Emma, my fellow parkrunner, and her husband arrived with bags full of winter wear and today was a great day to start sharing.

Winter can be devastating for people sleeping rough: temperatures drop sharply, dampness seeps into clothes and bedding, and the risks of hypothermia, respiratory illness and isolation increase dramatically. Even small items like gloves, socks or a thermos can make the difference between coping and crisis. Being able to start distributing this generous donation today meant immediate comfort for people who often feel forgotten.

Alongside the clothing shared was the usual selection of books and a brand new addition: sketchpads for doodling and drawing.

Books offer homeless people entertainment; they bring moments of calm, dignity and mental escape. Stories can offer hope, distraction and emotional grounding.

Non fiction can help build skills or confidence. Sketchpads add a creative outlet that doesn’t demand anything; just space for expression, identity and imagination. For someone facing daily instability, creativity can offer a rare sense of peace.

Today also included a second outing: a visit to the Barking River Guardians volunteer day at Highbridge Road, where Noel, another parkrun pal and local residents gathered to begin shaping a new community garden. From shifting soil to removing dead trees, the energy was warm and determined. It was a reminder that small, local actions stitch communities together just as much as the big ones.

GoodGym missions exist exactly for that purpose: to help older residents, support charities and improve local spaces while keeping volunteers active and connected. They turn good intentions into real life support.

And Bookbike remains a vital community asset because it brings people, compassion, conversation and practical help directly to where they’re needed - no barriers, no judgement, just care on two wheels.

Thanks to our Area Activator Steven for setting up this opportunity.

#bookbikelondon #goodgym #homeless #homelesslondon #thewanderinglondoner

Today’s GoodGym good deed with Bookbike homeless outreach.

Emma, my fellow parkrunner, and her husband arrived with bags full of winter wear and today was a great day to start sharing.

Winter can be devastating for people sleeping rough: temperatures drop sharply, dampness seeps into clothes and bedding, and the risks of hypothermia, respiratory illness and isolation increase dramatically. Even small items like gloves, socks or a thermos can make the difference between coping and crisis. Being able to start distributing this generous donation today meant immediate comfort for people who often feel forgotten.

Alongside the clothing shared was the usual selection of books and a brand new addition: sketchpads for doodling and drawing. Books offer homeless people entertainment; they bring moments of calm, dignity and mental escape. Stories can offer hope, distraction and emotional grounding.

Non fiction can help build skills and confidence. Sketchpads add a creative outlet that doesn’t demand anything; just space for expression, identity and imagination.

For someone facing daily instability, creativity can offer a rare sense of peace.

Today also included a second outing: a visit to the Barking River Guardians volunteer day at Highbridge Road, where Noel, another parkrun pal and local residents gathered to begin shaping a new community garden. From shifting soil to removing dead trees, the energy was warm and determined. It was a reminder that small, local actions stitch communities together just as much as the big ones.

Bookbike remains a vital community asset because it brings people, compassion, conversation and practical help directly to where they’re needed - no barriers, no judgement, just care on two wheels.

#bookbikelondon #goodgym #homeless #homelesslondon #thewanderinglondoner

It was really fun, enriching and wonderful to connect with other Good gym members and make a real difference in clearing the area. We got so much done! Although there is still a long way to go this mission will be so impactful to the local community

View the Insta reel of this session here

16 volunteers. 2 hours. 42 bags of waste.

Gale Street Organic Community Garden will never be the same again!

This weekend, we moved a huge step closer to getting this precious green-space OPEN for the community. Having tended to the vegetable beds, dismantled the old shed and raised the rain-water-containers, we are now ready to get the rest of the garden accessible...

...and the garden is HUGE!

Starting in the south-east corner, we battled through the extensive under-growth to unearth myriad waste item, some examples including old carpet, old (like, vintage) HP sauce bottle and conveyor belt material (apparently from the old Dagenham Ford Factory).

Much fun was had and new connections made - with lots of inspiring ideas shared about the potential future of the garden.

Huge congratulations to all involved including our GoodGymmers Steven, Claire and Emma, local resident Lewis and Mary-Ann from BarDag Sports Academy. Nassaba and Daniel from Elevate Together, Severine, Janet and Jackie from Roding Rubbish and Nick, Olivia, Dom, Peter and Michaela from Becontree Heath Litter Pickers

Well done all - see you at a session soon!

Happy GoodGymming,

Steven (B&D Area Activator)

💥 The 1st of 4 Saturday sessions in October was smashed out the Food Forest this morning by Jaz (first timer whoop!) and Steven

🌱 Joined by Barking Food Forest volunteers Craig & Daniel - along with project lead Nikhil - we completed a crucial task in the build of the new greenhouse, all whilst battling the wind.

🪏 We finished laying access paths either side of the huge new greenhouse. Swapping sled pushes for wheelbarrow runs, we filled barrows with gravel and wheeled them the entire length of the garden - 100 metres!

🦘After all the heavy lifting, we tipped the gravel into the trenches either side of the greenhouse, and did some compacting, i.e. jumping up and down on the gravel.

🪚 We also lifted a large railway sleeper into position for sawing, sliding it into it's final resting place at the end of the access path next to the pond.

✋ High fives all around, thanks Craig for the coffee, and well done Jas on your first ever GoodGym session, look forward to the next one!

happy GoodGymming,

Steven

Huge Congratulations to Claire and Nilu ( yet to officially sign up 🙈) for completing GoodGym today!

After a breather and taking on water, Steven travelled to Barking Good Forest to help continue building the Greenhouse.

A shirt and sweet session, upon arrival, we found out our incredible host Nikhil had had an unfortunate accident and needed to pop to a&e.

He's absolutely fine now, and we cant wait to visit Nikhil at the Food Forest again on Saturday 4 October!