On a sunny Saturday morning GoodGym members came out for a group run with a difference.

Tower Hamlets member Simon and area activator Laura had arranged a meet up and collaboration with the London branch of Frontrunners – Europe's largest LGBT+ sports club – at their weekly multi-ability run in Victoria Park. We started with an introduction to both organisations and why they are important to their members.

GoodGym Tower Hamlets are an enthusiastic bunch of about 30 regulars who are interested in keeping fit while getting involved in local community projects and meeting like-minded people in their local area. It's an inclusive and friendly club where members run, cycle or walk to meet up at weekly or daily tasks where we garden, tidy, clean or just chat with someone who needs our help.

London Frontrunners are a mixed ability, running club for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Non-binary, and Queer people, and their allies, and are part of a world-wide club that started in San Francisco in 1974. The club meets all over London and provides a safe space for LGBTQ+ people to be part of a sport environment without fear of exclusion or discrimination based on their sexuality and gender.

At 10:15, 5 GoodGymmers and 12 Frontrunners set off on two routes – a 5k loop of Victoria Park and a 10k run around the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. Everyone regrouped at the Pavilion Café for coffee, breakfast and chats to catch their breath.

Laura and Simon then led the whole group on to one of our regular Victoria Park activities – donning protective gloves and armed with grabbers and rubbish bags - picking up litter around the play areas, woods and fields where bottles, cigarette ends, cans and all sorts of trash had escaped the bins.

Forty-five minutes later and some people were so engrossed (competitive!) with picking litter, but the group slowly came back together to show off our collections. Photos, thank yous and goodbyes done and everyone headed off their own ways.

Next meeting is already set up for 11 June ([see details|https://www.goodgym.org/happenings/goodgym-tower-hamlets-x-london-frontrunners-saturday-morning-run-social]).

Everyone is invited for this fun and friendly run – join us!

Having survived a painful fall off my bike on Saturday evening, then an alcohol-fuelled night out until 4 in the morning, I managed to stagger over to Stepney to meet GoodGym Gilda and other helpers at the regular Stepney City Farm volunteering session. Our task was to weed between allotment plots belonging to locals, making sure to remove nettles, sticky weeds and bindweed, while retaining strawberry plants and attractive flowers. We were instructed not to touch the plots themselves, apart from one which had clearly not been attended to for some time. The nettles were protuding across to public pathways and needed to be removed to prevent visiting children getting a nasty sting. As a bonus, we happened to meet GG Tower Hamlets legend Tracey, taking her grandchild and friend of GoodGym Mali to see the pigs and goats. Congratulations on reaching 200 good deeds Tracey!