Super Nature film.. Super nature Reserve and super goodGym runners doing some good!

We gathered in the foyer of the Phoenix Cinema and welcomed two new GoodGym recruits—big shout-out to Edward and Neeral on their first session!

The Phoenix also gave us an emergency bundle of leaflets to distribute for Super Nature, a film celebrating the natural world, showing at 2pm on Saturday 5 September, followed by a Q&A with director Ed Sayers. The Phoenix is an important charitable community cinema, so please support it if you can. Find out more and book here⁠ https://www.phoenixcinema.co.uk/PhoenixCinemaLondon.dll/WhatsOn?f=634449

After warming up outside, we numbered up by sharing the television programmes that influenced us as children—from Teletubbies and Bagpuss to Star Trek.

We split into two teams and delivered all the leaflets along a nearby road before setting off at a good pace for the two-kilometre run to Glebelands Local Nature Reserve.

Glebelands is one of the last surviving parts of old Finchley Common and is a Grade I Site of Borough Importance for Nature Conservation. Its clay soil holds water, feeding natural springs, streams and seasonal ponds. These support rare wetland plants and wildlife, including great crested newts. It may look like a small patch of rough woodland, but it is one of Finchley’s most precious natural spaces.

Although the ground looked dry, subsurface water and mud meant that we couldn’t do the planned clearance work. Instead, we split into pairs for a litter pick and found a surprising amount of rubbish, particularly around a concrete structure that seemed to act as a litter magnet!

With our bags full, we headed back—an enjoyable evening supporting both our local cinema and an important local nature reserve.

Picking Up Good Habits

GoodGym members headed out across the country for some anytime litter picking.

Jacqui and Sally cleaned up around central London before rewarding themselves with a couple of free exhibitions at Somerset House. Paul tackled the River Quaggy in Sutcliffe Park, collecting four bags filled mainly with cans and fast-food packaging.

Meanwhile, Gus and I explored a lovely disused railway line, searching high and low for rubbish hidden behind walls and deep in the bushes. Why people go to such trouble to hide their litter never ceases to amaze me—fortunately, Gus proved a very willing assistant! Thanks to Peter for also providing photos.

A walk, run or litter pick is a simple way to get active and improve your neighbourhood. Why not join us and give it a go this September?

GoodGym litter picking any time any place during the month of September. Sign up to commit to improve your Local area. If you need a litter picker and bags, let me know.

https://www.goodgym.org/happenings/anytime-single-or-paired-plogging-litter-picking-walking-or-running-b5da6090-e9e9-47cd-ae3e-fada5aefa603?legacy=true

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.

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.