15 awesome runners attended our Islington group run last night (including new starters Stephanie and Tom- welcome!), and braved a wet and windy trip to Sunnyside Community Gardens near Crouch Hill.

Also- congratulations to Hanry for running 100 good deeds last week. His celebrations were at GG Camden, but he is a certified GG Islington runner too!

Before layering up to sustain the rainfall, Trainer Simon asked the crew for some film recommendations (after being blown away by Bong Joon-ho's multi-oscar winning thriller "Parasite". All of these great suggestions have been included here:

• For Sama
• Call Me By Your Name
• Moonlight
• Little Women
• Okja
• Snowpiercer
• Alien Covenant
• Jojo Rabbit
• Precious
• Dark Waters
• The Witch
• Harriet (soon to be released in the UK)
• The Green Book
• This Year's Love (because it is all based in Camden...)

Sunnyside Community Gardens

Our team made their way up Hornsey Road after a quick warm up, with Steve Lee assisting as the backmarker. Upon arrival, we politely disturbed the meeting of the Sunnyside Gardens Trustees and met up with Anna, the volunteer coordinator. We wheelbarrowed a vast array of forks, spades and shovels (and gloves, of course) to the upper end of the gardens, and began work on creating compost for the upcoming spring planting season.

A small group started sieving woods and twigs out of the finer dirt and soil, before distributing the contents into different piles. Other goodgymmers used clippers to break down larger branches and small dead trees made the green waste into useful mulch, leaving the rest of our crew to lift the chips into a designated compost pile. A smooth production line was established, and we made significant work out of this large ongoing task!

We packed up after 40 minutes of solid work, and enjoyed the downhill jaunt back to the Arsenal Community Hub. Aidan lead a series of stretches and cool down exercises, whilst Steve Lee offered us some authentic holiday Turkish Delight, and Trainer Simon brought out some Biscoff biscuits for a job well done.

As we regrouped, we made our way to The Victoria Tavern on Holloway Road for 2-for-1 pizza, drinks and good times, as part of our monthly social.

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NEWS

GG Islington Cover at Goodgym Camden!

Trainer Simon will be leading a one-off group run with Goodgym Camden this Wednesday, setting off from The St Pancras and Somers Town Living Centre in Somers Town. Great opportunity to try out some GG tourism, and to meet up with new and familiar faces getting involved with some new tasks!

This week, we will be visiting Cecil Sharp House to assist with various gardening and weeding tasks at the home for English Folk Music and Dance, with a second group running to C4WS- a homeless shelter set up in the American International Church on Tottenham Court Road.

Typically followed by drinks and a meet-up at the Somers Town Coffee House pub, opposite the Crick!

Sign up here and come on down!

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Compton Terrace Gardens Community Mission

Saturday 14th March, 10-1pm at Compton Terrace Gardens. A perfect post-Highbury Fields parkrun task!

One of our lovely GG Islington task owners will be leading a work day at Compton Terrace Gardens, a great green space right outside the union chapel. Mission expert Liz Mills has agreed to lead the session along with some of the neighbourhood regulars to assist with clearing, tidying, lifting and shoveling work- super outdoors workout fun!

Sign up here!

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CREOS March

Sunday 15th March, 11-1pm at Crouch End Open Space, 85 - 87 Wood Vale, Crouch End. One of the longest running, and best, community missions. Come for the gardening, stay for for the picnic!

Crouch End Open Space is inviting the Goodgym team back to help with their monthly community green space maintenance project. Local volunteers meet up to keep the neighbourhood area as beautiful as possible, and to make sure that the pathways are accessible for everyone to enjoy this popular spot.

All helpers will be treated to a great carboot picnic and hot drink afterwards!

Sign up here to get involved!

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The Arc Centre Deep Clean and Free Fitness Session

Sunday 22nd March, 5.30-7.30pm at The Arc Community Centre, Islington

Goodgym have been asked to help out The Arc Community Centre with some bi-monthly cleaning and tidying tasks- a great indoor activity to wrap up the weekend.

In return, we have access to the main hall and the accompanying gardens before the the task. Trainer Simon will be offering a free all abilities circuit training session before we start with the cleaning duties. Strength and conditioning are under valued pursuits for a lot of runners, and we will be introducing some simple body weight exercises you can do as part of a group (the best way IMHO!) or in your own free time.

Sign up here for doing good and getting fit!

Despite the looming threat of Storm Brendan making an appearance, 13 Goodgymmers came out to Sunnyside Community Centre last night (including first timers Marie Laure and Evangelina- welcome!).

Before we started our warm up drills (ankling, high knees, can-cans, dynamic lunges and sumo squats), we asked each other the question: "What is your favourite fruit?"

