It's been a while since the Ealing GoodGymers ran along Grand Union Canal further than Bixley Allotments to get to a task in Southall. Sevan and Kash were surprised at how much muddier the towpath got just after the allotment. Steph Ducat always runs from the other side, so he knew exactly what to expect: not only puddles but lots of fly-tipped rubbish too! Michelle opted for a brisk walk to the task through the streets, so she missed the muddy bits but was ready to face a different kind of mess: the litter!

Cathy from LAGER Can, organiser of the litter removal events, brought rolls of blue waste bags and 21 litterpickers for the volunteers today! Armed with the borrowed equipment, the GoodGymers joined Jess, Keith and 27 members of yet another group to make a big difference in the landscape of the canal around N Hyde Bridge.

Who was the other group? We met Gurdeep and other volunteers from Shah Satnam Ji Green ” S ” Welfare Force Wing - or Green S Welfare UK for short - an organisation founded in India, with 60 million registered members worldwide. That's a real force! Their service to the community includes: cleaning common spaces, planting trees, donating blood and serving food. Speaking of food, Green S Welfare UK brought hot fresh samosas, chai and biscuits for other volunteers and made sure that everyone was offered refreshments!

Interesting findings:

• Diya lamps
• Lego bricks
• Spaghetti spoon
• Spanner
• Lingerie
• Car battery
• Makeup kit
• Hello Kitty handbag
• Some hardly used, soggy trainers

Interesting events:

• Delivery driver dropping excess food for the birds in the canal
• Swans getting physical

We are not sure whether those swans were making love or war, but we are certain that the large group of volunteers made a huge difference today. The whole event gathered 60 bags of litter and 70 of unbaggable rubbish. Many hands make light work!