It was great to welcome Diana for a first GoodGym task, Charlie for a second, Šana who's no stranger to GoodGym, but new to us in Newham, and Kirsti, visiting from GoodGym Tower Hamlets and swapping choir practice for a spot of Crisis management.

We set off from Freaks and Geeks with Graham, Adam, Kirsti, Charlie and me, running down to the warehouse in the somewhat industrial part of Canning Town. We met Šana there, followed by Diana, while our host Chris was delayed in the logistical challenge of getting stock distributed across Crisis’ London shops. All was forgiven, though: Chris is such a passionate advocate for the amazing and much-needed work Crisis does, and his enthusiasm for the cause is infectious. It was a good reminder that, behind all the bags, cages and warehouse logistics, there’s a bigger purpose to what we were helping with.

Tonight’s task was getting Christmas stock ready to go out to the shops. That meant keeping up the proud (and occasionally questionable) GoodGym tradition of moving things from one place to another and then moving them back again. We moved a mountain of bags from one big pile into lots of separate piles. Then we moved some of those piles into cages. Then we moved the piles back again. Job done, and the warehouse is a little more ready for the beginnings of the festive rush.

With the bags sorted and the stock suitably shuffled, we called it a night. A satisfying bit of teamwork, some useful lifting, and another contribution to the work Crisis does supporting people experiencing homelessness.

We’ll be back on 24th November, and there may even be a bonus task or two on 28th November at a Crisis pop-up event on Savile Row. Apparently, donated designer clothing helped raise around £100,000 at the last event. It’s hard not to wonder who buys it all, apart from other celebrities and wealthy people. Perhaps the same designer jackets just do laps of the same circle of wardrobes...

If the pop-up task goes ahead, we could be helping load the fancy stuff in Canning Town, with a separate team on hand to unload it at the other end. Watch this space!

A big well done to everyone who came along and helped get those bags moving. Join us for the next round? See what else is coming up with GoodGym Newham — there’s always room for another pair of hands (and legs).

We were excited to welcome first time GoodGymmer Salvatore, and somewhat experienced GoodGymmer Louise this week to Elephant & Castle as the gang limbered up for a nice run down for our second visit to the Trinity Centre. It felt like an extra treat staying dry after some spectacular rain earlier in the day.

Graced by the presence of Newham OG Hilary, and Charlie (winning best yellow jersey award, almost as significant as when they do it in other sports), we double gloved and doubled down! (I'm quite pleased with that).

Hils rightly got her head stuck straight back into the extractor fan she'd been wrestling with at her last visit to Elephant, and the rest of us divided and conquered deep cleaning ovens, trays, oven trays, oven doors, you name it. Everything oven. And one bin.

After some seamless photo directing we ran back up to our Castle home and Zoe led a perfect cool down stretch.

Heading to Burgess Park to litter pick on next week's group run - and the Friends of the Park are rich in litter pickers. So come! Bring your friends! Bring your (friendly*) dogs! Bring anyone and anything (other than litter). See you there gang! :)

*to note Manuel

With Saturday's fête fast approaching, three GoodGymers joined forces with a group of dedicated church volunteers to help spruce up the grounds of Emmanuel Church.

The weather wasn't quite as kind as the forecast had suggested. What was supposed to be a light drizzle turned into something a little more persistent, but that didn't stop anyone getting stuck in. Armed with brooms, rakes and plenty of determination, we set about sweeping leaves and tidying the churchyard to make sure it was looking its best for the weekend's visitors.

Working alongside friends of the church, we cleared paths, gathered piles of fallen leaves and generally gave the outdoor spaces a much-needed autumn refresh. Despite the damp conditions, spirits stayed high and it was great to see everyone pitching in to help prepare for an important community event.

As with many successful GoodGym tasks, there was a reward waiting at the end. Once the work was done, we were welcomed inside for a generous spread of sandwiches, providing the perfect opportunity to warm up, chat and admire the results of our efforts.

A huge thank you to everyone who braved the rain to help out. Here's hoping the churchyard stays looking tidy and the fête enjoys much drier weather than we did! 🍂🥪☔