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 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!

Ten Years of GoodGym Barnet – Back Where It All Began

Ten years ago GoodGym Barnet held its first group run to Long Lane Pasture. Yesterday we went back to where it all began with old friends, new faces and over 30 people joining us to celebrate a decade of doing good in our community.

A big group set off from the Phoenix Cinema after our traditional warm-up but this time we also went around the group remembering some of our favourite GoodGym moments from the last ten years. Gardening, clearing graffiti from the Phoenix, Halloween runs in fancy dress, Tiny Forests, litter picks and countless community missions. It was a lovely reminder of just how varied GoodGym has been.

We ran through the back streets of East Finchley, keeping everyone together with the occasional stop for squats, exercises and a few questionable drop kicks!

At Long Lane Pasture we met Donald, other volunteers, councillors and GoodGymers who had made their own way there. Donald told us a little about this wonderful nature reserve, saved from development and now looked after by volunteers.

After gathering around the Green Flag for a photo, we squeezed in some gentle yoga breathing and mobility before getting down to business , clearing litter from the footpath alongside the reserve.

Then came the important birthday business: cake and beer!

Huge thanks to Donald and everyone at Long Lane Pasture for hosting us and providing plenty of cake, Richard for the vegan cake, Athletic Brewing for the beers and Theo for some additional refreshments with a little more kick!

There was another milestone worth celebrating too: congratulations to Subham on reaching over a 100 good deeds. What better evening to do it.

Most importantly, it was wonderful seeing people who have been part of GoodGym Barnet at different times over the last decade. Some we see every week, others we haven’t seen for years. You’re always welcome back even if it’s only once a year!

One message we received afterwards perhaps summed the evening up best:

“The energy is infectious. You have created a wonderful community, and Barnet is richer for having you in it.”

But GoodGym isn’t really about what we have created. It’s about supporting people like Donald and the volunteers at Long Lane Pasture, and all those people across Barnet who quietly take responsibility for our green spaces, charities and community organisations.

Sometimes a couple of hours of our time gets a job done. Just as importantly, hopefully it reminds those people that they aren’t doing it alone and that what they do is noticed and valued.

And it does something for us too. Getting outside, being active and doing something useful alongside other people is pretty good medicine for life.

We might only make a small difference each time but a small difference is considerably better than no difference at all.

After ten years, we’re still running, walking and cycling into our community, getting our hands dirty and seeing where we can help.

Here’s to the next few years and hopefully plenty more familiar and new faces joining us along the way. ❤️

Happy 10th birthday GoodGym Barnet!

🌳 The Last Tiny Forest – What We Learnt Along the Way

Our Tiny Forest Tour with Earthwatch came to an end at Ringwood Hill in Newport – and after visiting several very different Tiny Forests, it felt a little poignant knowing this was our last one.

The Ringwood Hill Tiny Forest was planted in March 2026 by children from St Gabriel’s RC Primary School and the local community. It sits beside a housing estate on a walking loop leading up into mature woodland – another completely different setting from the other forests we’d visited.

The young forest seemed to be coping reasonably well with the brutal conditions of summer 2026. Interestingly, the mature woodland was providing shade and protection to the upper part, while the more exposed trees lower down appeared a little more stunted. Another reminder of just how much location and local conditions can influence these young forests.

We met Grace and Divya from Earthwatch, and while Daniel and Grace got started with measurements to see how the trees were coping, Divya and I headed onto the neighbouring estate to knock on a few doors and let people know what was happening.

We received a lovely welcome and had some good conversations about the Tiny Forest sitting almost on people’s doorsteps. Hopefully a few more local people now know what it is and will become interested in watching and caring for it.

Later we carried out more citizen science with visitors before stopping for lunch – cheese toasties from Silver Sal accompanied by refreshments courtesy of Earthwatch!

As we finished, it was good to reminisce with the Earthwatch team about our tour. Every Tiny Forest had been different: different landscapes, different communities and different challenges. That’s probably what made the journey so interesting.

It also made Daniel and me think more preciously about our own Tiny Forest in Barnet. We planted trees there, but the real challenge is what happens afterwards – watching them grow, collecting the science and, most importantly, building a community that cares about them.

The next few years could be difficult for nature in this country. Perhaps one lesson from our Tiny Tour is that we need to become more connected with what is happening on our own doorstep – understanding our trees, wildlife and green spaces and recognising that looking after them is something communities can actively participate in.

We saw plenty to give us hope: passionate Earthwatch staff, council Officers enthusiastic families and children, and local people curious about these little patches of woodland appearing in their neighbourhoods.

So perhaps the end of our Tiny Tour is really just the beginning. We’d love to return to these forests in future years and see not only how the trees have grown, but whether the communities around them have grown with them.

And if you’re a GoodGym member, Tiny Forest Tree Keeper or simply someone interested in nature, why not create your own Tiny Forest Tour? Walk, run, cycle or travel between a few of them, do some citizen science and discover the communities and countryside around them.

It’s a great way of exploring somewhere new – and you’ll probably come home looking at your own local green spaces rather differently.

Ringwood Hill Tiny Forest Saturday 15 August, 11am–3pm Ringwood Hill, Newport 51.5907648, -2.9482705