This lunchtime we were back on the Tour of Welling with Discover Welling for the penultimate stop in their Great British Spring Clean adventure.

Julie kicked things off with a full workout, hauling the fully-loaded Tour trolley uphill from her home to meet us at Falconwood Parade. We’re talking grabbers, bags and hoops - basically a mobile clean-up command centre. Who needs a gym when you’ve got that?

For the rest of us the exercise was less intense as we took a deep dive into the world of playground litter. Bottles, cans, sweet wrappers and even a flip-flop had clearly been playing hide and seek in the bushes, but we wrestled them out.

With blue skies overhead and warm sunshine, it felt less like a task and more like a rewarding dose of the outdoors.

It was lovely to have Sandy with us, a local resident who read about the Tour on social media and decided to help out. Proof that community spirit, good vibes (and litter pickers) are contagious.

We didn’t conquer all the rubbish so a return visit (or two… or three 👀) might be on the cards. But for now, the areas we tackled are looking tidier and a little bit more loved.

Fancy swapping your usual routine for something like this? Come join us! We promise that trolley pulling is optional!

Today’s first session at Windrush Primary School in Thamesmead saw a fantastic team effort with eleven of us focused on transforming an overgrown and be-littered area into a future space for children to enjoy.

The task for the day was twofold: clearing accumulated rubbish and cutting back foliage and branches, preventing child eye injuries! This work is the first step in an exciting plan to make the space into a forest school area for the juniors. At present, the woodland is very much a no-go zone, with significant litter dumped from the nearby footpath.

We made great progress, removing large amounts of waste and opening up sightlines through careful trimming. Plenty more to do so we will be back throughout spring and summer to get the whole space cleared and also finish off a half painted fence.

Among the more unusual finds today: a little Mr Tickle which sparked particular joy for Sarah and Johnny! Proof that treasure can be found among the trash if you look hard enough 🧐🥳

A huge welcome to Alex and Lisa, who joined their very first GoodGym session today, great to have you both on board!

Celebrations were also in order:

🎉 Congratulations to Iyabo on completing your 10th good deed, double digits and going strong since joining in January. Amazing work and you're already part of our much loved furniture!

🎉 And huge well done to Johnny for an incredible 600 good deeds, an inspiring milestone and testament to long-term dedication.

Until next time!

Rachel

What started as a brrr-isk morning soon thawed into a glorious, sunny session at Eltham junior parkrun—proof that a little community spirit can outshine the chilliest of beginnings!

We had a flurry of fantastic volunteers today—a whopping 35 in total—with four of them being the ever-enthusiastic GoodGym crew. High fives all around for showing up and bringing the energy (and warmth)!

A huge shoutout goes to Peter, who reached an incredible 300th parkrun volunteering milestone—wow! That’s 300 times you’ve turned up to support, guide, cheer, and help create a safe, welcoming space for young runners and their families. Truly inspiring dedication to the community!

And a massive well done to all 107 junior parkrunners today—each and every one of you brought the sunshine with your energy, determination, and smiles. You were all run-derful!

As always, it was great fun being out there—encouraging, clapping, and celebrating every step taken by the next generation of parkrunners. The smiles on the children’s faces said it all, made even brighter by their families cheering them on.

Impact-wise: -For us volunteers, it’s a brilliant boost—starting the day with purpose, connection, and a shared sense of giving back. - For the children, it builds confidence, resilience, and a love for movement in a supportive environment. - For the wider community, it strengthens bonds, brings people together, and creates a positive, active space for all.

All in all, a morning that went from chilly to chill-iant, and we can’t wait to do it all again next time! 🙌 Cecilia 🍀

We supported Discover Welling on their Great British Spring Clean 'Tour of Welling' with a stop at Welling Station. A local councillor came along too.

Station staff were on hand to help and provided daffodils and crocus for us to plant. A lovely splash of colour alongside the path to and from the platform.

We also painted a wall in preparation for a new mural to be installed. Brown pebble-dashed concrete is now clean white.

A sunny task to brighten up the route used by so many local residents 😎.

This morning we were supporting Bexley Bike Club at their brilliant community BMX pump track session for kids.

We gave the area a good tidy up so everything was looking wheel-y good and in top gear for the young riders to enjoy.

Once the hard graft was done, we couldn’t resist hopping on the bikes for a few snaps, striking our best “tour de pose” moments!

As for taking on the pump track ourselves… let’s just say we didn’t want the kids’ skills to put us to shame!

All in all, a tyre-rific morning supporting the next generation of riders 🚲.