A tragic scene awaited 5 GoodGym-ers as we joined the Friends of Woolwich Common for today's litter pick. A huge area of the common was burned down in a fire earlier in the week, and whilst the exact source of ignition is under much speculation, the dry summer had not helped, leaving much of the area vulnerable.

On a much more positive note, so many areas were unaffected due to the quick work by local fire teams, leaving plenty of space as the haven it is, for wildflowers, wildlife and vegetation of all kinds. So, armed with litterpicks and rubbish bag hoops, a smoky aroma followed us as we set out in various directions, ready to clear as much as we could, Cans, bottles, vapes, plastic, glass, newspapers & crisp bags soon filled up those bags, and nature gave us a little materials science lesson in how various materials burn - or don't, as the case may be, in the areas affected by the fire.

It's not the first fire on this common, but nature also teaches us it will fight back, and as the seasons change, the plant life will gradually begin to take root again, which hopefully we can help with in some small way by clearing away the artificial stuff threatening that growth.

Have a great week & catch up soon! 😊

Back on the mean streets of SE7 on a lovely sunny morning. The litter seemed to have built up recently and we managed 11 bags, a car wheel hub cap, a broken brolly, a John Lewis shopping cart (a long way from home) and a good haul of vapes in an hour. Three bags of recyclable bottles and cans included in the haul.

A nice lady asked us if we could clean up on Charlton Church Lane after the football yesterday - sadly not enough time today - and a gentleman who looked as if he'd just got up after a good night out asked us (quite seriously) if we were doing Community Service. We obviously looked a bit dangerous or maybe it was the bag of (now illegal) disposable vapes and the hub cap. Anyway, at least the public noticed us working!

Off for a coffee and a chat in M&S afterwards from where we could spot Greenwich Council on a Sunday collection, emptying bins and collecting our (Council approved) bags almost immediately! Thanks to everyone who helped.

5 Good Gymers joined Team Clean Up Charlton to tackle a bad patch on the Woolwich Road near Selco, and a usual favourite grot-spot down Anchor & Hope Lane. With 9 of us it was almost a scrum to chase that litter down! The youngest member of the team showed amazing talent for searching out clean recyclables - we got two bags of bottles and cans between us and 11 bags in total in just an hour.

As usual Ashton was the first behind the bushes and down in the ditches - we know he puts Sarah and Ivar on a pedestal but maybe this was taking it too literally. We might love a fair but there's no excuse for dumping the signs behind the shrubs - there's no hiding your trash from us, Blackheath Fun Fair!

As usual the approved bags are left for our friends at Greenwich Council to collect. Thanks to everyone who came along!