner and more pleasant for residents, visitors, and wildlife alike

It only remained to squeeze ourselves into the Coffee Room (actually bigger inside than out) for a deserved hot coffee and cake

Despite fingers so cold it was hard to use the pick, GoodGymer Anna managed to collect a whopping 5.7kg of rubbish from central Wapping.

The WaSh Wombles meet in different parts of Tower Hamlets every week to keep the streets clean, get to know their neighbours and have a warm cup of coffee or tea as a treat to celebrate the many kilos of litter collected.

It was a bitterly cold evening, with frost clinging to the ground, but that didn’t dissuade 13 Tower Hamlets diehards, wrapped in many layers, gathering for our first group task of 2026. Breath hung in the air as we pulled on gloves and got to work, determined not to let the temperature dampen our spirits. The Cranbrook garden was still carpeted with wet, fallen leaves, somehow unhardened by the icy conditions

Despite numb fingers and stiff muscles, the group worked steadily, gathering leaves into large piles, bagging them, and Chris even repeating his Cranbrook party trick of jumping into the wheelie bin, to stamp the debris down and create more space for the seemingly never-ending flow of leaf piles. Periodic bursts of laughter and much conversation helped to break through the chill, and the physical effort brought a degree of warmth

By 19:45, the thick carpet of leaves had disappeared, just a few clinging on between blades of grass, and the lucky 13 felt proud, rosy-cheeked, and energised. There only remained the logistically difficult problem of getting everyone in a selfie, and the difficult negotiation of the frozen pavements outside

7 goodgymers travelled to Ocean Youth Connexions for a festive evening of painting and leaf collecting. The ever 'elf-ful' Ilana and Rohan painted the shutters silver (bells); John and Kareem aka the two wise men, painted two doors: one gold, reminiscent of sleigh bells and one black, matching Santa's belt. Emma , Fiona and myself were on leaf picking duty. Kamal was no grinch and supplied us with excellent leaf grabbers to get the job done. Emma finished the task by channelling Santa, carrying big sacks (of rubbish) down to the wheelie bin. The key for the bin was triangular, resembling the green triangle chocolate often seen during the festive period - coincidence? I think not.

Once the tasks were complete, we all rolled merrily along to The Star of The East for a celebratory drink. That's a wrap for Gooddgym Tower Hamlets for 2025.

It's not just Christmas Firs getting beautified this December - this week we were put to work on the front garden hedge which had spilled over onto the public footpath and was preventing light from getting into the house. Armed with loppers, secateurs and gloves we managed to strip it back into shape and ensure easy access to the gas meter too.