The responses were as follows:

• Bananas
• Pineapples
• Strawberries
• Oranges
• Raisins. No, sorry, Grapes...
• Mangoes
• Yeah, Mangoes. But those really sweet yellow ones... maybe these?

Sunnyside Community Centre

Thankfully, we had a little bit of respite from the rain as we ran the 2.5 km to Sunnyside Community Centre (up Hornsey Road). Thanks to Kike, Latoya and James for back marking to and from the task.

We arrived at the gardens, and no-one was there. Surely Trainer Simon hadn't got the date wrong, had he?

Thankfully, Anna the volunteer coordinator appeared from behind our group, and showed us to the tool shed whilst we set up lights and torches for this dark gardening task.

Our challenge was to turn a large collection of green clippings into compostable green waste, by cutting down larger branches. Another set of runners would then load the green waste into wheel barrows and pile it into a tidy space, so it can all turn into mulch for spring time gardening.

We had plenty to do in quite a short amount of time, but we made a huge dent in the pile of leaves and branches. It is a huge overall task, that we will return to next month (every second Monday, in line with the trustee's meeting).

We downed tools, and set off back to the Emirates Stadium with a storm whipping up behind us! Upon our arrival, we engaged in a series of stretches to cool down (some of them focusing on the shoulders and arms for the benefit of those shoveling heavy branches and moving wheelbarrows). Ginger biscuits were on offer to all (accidentally vegan btw!).

Great work everyone. Come and join us next week for our local task at Market Road Gardens!

NEWS

Goodgym Islington's 5th Anniversary Meet-up

After our task next week, we have booked a reservation at a local Bangladeshi restaurant on Holloway Road for 9pm. Come and join us for great food, drinks and good times!

If you can't make the task, but still want to come along, the address is as follows:

Standard Tandoori 87 Holloway Road, Holloway, London N7 8LT https://www.zomato.com/london/standard-tandoori-holloway/menu

Please make sure that you sign up to this event page, so we can confirm numbers in advance!

Caledonian Park junior parkun test event

We have been invited to volunteer for a recce for the proposed Caledonian Park junior parkrun, a 2km free weekly timed run for children aged 4 to 14, started every Sunday at 9 am.

This is really exciting for GG Islington regulars, as we have been involved with various tasks in Cally Park leading towards this parkrun!

Sign up here to get involved with this special event, Sunday 19th January at 9 am (please arrive by 8.30 am).

This will not be listed on the main event page, so feel free to send the link to this page for any interested Goodgymmers!

First CREOS community mission of the year!

Easily GG Islington's most popular Community Mission, helping out the Crouch End Open Space charity workers with gardening and maintenance of their lovely plot just off the Parkland Walk.

Sunday 19th January, starting at 11 am, and often finishing with a picnic and snacks in a beautiful woodland setting. What's not to love?

Click here for more information, and to sign up!

Cracking run (and cycle) tonight with 22 lovely Goodgymmers, tackling a huge pile of branches and foliage at Sunnyside Community Centre.

After a short warm-up around the slopes of the Emirates Stadium, we connected on to Hornsey Road and powered up the 2.5km of incline to Sunnyside Community Centre. Upon arrival at the volunteers portacabin, Bridget handed us rakes, shearers and clippers and directed us to a large mound of branches, leaves and bushes, collected from the gardens. This would usually be a task for a shredder, but the groups machine suddenly broke down just as Autumn began, leaving the space covered in green foliage!

In 40 minutes, our Goodgymmers raked the massive pile of branches into lots of smaller piles, and snipped them down to a smaller concentration of greenery. Before we left, we moved all the branches back into an orderly spot, away from the main entrance to the community centre. Amazing effort considering the light was fading as we worked. We were treated to a steady downhill slope back to the Emirates, some nice easy relaxed stretches and a few jammy dodgers and lotus biscoff biscuits for the road!

Plenty of runs, events and get-togethers next week, continuing Goodgym's 10 year anniversary celebrations:

• Goodgym Lambeth will be leading a monthly long run this Sunday, starting in Brixton, and following the Green Chain Walk to Crystal Palace. Sign up here.
• Former Islington trainer and all round excellent fellow, Paul Bown has announced the dates and details for Goodgym Euro Trip Kiev 2020. 4-5 days of holiday fun with 10km or half marathon races in between! More info can be found here.
• We will be visiting Thornhill Gardens for next weeks task, helping the organisers with some willow tree weaving for decorations (pop your name on the list here). Hoping to test out some new portable flood lights as well, but I still recommend bringing a headtorch if you can!
• Also, we plan to visiting the Victoria Tavern after our run next week and you are very much invited to join us!

Have a smashing week everyone, and see you for the next one!

