We were happy to be invited back to the LinkAge Plus coffee morning this Wednesday.

After our last visit to this vibrant event, where we introduced the coffee morning regulars to GoodGym, today’s visit was all about learning more on the area of Wapping.

Margaret kicked us off, with a description of the area as she remembered it in her childhood, when the docks remained open and the lifting and the lowering of the four bridges played a significant role in day-to-day life.

Pat showed us well preserved photos of her grandparents’ fruit and veg stall in Watney, a long established family business that necessitated long working hours, and some very early starts.

Soon the room was abuzz with chatter, as we learned more and more about Wapping of old, how changes came about - and what it’s like now.

We learned a lot, and enjoyed spending time with this lively group, who taught us a lot in a short space of time in this midweek session!

We took a few pictures before saying fond farewells, already starting to plan ideas for our next visit.

A big shout-out to John and Louise, who helped create such an interesting and interactive session.

Until next time.

GoodGym Tower Hamlets were over the moon to receive an invite from LinkAge Plus to join their weekly coffee morning.

On arrival, the coffee morning was in full swing.

Our team grew, and soon there was an impressive crew of three, ready to start introducing GoodGym to the group.

We kicked off with a little background info, which always goes down well, before telling the group about our enjoyable, active tasks on a Monday night, and then Fiona and Louise shared their bundles of expertise on Missions; the variety of activity available in the Borough, and what GoodGym brings to their lives.

After a couple of questions, we enjoyed nearly a full hour of chatting with coffee morning regulars, and starting planning our next session.

The time flew by, and before we knew it we were sitting down with LinkAge’s Helen to plan our next visit.

What a brilliant way to spend a Wednesday.

Until next time.

It was a great comeback run for me after recovering from a back injury.

This is my GoodGym debut three years after signing up.

This is aperfect set up for me and complements my volunteering.

It’s quick and impactful... Just the way I love it.

The feedback from food parcel recipients was really warm and cheerful and I was able to get back to my desk well in time.

Thank you for the opportunity!

#thewanderinglondoner

Yum lentil curry, rice, fruit kebabs and next week's menu for grateful Ms S. I saved some time by hopping on a Boris bike, but the little built-in pannier smashed the curry box a bit, so there was some dhal leakage in the mini deliveroo bag - oops. Next Thursday it's gonna be Christmas dinner with the pud and all the trimmings. so she's super looking forward to that.

Good things do come to an end so a month working with St Hilda’s East to deliver lunch meals to local elderly and homebound residents.

It was wet and windy again today but the sweet treats at St Hilda’s and the urge to run and cycle a community mission was too strong.

After my shift I treated myself to a wander around the Old Spitalfields market. It’s all change there since my youth.

It’s been an epic month connecting with our local elderly with Goodgym Tower Hamlets.

Thanks Lyndsey for the delicious chocolates and the Jenni and Beverley at St Hilda's East Community Centre for letting us share in the good deeds.

Together we have worked wonderfully well together to help tackle deprivation and raise awareness of issues which affect those facing social exclusion in the community.

I didn’t say goodbye to any of our recipients today. I prefer walking away with a big smile.

#coronachronicles #theanfieldtourist #thewanderinglondoner

Today I rounded off my shift by cycling a further 6 kilometres as I’d totally forgotten where I’d parked my car. What a strange shift!

The day was wet, windy, yet still great fun.

I collected my deliveries from the very friendly crew at St Hilda’s East Sonali Gardens. As I left the centre I was approached by a local family and spent a few minutes being quizzed by the eager kids. It was great answering their questions and mum requested a group picture, which I agreed to with pleasure. This is the Goodgym effect - instantly turning us volunteers into mini celebrities.

The young lady, aged 9 said she couldn’t wait to learn how to cycle and join the Goodgym team so that she could “be kind to people!”

This is how inspiration works - Well done all at Goodgym.

East End Cycles are my community sponsors, providing bike, apparel, goodies, food parcels for the vulnerable etc and with the weather not looking good, Abul insisted I take a cycle from the shop. His grand gesture ensured I was able to wrap up quicker today and not get soaking wet.

#goodgym #coronachronicles #theanfieldtourist #thewanderinglondoner