It was the Osterley parkrun annual shoe collection day and our Ealing team dutifully gave up some of their favourite running footwear. To be fair, it was footwear that perhaps had its best days behind it, but, hey we all have a good few miles left in us at least! But that was the point of today.

The amazing Alison from the parkrun had volunteered to collect and transport our old stinky (I speak for myself here) running shoes. Those that have some life in them will find a new home, the rest will be broken down for recycling. A win-win all round.

It was a beautiful blue sky morning, perfect for getting active outside. Steph Ducat dropped off his shoes then biked it off for his next GoodGym task. Harvey stayed to run and volunteer. Jobs done.

September litter picking – a little extra care goes a long way

September saw several of us out litter picking in our own neighbourhoods, showing how even a short session can make a noticeable difference.

Paul B returned to his regular route along the River Quaggy in Kidbrooke. Heavy rain had brought a lot of rubbish downstream and he collected around half a dozen bags for life full of muddy litter, with plans to return and finish the job.

Jacqui and Sally managed to combine a night out with a good deed, litter picking on their way back from the Chaka Khan musical in Wembley. Their haul was mainly discarded coffee cups and sandwich wrappers. Cecilia also spent 40 minutes around Herbert Road, collecting a full bag of mixed rubbish and giving the local streets some much-needed TLC.

I did my usual September litter pick, walking from home to a local park via the church. The area around the bus stop and churchyard was particularly bad. While picking in the graveyard, a lady walking through with some schoolchildren stopped to give me a very warm thank you. At the other end of the spectrum, someone rather unusually suggested I should simply “phone the council”!

Thankfully that reaction is rare. Most people are incredibly appreciative. I’ve even had council workers offer me bags and thank me for helping them out when they’re already stretched.

And perhaps that’s the wider value of doing this. It isn’t only about removing litter. It gets us outside, improves the place where we live and quietly shows other people that we care about our community. Adding that little bit of extra care will nearly always be noticed and valued.

Our litterpicker rebels were at it again this month and scopped rubbish there and then in the borough. But isn't it nice to receive some recognition from the public when you are picking up rubbish. Janet was pleased to get a nice thank you from a passing by cyclist when she was clearing rubbish along the canal near Hanwell. The Egyptian geese nearby might have been thinking the same but we will never know. Gracie mille to all and hopefully you do get thank you on your litter picking missions

Each Monday morning, GoodGym lends a hand at the South Ealing Community Food Cupboard, helping the volunteers sort and organise surplus food for the local community.

The delivery was running a little late this Monday, but there were plenty of volunteers on hand to make up for lost time. Once the van arrived, they got straight to work and made quick progress unloading and packing everything away.

There was a good selection of fresh fruit alongside a particularly impressive amount of soup. By the time we finished, the shelves were well stocked and the fridge was packed full too!

p.s. thank you Denzel for taking photos and sharing what happened!