I have a confession: when I ran to Hanwell for the litter pick around St Mellitus Church and the local bus stop, I had a crisis of faith in the impact of my solo task. By the looks of it, the area didn't seem as untidy as it used to be during our winter group runs there. I started picking really, really small stuff: mostly plastic wrappers from cigarette packs and a few from chocolate bars. Not even a can, not a bottle. What was I doing there? Inhaling cigarette smoke from the bus stop, listening to people shouting at the nearby petrol station. People and buses came and went. And I kept picking. I cleared the drain grate blocked by layers of plastic. Then I found a bottle of Red Stripe or something similar. And then a car mat. And then...

Sorry, is this GoodGym?

Then I found Santiago, who joined me for his first session! Or rather, he found me. I followed his zest in the pursuit of true GoodGymming... and litter! Being so close to a church, it seemed fitting to adopt the Biblical seek and ye shall find approach. We scoured for rubbish around the fence in front of the church, and then decided to look for a way to enter the church yard - and we've found an unlocked side gate!

On the other side of the fence, in the shade of the church, things looked more magnificent and messy at the same time. Chatting away about life in London, religion and the weirdest findings from our runs or litter picks, we started discovering beer cans, single-use vapes and drinking glasses. It was definitely worthwhile to hang out a bit longer at the litter pick and scan the church yard for trash - we've collected a full bag of litter that had been hiding from less watchful eyes.

Well done for showing up, Santiago, and welcome to GoodGym!