Taking a Crack at the Playground Repair

After helping to clean up the children’s playground in the morning, I offered to return in the afternoon to help Warwick repair some vandalism to the tarmac.

In the heat, we gathered the equipment and mixed the ingredients together — rather like making a very heavy cake — before filling the hole and smoothing it over. Neither of us was completely sure of the perfect technique, but hopefully we have done enough to make it safe and durable for the children when the playground reopens.

A satisfying bit of teamwork, although it would be even better if parents could help keep an eye out and prevent this sort of damage happening again.

Hot work in the playground at Stephens House and Gardens. Volunteer Friday.

Stephens House and Gardens was closed for a big event on Friday morning, which gave the volunteers full access to the playground and a great opportunity to tidy it up.

My first job was clearing fallen cypress needles from the paths, before shovelling the scattered sand back into the sandpit. Sadly, we also discovered some vandalism to the playground tarmac, which will cost the Trust money and take a lot of volunteer effort to repair.

It was a very hot morning at around 25°C, but the team worked hard and got plenty done.

You can help keep this wonderful park open by volunteering, visiting the café or hiring one of the rooms at Stephens House. Every bit of support makes a difference.

GoodGym Barnet helped a local primary school in East Finchley

A big well done to everyone who came along to our Tuesday group run from the Phoenix Cinema.

We stopped on the way for a few simple exercises, including squat kicks and some arm resistance work, before heading on to the school’s forest area.

Once there, we found a large pile of steaming wood chip and got stuck in, spreading it along the path as requested. It was warm work, but it made a real difference to the space and should help make the forest school area safer and easier for the children to use.

Lovely to get this message from the school the next morning:

“Wow what a great job yesterday thanks so much. Sorry we did not come out we were chasing rats lol”

Thanks again to everyone who helped. A great team effort.

Big, shout out for Wren and Somaieh on her first GoodGym mission thanks for coming hope to see you next week at Highgate Woods

A few Goodgym Member members came online to do yoga.

Yoga talk

Get rid of the Fuzz Dr Gil Hedley explains brilliantly in his online talk that in order for the body to be optimally healthy and feel physically good, it’s important to move at the beginning of the day. Overnight, our muscles rest and while they’re not moving, layers of connective tissue and bodily fluid – fondly known as ‘fuzz’ – builds up between them. That urge to stretch we get upon waking is essentially an act of releasing the fuzzy build up found between muscles. If we don’t move and stretch however, this layer continues to thicken and build up, causing stiffness, chronically ‘tight’ muscles and common aches and pains. 

please sign up to the next session.

https://www.goodgym.org/happenings/yoga-with-paul-tuesday-9-55am-56369879-a2d1-434a-bb1f-6c5b88be426b?legacy=true