Have YOU recently dropped litter in Charlton Park?

YES, YOU DEAR READER.

Oh, you have… I caught you with your trousers down, didn’t I, and it’s not a pretty sight. Go on, lower your head and embrace the nasty claws of guilt currently digging into your conscience and ripping up your peace of mind.

However, I don’t mean to shame you, dear Reader, but inadvertently (and unapologetically), I have. And actually, I feel pretty great about it; a warm glow abundantly shines upon me now, permanently.

Regardless, there is meaning to this unpleasant experience. I hope to convert you to the altruistic pursuits of GoodGym and turn you into a litter-picking supremo, courtesy of a little hard-looking-at-yourself-in-the-mirror and a minor tug at your moral fibre. Listen up.

This morning, several GoodGym deities assembled at Charlton Park and each received a litter-picker, compostable gloves, and fresh bin liners. The task: rid Charlton Park of the malicious wiles of the evil lord ‘Charlton Litter-dropper the Great’. Of course, an easy task for us good-deedin’ heroes on a cold October Saturday morning.

And thus it was that we set off to the four corners of the park; some tackled the grounds around (the wonderfully majestic) Charlton House, others targeted Children’s play areas and disparate ends of the litter-diseased plains, and I (along with Pieter) ventured forth around the football pitches and the edges of the Kingdom alongside Canberra Road. And we did indeed do battle. Quickly, we had picked up plastic bottles, runaway bags, tiny silver cannisters containing an ‘unknown’ substance, and throwaway drink cartons (and other assorted items, see the photos courtesy of Sara…). Throughout our quest, many onlookers came to say hello and praised us for our litter picking; genuinely lovely interactions and a beautiful side effect of GoodGym tasks. Doing good, it seems, is infectious.

It was also wonderful to catch up with Pieter throughout the task, especially after a year of lockdown and few opportunities to shoot the breeze with the GoodGym Greenwich Group. Thanks Pieter.

Eventually, the bell tolled for midday and we made our way back to the Old Cottage Coffee Shop at the edge of Charlton Park and deposited our quite full bin bags to the other quite full bin bags, making our haul of litter quite monumental. Good job guys.

At this point, a huge cry exploded from the evil lord ‘Charlton Litter-dropper the Great’ as he fled the park, battle-weary and weakened. We hope he stays clear, but if he thinks about returning, or you, dear Reader, think about joining forces with this litter-diseased demon, then we’ll be waiting. Our numbers are growing stronger and our lust for justice and community is unstoppable. Until next time, dear Reader.