I did another shift at the Crisis at Christmas hotel in East London, where guests are given accommodation into January and assigned a case worker to work with in order to secure housing for the future. The Christmas project provides some respite and can be the first step on someone's journey out of homelessness. It was a busy day in the centre and I helped out with various activities including the breakfast service, running the tea and coffee station and providing information about the different activities and services available to guests. The day went quickly and it was a nice change from my usual Monday behind a computer screen!

It was our first visit of 2025 to the Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park this evening!

Ken, the Park’s manager of over 22 years, greeted us, and it was great for new and regular members to have a catch-up with him before we headed out for our task.

Welcoming the group one by one, we slowly made our way over to the tool shed to grab loppers, rakes and wheelbarrows.

As Ken loaded the wheelbarrows, GoodGymers took the opportunity to stash bags in the office, before meandering across the North West side of the park our task location for the evening.

Tonight we were clearing ivy from headstones and chopping back brambles in an area that needs a bit of preparation for a new footpath that’s being established.

Ken divided us into two teams to head back into the park, away from the headstones.

Barrows were filled quickly, and a dent made in the area in no time.

GoodGymers emerged time and again from the undergrowth with armfuls of ivy and brambles, pausing only to pose patiently for a photo, which seem to take an increasing amount of time, thanks to an ageing phone.

At two minutes to eight, we wheeled the last barrow around to the vegetation heap and gathered the tools.

We made our way back through the park and headed to the tool shed, and then to the front of the fence, for our final last photo.

It was a great start to the week. After a chilly few days, it was still a real treat to get together and lend a hand in one of our borough’s prettiest places.

And the shout-outs tonight to:

• Ruby, who joined us for her first task! Great to see you, Ruby and hope to see you again soon.

• Lobo, who brought doughnuts for the whole team, as part of his post-task, January Challenge pep talk.

• And to our brilliant task owner, Ken, who gave us another fun Monday night and a splendid pun.

Until next time.

I joined the team of Crisis at Christmas volunteers at the January extension in a hotel in East London. Throughout the day I did various tasks such as running the clothing store and distributing new and donated clothes to those in need, manning the information desk, chatting to guests in the games room, helping out on the tea and coffee bar and replenishing the stock. All in all, it was a varied day and enjoyable to chat to range of different guests and volunteers.

After a three-week Christmas break, it was great to be reunited with the team this evening.

In a last-minute change of plan, we were Limehouse-bound this evening, heading to the Tower Hamlets Community Transport building, to see Kamal from Ocean Youth Connexions.

The charity relocated to the Transport hub back in the summer, when they needed a new premises for admin and training.

The site is great – large, bright and well located - with a committed team at both organisations.

In order for the hub to be utilised to its fullest potential, the building and grounds need continual upkeep including cleaning, clearing, and decorating.

On arrival, equipment was meticulously laid out and a list of tasks prepared.

As GoodGymers arrived one by one, teams were formed and tasks allocated.

Several teams headed outside (no mean feat in last night’s temperatures) to prune trees, bag and bin branches; clear litter and leaves from the bus area.

Meanwhile another team of three were tasked with scraping and sanding the upstairs railings, in preparation for painting at another task later in the month.

A few pics and bundles of activity later, we heard the 8pm chime of the St Anne’s clock, prompting us to start the clean-up effort.

Sweeping up the last leaf and paint fleck and returning mops, brushes and rakes to their homes, we gathered in the depot for our group picture.

What a night!

Some big shout-outs tonight:

• To Kamal, our task owner, who saved the day on our first Monday night task of the year.

• To Michael, who joined us for his first GoodGym – brilliant effort, Michael! We hope to see you again soon.

• And to our Lobo, who reached his 100th good deed this evening! Congratulations, Lobo! Well done for the huge amount you contribute across the borough. You're a big part of GoodGym Tower Hamlets.

Next week, we return to the Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park for our first visit of 2025!

Until then.

Despite the biting cold before the snow hit yesterday, 20 hardy GoodGymers and friends braved the elements for a Bonus Saturday Litter Pick in and around Mile End Park. Armed with litter pickers, bags, hoops, and a whole lot of enthusiasm, we were determined to make a visible impact.

After gathering at the Art Pavilion, we split into smaller groups to cover more ground. One team worked their way over Mile End Bridge, while others tackled the towpath. This helped us to sweep through a large section of the park, ensuring we reached some of the more littered areas!

We were lucky to have John from Friends of Mile End Park join us, bringing along Fendi, his enthusiastic little dog! John provided all the necessary kit and shared insights about the park’s ongoing upkeep. He explained that Friends of Mile End Park run a monthly litter pick, with the next one happening next week - but any extra help in between is always welcomed, as it’s a well-used park in constant need of care.

Over the course of the afternoon, we collected an impressive 34 bags of rubbish, including some rather bizarre finds - a large plastic grasshopper and a broken pack of top trumps among them! It was a fantastic team effort, with people joining in as we went along.

With frozen fingers and a well-earned sense of satisfaction, we wrapped up the session and a good group of us headed to The Star of Bethnal Green, where we thawed out with a well-deserved celebratory drink!

A huge thank you to everyone who took part - whether you’re a seasoned GoodGymer or a first-time volunteer, your efforts made a real difference and it was a great way to spend my birthday. See you next time!! 🎂🥳

Emma

Our final Big Monday Night Task of the year saw us heading back to Limehouse to help Kamal with the hub makeover.

Why were we here?

Tower Hamlets Community Transport hub is based in Limehouse. A small charity set up to provide transport to voluntary and community groups in Tower Hamlets, this venue is now also home to Ocean Youth Connexions, a local charity providing a range of youth and community activities since 2002.

Tonight we were here to help Kamal of Ocean Youth Connexions continue the makeover of the community hub, to help get it ready for a wide range of activities in the coming months.

Our task list was a well-prepared range of outdoor gardening activities including: pruning trees, curbing ivy, clearing (a lot of) leaves - and bagging and moving the lot.

Divided into multiple teams with a big variety of tools, the back yard was soon a hive of activity with Kamal regularly appearing to rotate teams out of one task and into another and offer instructions on best locations for depositing the debris.

At just after 8, as St Anne’s clock chimed 8, we started the wrap-up effort: hauling the final bags over to the circular paving ready for collection; gathering the last of the secateurs, agonising over the pun (thanks to the brilliant Pun Posse Lucinda, Ilana and Kitty as usual for tonight’s fab offering) and then finally posing for that all-important group pic.

And Kamal was in touch a short while ago to say,

“A big thank you to GoodGym: their work was brilliant last night. We’re slowly getting there in achieving a good clean.”*

What a great end to the year.

Until next time.