Five top Newham GoodGymmers headed out on a lovely run up the canal to Hackney Marsh Adventure Playground, arriving to a warm welcome from Ange.

As ever, Ange was full of enthusiasm — a true champion for the playground and the young people who use it. It’s always inspiring to hear her talk about the space, the community it supports, and the importance of adventurous play. We caught up on her recent trip to the National Playwork Conference, where she got to hear her favourite anthropologist speak — including something about 2-year olds playing with machetes. I can't quite remember the details, and it isn't something Ange is planning to introduce at the Playground, but it did sound interesting... Alongside that, we heard about ongoing works since our last visit, which are helping make it an even better place for local kids.

Our task for the evening was a classic: tackling a mound of woodchip and spreading it beneath the zipwire. At first, it was hard to tell whether we were facing a quick win or a never-ending pile, but within 30 mins, the mound was no more and the ground below the zipwire safer, softer, and ready for action.

With the job done, we headed back along the canal, enjoying a relaxed run and a chat along the way.

We should be back in May for more playground fun, but before that we have a number of new tasks - first up next week is Forest Gate Community Gardens, where we’ll be helping get planters looking their best for a summer community garden trail. 🌱 Your help, as always, will be hugely appreciated - hope to see you there.

Seven GoodGymmers set out today to wage war on one of the less glamorous foes of East London: rubbish. And wow… there was a lot of it.

The Journey

A few of us kicked things off with a run from the London Aquatics Centre, warming up nicely before the main event. The air at the Aquatics Centre: fresh. The air under the bridge between Drapers Fields and Chobham Manor School: not so much.

The Task

The area around the bridge turned out to be extremely heavily littered — the kind of spot where you look around and instantly know:

“Yes, this is why GoodGym exists.”

Broken glass? tick

Mystery smells? tick

Random items that really shouldn’t be outdoors? tick

Enough rubbish to fill the Olympic pool? Maybe not, but we did manage to fill around 20 bags, which isn’t bad for a Saturday mission.

The Team

All seven of us got stuck in, spreading out across the site like a well‑coordinated litter‑picking strike force. The teamwork was top tier — grabbers grabbing, bags filling, jokes flying.

The Impact

By the end, the path looked cleaner, safer, and significantly less like a post‑festival campsite. It was one of those tasks where the difference was instantly noticeable — exactly the kind of satisfying GoodGym magic that reminds you why we do this.

A rare twist to our usual routine this week: we kicked things off at 18:30 instead of 19:00, and clearly the earlier start suited everyone because we had a brilliant turnout. Even better, we were joined by Ivo, the founder of GoodGym! Thanks for your help Ivo!

Our mission for the night was to give a tidy-up to the alleyway near Colegrave primary school. The plan was a full sweep: litter picking, weeding, and general sprucing. But in a plot twist, it turned out the council had finally swept through the area just a few days earlier (after locals had been chasing for some time!).

So instead of a major overhaul, we found ourselves polishing around the edges, tackling the bits they missed and giving the space a bit of a shine.

A huge thanks to Chris, who smashed it as a first‑time task host. He came fully prepared with gloves, tabards, litter‑pickers, and a pooper scooper — truly the mark of someone who understands the unpredictable nature of alleyway adventures. Thanks for making everything run smoothly.

A warm welcome to the new GoodGymers who joined us — great to have you with us — and well done to everyone who came along, mucked in, and made the most of a task that turned out a little different from expected.

Another good deed done, another alleyway improved, and another reminder that even when the job is smaller than planned, the company and the effort always make it worthwhile.