Light bulb moment leads to planting ovation

What a fun day! This was a successful starter GoodGym session at Barking Riverside.

The GoodGym runners from the local area and beyond gathered today to transform the green space along the Ripple Greenway, Barking Riverside. We all met at The Participatory City Warehouse on Thames Road, one of the headquarters for Every One Every Day, which was also hosting a wonderful We Make Our City Festival on the day.

Tim and his team were busy managing the festival which was packed with fun activities for the local community.

After meeting and greeting, we warmed up the muscles and got our pulses raised with the help of James. After the warm-up we jogged one kilometre from the Warehouse through a new route called the Ripple Greenway to the green space site. It was such a bright morning and with the sun shining down on us it was a great morning to run.

At the site we were greeted by Simon, James and Jake from the Sustrans team. It was great to arrive to see everything was ready for GoodGym members to get hands on gardening work to help transform the area. Upon arrival to the site, Jake told as a bit about how the local area has undergone a major change, and then James carefully explained the tasks of bulb planting. He then demonstrated how to use the gardening tools and the best way to plant the bulbs which included daffodils, tulips and crocuses - which will hopefully blossom from the early spring and brighten up the area.

James divided the team into two. Team one was in charge of breaking branches and clearing the site, and team two, along with the local residents engaged in some enthusiastic digging and planting of bulbs which will soon make the area flourish for the local residents. There was a very good team spirit and it was really great to see the enthusiasm and great energy of the runners, some of whom have never met each other before. It was truly amazing work from everyone on this frosty but sunny afternoon.

The runners worked tirelessly until it was time to run back. After the bulbsplanting and branch clearing, we then jogged back to the Warehouse, and then cooled down and stretched after the intense exercise using muscles we had forgotten about!

Amazing and wonderful stuff, team Barking GoodGym! Watch this space!

Shout-outs

• Thanks to James for helping to lead the warm-up and being the back-marker to ensure no one is left behind.

• Thanks to Liv for her support, and Alina for the beautiful photos.

• A massive warm welcome to our first time runners, Nikki,  Iram and Aidan. You did AMAZINGLY, and we hope to see you again very, very soon. It was also great to meet Sabina, Matt and Ercole, and we really hope you can join us again!

And lastly, a massive thanks to James, Jake and Simon from Sustrans . Big thanks to Tim and his lovely team from Every One Every Day. Thank you and here's to many more fun activities in the coming year.

What's coming up next?

Barking GoodGym is for everyone. We welcome runners of all abilities and it is often possible to walk to the task if you would prefer. We always have a back-marker so no-one is left behind - we're about achieving something together so you'll always be welcome no matter what your pace is.

Barking GoodGym will be officially launched around January/February 2020. We will have lots of fun amazing activities to help you all get healthier and connected to the local community. Check back soon for more details.

In the meantime have your say and complete this short questionnaire to suggest how you would like the Barking GoodGym to be run.

Until then, have a totally brilliant week!