A great gathering of eight Goodgymmers showed up at the Phoenix for our group session. Our stalwart welcomers, Rachel and Beattie were there early, soon joined by long time Goodgymmer Richard and new regular Sheela, both getting into regular sessions this year.

We had an amazing three newcomers (is the Sky Ad working its magic?? At least one person saw it). Ben trekked all the way over from Colindale, arriving nice and early. James rocked up in good time, followed by Emma, who joined us mid-warm up.

Warmed up, and ice-broken - thanks to Beattie for the question about what we'd all been up to for the bank holiday weekend (general consensus: lots of walking!) - we jogged the short way over to Cherry Tree Wood. Inspired by Paul's absence, we had a quick exercise session with kick-squats and running in a circle. (I promised it was going to be lighter than one of Paul's attempts, but it turned out to be harder because everyone was so amazing!) Filip met us at the cafe - he's almost ready to earn his first t-shirt!

Then to the session. András, Roger and Joe set us to mulching the fruit trees. Ben took up shears, cutting the grass - Richard and I helped, using our hands. James and Emma grabbed shovels and jogged to the mulch pile near the gate, while Sheela and Beattie grabbed the wheelbarrows, to run them back and forth to the trees. Rachel and Filip helped Joe rip up the cardboard to lay over the cut grass, and a few took turns watering the cardboard and then the mulch.

As always, our amazing team effort covered twice as many trees as expected, so Rachel and Richard also had a go at sweeping the nearby paths, while James and Emma gave the mulch pile a bit of a tidy with the rakes. A great session very much valued by our hosts - András sent some before-and-after pics over as evidence of our hard work.

We started this one from the artsdepot. Brilliantly, no one got lost and went to the Phoenix Cinema, or brought more than they could carry - at least, no one we knew about. 5 Goodgymmers gathered - regulars Beattie and Rachel arriving first. Was great to see Rupesh, who joined us for the first time in a while and will be getting stuck back into missions. Subham finished the set, running from Finchley Central to join us, arriving ready to go.

We warmed up a sunny patch outside the artsdepot, then we set off on a 2km run to the Porters Way entrance to Coppetts Wood. We were met by Julian, one of the Coppetts Wood Conservationists, along with Filip and Chloe for their second session this month - they'll be earning their free t-shirts in no time!

Julian introduced us to the history of Coppetts Wood and their volunteer group - who meet for 3hrs every Sunday at 9am at the entrance off Porters Way. More labour welcome, if you're free - details here.

Then we trekked through the wood to the North Circular for our clean up, and found our first challenge: a dumped motorbike. This had been removed by volunteers once before, but magically found its way back into the woods, so we removed it again and reported it. Then we scoured the bushes and undergrowth, picking most cans and bottles from inside the fence. We hauled out a discarded roadworks barrier and before long we'd hit our time limit, so we stored our stash by the sign and reported it.

Then, given our unusual end point, Rachel and Beattie found a bus to take them home, while Subham, Rupesh and I ran back through to the Colney Hatch Lane entrance, taking the scenic route. A glorious run through soaring woodland flowers and darting birds, after which, Rupesh headed home eastwards, while Subham and I completed the circuit back to North Finchley for a pint, with Filip and Chloe walking to meet us.

Tiny steps, big impact

On a lovely sunny day, we gathered at Stephens House and Gardens for a GoodGym Barnet starter session — a relaxed introduction to how GoodGym connects running, volunteering and local community spaces.

The aim of the session was simple: to give newcomers a flavour of what GoodGym does locally, using two great examples of our community activity — Stephens House and Gardens and the nearby Tiny Forest.

Stephens House and Gardens is one of Barnet’s much-loved green spaces, and GoodGym has helped there in many ways over the years, from gardening and planting to supporting the team with practical outdoor jobs. It is a brilliant example of how regular volunteering can help care for local community assets.

After numbering up and introducing ourselves, we had a fun opening chat about encounters with animals while out running. Needless to say, we won’t go into all the details here — but it certainly got everyone smiling.

We then headed off through the park and down towards the Tiny Forest. This is another fantastic local project where GoodGym has been involved, helping with planting, care and citizen science monitoring. At the forest, we carried out some simple measurements linked to carbon capture and biodiversity, using survey slabs to see how the site may be changing over time — including what is happening in the soil as the forest develops.

It was one of those GoodGym sessions that perfectly combined movement, purpose and community: a bit of running, a bit of learning, a bit of science, and plenty of fresh air.

Afterwards, we headed back to Stephens House and Gardens and enjoyed the sunshine at the café with some well-earned food and drinks.

It doesn’t get much better than that.

We’ll be running these starter sessions regularly, so if you’re new to GoodGym Barnet and would like a gentle taster, keep an eye out for the next one. And if you don’t want to wait, come along to one of our Tuesday evening group activities. We’re a welcoming group, we’re not about super fitness, and we always adapt what we do depending on the task and who is with us.

Shepherds Hill Gardens, Sunset, Samosas and a Ghost Story Deferred

Last night GoodGym Barnet headed back to Shepherds Hill Gardens, where we try to help Pat and the local friends group every six weeks or so. Their regular volunteers have become a little less active over time, so our extra hands really do make a difference.

We met at the Phoenix Cinema, where the pre-run chat somehow turned to ghosts. Most of us were firm non-believers, with a few cautious “you never knows…” George promised an excellent ghost story, but sadly we never quite got to hear it one for the next social.

We then ran the 2–3km to Shepherds Hill Gardens. The tube strike made the roads busier than usual, but we were rewarded with lighter skies and a beautiful sunset.

Pat had three jobs ready for us: litter picking and sweeping the top area, cutting back ivy from the path, and adding compost around a newly planted fern area.

After a good burst of work, Pat treated us to hot tea, excellent chocolate biscuits and vegan samosas a heroic hosting effort.

George also spotted and heard a goldcrest, one of Britain’s smallest birds and a lovely London wildlife bonus.

We ran back to the Phoenix a few minutes late, but with the gardens tidier, the path clearer, the ferns happier and one ghost story still mysteriously waiting to be told.

A few people came online to do yoga.

Yoga talk

relax the mind