One by one GoodGymers arrived at the Stewart Street Community Centre on the Isle of Dogs.

(Thanks to Martin, and later Chris's, interventions, the postcode and address were accurate-ish come meeting time).

Meet and Greet

With a greeting team consisting of Ricardo and Chris​ on Stewart Street; Matt and Sam from Thames21 inside, it was a good-sized welcome for those joining us as we approached 7:15.

Partnering with Thames21

Matt from Thames21 led the briefing, giving the team a little background on the charity’s activity; their work on the Isle of Dogs, and an outline of where we’d be heading tonight.

Forming two groups (those who wanted a longer run heading off with Matt; those opting for a shorter run and a little warm-up with me) we made our way out onto the river front, admiring the scenery.

Stopping at ‘The Beach’/Kelson Beach/Folly House Beach, to collect a decent amount of litter, GoodGymers wasted no time putting together hoops and bags and dispersed along the shingle, gathering a good amount of debris as the tide headed in.

Making their way along the front, clearly visible by head torches, hi-vis and of course the distinctive red t-shirt, it seemed like we’d only been at the Beach a short while, before it was time to head back to base, empty bags, and head on with the run.

...A little more mileage

A small group opted for a walk-run along the river, and the larger group impressively headed out with Matt, who took the team through the foot tunnel no less, to catch a quick glimpse of the Cutty Sark the other side of the river, before running speedily back to base.

As we said our cheerios, we were busily planning the next meetup, looking forward to another productive river run.

Next week

...we’re back to Bow, to see Kieran and Frankie at the GET OUT garden.

Until then.