Driving to work this morning, I heard about GoodGym.  The organisation have just set up their  second site in Sheffield (the first is in London) and  it offers something different for people who have a social conscience and want to get fit.

The founder came up with the idea after watching all the pointless energy being expended in gyms. Where Good Gym is different is that it organises  members in a way that combines running with work in the community. So, for example, members might meet in the town centre and then run to an old persons house and tidy up their garden, or run to a school and shovel up all the fallen leaves. The idea is to channel the calorie burn into something useful.

Good Gym is a non profit organisation, but the concept may provide a mental springboard. How else might you make exercise both healthy and useful to others?

Website: www.goodgym.org

Did you know that some hardback books bought recently from High Street stores can be resold for up to 30 times their original price? The secret is to pick up a first edition of a book which subsequently wins an industry prize. According to Gocompare.com, you could have bought the first edition of all 15 Man Booker prize winning books for £262.85. They would now be worth £2,345. Getting the books signed makes them worth even more. But even unsigned copies can bring big profits. A first edition of 2009 winner Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel would be worth £600 today. Back in 2009, you’d have paid £18.99 for it.

The key is research. Develop an eye for which books are likely to be nominated, and it’s possible to build a profitable portfolio. As with any investments, some won’t bear fruit, but it can certainly be an interesting and lucrative pastime, with very little risk.