Change of plans? No problem! We tossed our plans out with the litter (carefully bagged and securely tied rubbish sacks 🚮) or piled it alongside the compost 🪱

Life happens, & that’s OK 👌

A wonderful group of women from Gale Street Organic Garden, Elevate Together, and GoodGym came together this Sunday to care for the soil and prep it for spring planting 🌱

So it happened that, on International Women’s Day, four of us gathered to tend to our great mother, Earth 🌍.

Places alone do not create sustainability; people in relationships do🧑‍🤝‍🧑🔗🧑‍🤝‍🧑

Amongst chatting, laughs and hard work, we got the alt. work done. Finishing off with dirty hands and full hearts ❤️‍🔥 There’s something quietly magical about people working together for the benefit of people and the planet.

Fancy doing some vital work to help get the garden ready to welcome the community? Join us next Sunday, 15th March at 2pm.

Hola! Virginia here from the Barking & Dagenham team sharing the latest from our community partner AbPhab Youth Club.

🌧️ We’re busy turning rainy Mondays into a weekly highlight at the AbPhab Youth Club ✨

🧑🏽‍🌾 Week 2 was all about the real work. We spent a solid hour tackling weeds and debating everything from panel shows to “what actually counts as a weed anyway?” (Spoiler: if it’s in the way, it’s out!). ☘️

🏁 We finished off the session with hot drinks and a snack, thanks to the wonderful team at AbPhab – the perfect reward for a rainy evening’s work. 🍵

Fancy doing something a bit different on a Monday evening? Come join us! Every Monday in March we are getting the AbPhab Youth Club garden ready for spring.

See you next Monday for more gardening, gathering and good times –come rain or shine!

”Wow, mini-Soreen bars. You are surely spoiling us?”

Steven here - GoodGym B&D Area Activator. On Monday evening fellow GoodGymmer Virginia and I visited AbPhab Youth Club for our first mission of the year in their garden.

Used by young people that attend the centre, over the coming weeks GoodGym B&D will be helping make improvements to the garden ready for the Spring.

Kelly - one of AbPhab's amazing youth workers - gave us a warm welcome when we arrived and proudly showed us the refreshments available for us whilst volunteering in the garden - hot drinks, fruit, biscuits and - yes - mini Soreen bars! Delicious.

Deputy Manager Sarah gave us a friendly hello from the kitchen - she was busy cooking and serving hot meals to young people in attendance.

Tea's made, we got stuck in weeding an area at the back of the garden opposite the vegetable planters whilst chatting about @Virginia's recently completed TaskForce training. Congratulations Virginia on joining GoodGym B&D TaskForce!

We also spoke about Sarah & Kelly’s exciting plans for the garden. This year they want to grow a wider range of vegetables, salads and herbs for young people to use in activities. Not only cooking, but other creative activities such as making skin care products from fresh herbs grown in the garden!

We'll be returning to AbPhab every Monday evening for the next 5 weeks - sign up to a session here now!

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