Over two days, GoodGym volunteers joined Earthwatch at Mutton Brook to investigate how Barnet’s four Tiny Forests are developing.

The oldest forest, now four years old, is tall and healthy but it has already lived through some remarkable conditions. The UK first exceeded 40°C in 2022, 2025 became our warmest summer on record, and London is experiencing increasingly frequent periods of extreme heat and dry soil. These forests are becoming valuable living experiments in how young urban woodland copes with a changing climate.

On the second day, a great turnout meant we completed the required belt transects across all four forests. Along each straight line, we measured every tree growing within half a metre on either side, creating a one-metre-wide sample. Repeating this process in future years will show how quickly the trees are growing and allow Earthwatch to estimate how much carbon they are storing.

We also managed some valuable weeding, reducing competition for water before the welcome rain arrived. in particular, thank you to Patrick and Abdellah

Among the three newer forests, the middle one where the ground was prepared with biochar appears to be faring better than those on either side. That is only an observation for now, but the measurements will help reveal whether that difference continues. This is exactly what makes the site so interesting.

Thank you to Grace, Earthwatch and everyone who came along. We hope to hold regular sessions with GoodGym and the Friends group, so come and help us follow the story of these trees as it unfolds.

Goodgym went along to the Mutton Brook Tiny Forests to help with a day of citizen science data collection. Environmental NGO Earthwatch hold these events at regular intervals at their Tiny Forests to gather lots of data to measure the impact that these urban mini forests are having on the environment. We got stuck into the job, literally and metaphorically, by diving into the Tiny Forest and measuring the height and girth of trees along a straight line. These measurements of random trees gives scientists an idea of how much carbon is being captured by all the trees as they grow. Each Tiny Forest contains about 600 trees planted densely together, so they grow very quickly to provide all the benefits of a forest (carbon capture, habitat for wildlife, cooling) but in a small space, perfect for urban environments. We were provided with plenty of refreshments and had a great time helping the local community and Earthwatch make the most of their data gathering day!

Gardening for the Record Books

Last night’s group run took us to Shepherds Hill Gardens, where we helped Pat and the Friends group look after this lovely local park.

We gathered outside the Phoenix Cinema for our warm-up and chatted about our favourite Guinness World Records. We started with Ethel Caterham, who recently became the first British person to reach 117 and is currently the world’s oldest living person. She still has a little way to go to match France’s Jeanne Calment, who lived to an extraordinary 122 years and 164 days.

Other records included Usain Bolt’s remarkable 100m time of 9.58 seconds. Richard, who has a good head for UK temperatures, correctly recalled our highest recorded temperature: 40.3°C at Coningsby in Lincolnshire in July 2022.

It was all very topical as GoodGym Barnet set off in slightly above-average temperatures at a significantly faster pace than usual with the vein hope we might all live a little longer!

We took a slight detour through Highgate Wood, making the most of one of our last opportunities this year to run through it before the earlier seasonal closing times. It was beautiful running beneath the cool, green shade of the trees.

We kept up a good pace and eventually reached Shepherds Hill Gardens, where we met fellow GoodGym members Nicole, Fanny Sonya and Lucy. Together, we assisted Pat by clearing around the benches, cutting back ivy and tidying an area further down the park where somebody had started a fire.

As usual, Pat rewarded everyone with some lovely refreshments: fresh mint tea, fizzy water, fruit juice and delectable chocolate biscuits.

After a welcome drink and chat, it was time to head back through the warm evening.

Thanks to everyone who came along, enjoyed a good run and helped care for this valuable community green space.

GoodGym Barnet headed to the churchyard at St Mary’s, one of Barnet’s oldest and most historic buildings.

We met Helen and Julian, who are working to photograph and catalogue some of the churchyard’s fascinating protected gravestones. Armed with loppers and saws, we cleared away the vegetation that was obscuring them, ready for the photography to take place the following day.

It was a satisfying evening helping to uncover and record an important part of Barnet’s history — well worth protecting for future generations.

Stalwarts Liz and Liz, Sarah, Energy Gardens leader Anna and GoodGymer Subham helped cut the dead plants to prepare for next round of growth. Garden looking bare but clean and pretty good especially given the recent weather! Especially the tomatoes!

Barnet Community Harvesters gathered a crack team of pickers for a run on the Gordon Road Allotments in Finchley, and Goodgym was there to cheer them on. Cherian, Paul and I rocked up in the weirdest flash rainstorm, with a rainbow glowing overhead and a wild mix of sun and rain still spitting down. But Daniella was there with fruit pickers, harvesting sacks and crates, along with 5 other volunteers, rearing to go.

We started on the two big community apple trees near the top of the allotment. The ground around them was already littered with windfalls, but there were plenty more nestling in the branches. We gathered nearly three full crates, one of a perfumed pink apple a bit like a Discovery, and another two of an unknown green cooker. Then, mid-way through climbing into one tree, the allotmenteers confirmed permission to pick a plum tree deeper into the grounds.

In all, we gathered over 40kg of apples, and around another 5-10kg of plums. We also gathered some of the windfall and stuff we knocked while wielding the fruit pickers, and left it on the allotment sharing table for others to enjoy.