Five of us — Cherian and me from GoodGym, plus three of the regular Stephens House & Gardens volunteers — got stuck into a fairly substantial job at the Friday morning gardening session.

Our task was down in the Dell, where an area of around 30 square metres needed to be completely cleared of grass. We first marked out the triangular-shaped plot and then set about removing the turf.

Armed with sharp spades, shovels, rakes and a wheelbarrow, we gradually stripped the whole area back to bare soil. It was pretty physical work, so the occasional pause for a chat in the lovely sunshine was very welcome.

As often seems to happen at Stephens House, the subject of celebrities came up — helped along when one rather well-known face happened to stroll past us. He shall remain nameless, although he’s known for playing a particularly London character!

Gus supervised proceedings, briefly considering getting involved before deciding that watching the squirrels in the trees was a much better use of his time.

After about two hours, we’d cleared the whole area and left it ready for the next stage of the project.

Then it was back for the traditional and very welcome tea and cake. (happy birthday, Alan! )

Another satisfying morning helping the regular volunteers look after this wonderful community garden.

Paul and I joined a small team of volunteers with the aim of helping Elaine take apart a giant polytunnel for transporting to her school in Brent.

We quickly realised the scale of the challenge, with poles bolted to underground plates, overgrown borders, shelves and other furniture to take apart or move and the giant plastic cover to try and free without ripping it too much.

So we did what we could, bravely getting stuck in with tools volunteers had brought along or some of the equipment still on site. And while we didn't finish the job, we made a good start for Elaine to carry on with on Saturday.

September litter picking – a little extra care goes a long way

September saw several of us out litter picking in our own neighbourhoods, showing how even a short session can make a noticeable difference.

Paul B returned to his regular route along the River Quaggy in Kidbrooke. Heavy rain had brought a lot of rubbish downstream and he collected around half a dozen bags for life full of muddy litter, with plans to return and finish the job.

Jacqui and Sally managed to combine a night out with a good deed, litter picking on their way back from the Chaka Khan musical in Wembley. Their haul was mainly discarded coffee cups and sandwich wrappers. Cecilia also spent 40 minutes around Herbert Road, collecting a full bag of mixed rubbish and giving the local streets some much-needed TLC.

I did my usual September litter pick, walking from home to a local park via the church. The area around the bus stop and churchyard was particularly bad. While picking in the graveyard, a lady walking through with some schoolchildren stopped to give me a very warm thank you. At the other end of the spectrum, someone rather unusually suggested I should simply “phone the council”!

Thankfully that reaction is rare. Most people are incredibly appreciative. I’ve even had council workers offer me bags and thank me for helping them out when they’re already stretched.

And perhaps that’s the wider value of doing this. It isn’t only about removing litter. It gets us outside, improves the place where we live and quietly shows other people that we care about our community. Adding that little bit of extra care will nearly always be noticed and valued.

Another Tuesday evening saw us gathering in the foyer of the Phoenix Cinema for our regular GoodGym Barnet session this time with a milestone to celebrate.

George had reached his 200th GoodGym good deed, so before we set off he was presented with his badge and his very own GoodGym Barnet cap – England-style! He duly knelt to receive it and wore it proudly for the rest of the evening.

Welcome to Patricia & Victoria both on their first group run!

After our warm-up, our icebreaker was to share a time we’d rescued an animal. Appropriately, George had rescued a fox from some netting that very day, although most of the other stories seemed to involve pigeons and other birds!

We then headed the kilometre or so to Martin Primary School, taking the back streets and stopping for a few exercises along the way to keep everyone together.

At the school we met John and, with limited tools available, split into two groups – one working out while the other shifted a large pile of woodchip across the path into the Forest School area. Twenty minutes later we were meant to swap, but there was still plenty to move, so everyone piled in. With a shiny new wheelbarrow, plenty of hands and even a few saucepans pressed into service as scoops, we got the job done.

Then it was back to the Phoenix for a celebratory drink or two, supporting our wonderful local cinema while raising a glass to George and his 200 good deeds.

Well done George – here’s to the next 200!

A few good gym members came together to do online yoga..

Yoga talk

Yoga helps runners stay mobile by loosening tight hips, hamstrings and calves. It builds balance, core strength and body awareness, helping you run more efficiently. And it’s a great way to recover, slow things down and give tired muscles some TLC.