24 Goodgymers ran 5km to help Sunnyside Community Gardens turnover compost piles and lay woodchip paths!

Welcome along to newbies - Kathleen, Steve, Helen, Claire and Rachel - lovely to have you all along, come back and join us again :)

In the news this week:

1. GoodGym is pacing Finsbury parkrun on Saturday 23rd February - especially on look out for 25, 30, 35, and 40 pacers - sign up here.
2. This Sunday James is leading CREOS Community Mission up in Crouch End - full details here.
3. Join the GoodGym Unofficial Unofficial Facebook Group here to keep updated with other things going on.

Corrrr that was a fun evening - loved it! After our intro and warm up we split into two groups to head up to Sunnyside Community Gardens. James & Steve led a faster and longer group by doing a lap of the Emirates, while the rest of us went up directly.

Upon our arrival we met Anna and other committee members who explained what our tasks were this week:

• There were two piles of compost that needed to be taken off, turned over and put back in a pile again. This helps fasten the process of making compost, which will then feed the garden.
• The second task was to lay woodchip over the paths.

Over 25 minutes we did some great work! The compost teams did a great job getting to the bottom (or as far as they could) - the piles were definitely smaller when we left - good turning. Team woodchip did a fantastic job moving the good chip stuff in bags and a wheelbarrow - lovely.

After a group picture we headed back to base for some stair sprints and some out of date biscuits.... oh hahaha.

Sign up for next week here when we'll be helping Caxton House.

PB out

11 Goodgymers ran 5km and helped Sunnyside Community Gardens turn over their compost piles

Thanks for coming guys, we had lots of people racing yesterday so they are resting up. Well done to all the Oxford Half Marathoners including Steve, Alex, Frances and Lucy from Islington.

In the news this week:

1. This week is #RunAndTalk Week, England Athletics and Mind have partnered once again to campaign for people to promote how running and talking can help your mental health. 1 in 4 of us experience mental health problems each year and running can have a huge positive impact. Throughout the week we are encouraging people to #RunAndTalk to improve their mental wellbeing through running and to break down the stigma associated with mental health by getting people talking about it. Read Tower Hamlets Trainer Laura's blog about mental health and running - see here.
2. There is a Community Mission helping Crouch End Open Space next Sunday (21st) where you'll be laying a woodchip path and will be rewarded with a picnic - sign up here.
3. On Sunday 21st there is also the monthly long run - this time led by Simon Fitzmaurice and goes from East Finchley to Hackney Wick - see the run here.
   

After our intros and warming up we headed north via the backstreets to help Sunnyside Community Gardens, an amazing local space that is run by a charity. It aims to get more people involved gardening and have spaces to be outside and do activities.

Upon our arrival Anna gave us the keys to the big shed, guided by headtorch everyone got armed with a fork or spade ready for the gym-workout. Splitting into two teams we tackled the two big compost piles, the aim with compost is to turn it over regularly to help it break down so it becomes like the finished-product compost that feeds the garden.

Chris attached a light to a tree and the rest for us had a few torches between us, really helps this time of year! Over 20 minutes the team pulled, tugged, forked and shovelled thick piles of twigs, straw and general debris off the pile. Some sections of the pile were harder than others to get off, combining team effort and a rolling technique was the only way.

Chocolate hob nob breaks, are the best breaks

After a biscuit break we put the debris back on the pile, it having been effectively turned over - nice! Putting the gym in GoodGym!! Ellie and Kike finished things off nicely with laying extra logs around the pile edges to define the border more clearly - neat!

Before heading home we took a group picture next the community sign :)

Sign up next week here when we are off to paint the second coat of woodpresever for FROGG.

PB out

16 GGers ran 6km to help Sunnyside Community Gardens turn their compost piles!

Welcome along to Anna and Ndala whose first time it was last night! Lovely to have you along.

In the news this week:

1. Well done to Alix and Kike who smashed up a Triathlon yesterday!
2. This month's GG Social is on Thursday in Clapham Junction.
3. This month's long run is on 22nd July from Finsbury Park.

After a warm up we headed directly north to the amazing Sunnyside Community Gardens. This NGO based in Hornsey is the centre of the local community, providing an area for activities and people to use the green space.

While Anna had a committee meeting we got to work with an array of tools. There were three piles of compost - new, on-the-way and finished. One group completely turned over the new pile, enabling the components to break down to make the compost. A second group picked all the twigs and sticks out of the 'on-the-way' pile and turned it over.

Meanwhile James, Lucy and Kike broke down and cut up the sticks and branches on the other half of the 2nd pile. They were joined by three friendly frogs, leaping away from James' swinging spade to the nearby pond.

Hopping fun!

As we were finishing up with all three piles Chris and Alex carried over four logs to extend the border of one of the piles.

On the way home we split into two groups, one heading straight back and the other going via the park and railway track.

Check out the report from Graham, Steve and Julie's mission here.

Next week you guys will led by Frances and will be carrying woodchip from one homeless project to another. Sign up here

PB out