With the clocks sprung forward and the light lingering a little longer, we gathered as usual outside the Phoenix Cinema for our pre-run chat on a beautiful spring evening. Better still, we were joined by two new recruits, always a welcome sight.Kbrom and Kidanemariam

To keep things simple, we kicked off with the important business of sharing our favourite colours, arranged from black to blue. Green turned out to be the winner with two votes, while Subham’s answer, naturally, varied according to mood.

Our task was pleasingly local .. just a 500m run downhill to Cherry Tree Wood, where we were helping the Friends group with some evening conservation work. On the way, and while there was still good light, we made the most of the grassy area for a warm-up: jogging in a wide circle, side steps, knees up, ground touches, direction changes, and a short sprint to catch the person in front. We even had time for a quick throw of the frisbee, which felt like a fine way to welcome the lighter evenings.

At the woods we met fellow volunteers including András and Rodger, who talked us through the tasks. One group cut back raspberries, while the other gathered dry branches and sticks to help create a natural dead hedge protecting the orchard area from the main path. Rodger had recently done a course on the technique, so the fence-building came with extra enthusiasm and know-how.

Soon enough we were hauling branches, building piles, and transporting materials across the site while the sun dropped and the different stages of twilight showed themselves through the trees. It was one of those evenings that reminds you why GoodGym is such a pleasure: fresh air, birdsong, nature, teamwork, and useful work done well. The finished fence looked fantastic too well worth a look in the photos.

After that, it was a short run back up the hill to the Phoenix for a warm-down, some stretches, and our goodbyes.

A lovely evening, great company, two new faces, and another satisfying bit of work for one of our local green spaces.

Sometimes a community mission is all about big effort. And sometimes it’s about doing one small thing that makes a very real difference.

Yesterday I headed out of borough on my bike for a roughly 30-minute ride to a lovely part of Camden, where I met David from GoodGym Islington for a simple but important task: helping remove a bed frame and mattress from Ms V’s flat so they could be left outside for collection.

Ms V is living with dementia, and her friend was there to let us in and help coordinate things. The job itself was straightforward, but it was one of those classic GoodGym missions that reminds you how even a simple practical task can become a real obstacle for someone dealing with illness, disability or difficult circumstances.

Between the two of us, the bed was soon dismantled, moved out and ready for collection. Job done.

What made it even better was everything around the task: a good bike ride, a catch-up with David, and the chance for a post-mission coffee while reminiscing about previous GoodGym adventures. We both agreed that missions like this capture something special about GoodGym. The effort may be small, but the value is not. These acts are useful, social, friendly and quietly positive — the kind of thing that helps strengthen the tone of a community.

A bed moved, a problem solved, a bit of exercise, and a good chat along the way. Not a bad way to spend an afternoon.

Undeterred by the drop in temperature and threat of rain, our trusty group of Goodgymmers gathered for a return to the Tinyforests at Mutton Brook. And, for a change, we had cyclists with us!

Daniel has been carrying on with his pioneering work to engage local asylum seekers in community projects. He organised invitations to two groups, so cycled from Mutton Brook to the Phoenix Cinema and back to help ferry our guests to the site. He introduced the tinyforest, citizen science and the kind of care Goodgym brings to green spaces across Barnet. He'll be working on signing them up properly, so they can engage with more volunteering and connect with the area.

The rest of us ran from the Phoenix - Beattie, Subham, Theodore and myself. We took the quick route as we set off a little late, arriving at about 7:20. The other cyclist, Paul met us on site, helped litter pick the field with us.

Aside from the remains of a barbecue, there wasn't too much litter in the main field - a weird pair of thermal sports leggings, the usual bottles, wrappers, cans. Others found bigger stuff near the roadside, and we took our fair haul of two sacks up to the bus stop bin.

We checked on the tinyforests, skirting the bounds. Earthwatch have put some clearer markers around their attempt at a tinymeadow, which hasn't worked too well. But the original tinyforest is doing so well it seems to have put some runners under the fence, with new trees now as tall as the original! Amazing to see a forest taking shape.

With another week to go before the clocks 'spring forward', it was dark by 7pm, so there wasn't much citizen science we could do after our plog. But with the extra time, that meant a slightly longer, scenic jog back through Northway Gardens and Lyttleton Park. A good bit of cardio!