Anne and I were met by Ms R's helpful cousin at the property where he and his wife had already started to clear space in the living room for a hospital bed so that Ms R can return home. We quickly moved a large armchair and foot rest into the next door bedroom, and relocated the sofa against one wall to then leave sufficient space for the bed.

As requested by the occupational therapist we also took some measurements of the space and noted these down along with where the electrical sockets were positioned - we then discovered that Mr H (Ms R's cousin) had also prepared a very detailed drawing showing the dimensions of the rooms, so rather than recreate the wheel, we took a picture of that too! Measure twice, cut once as the wise old saying goes...

Mrs J and her elderly Dog, Rio, have experienced considerable upheaval caused by maintenance works to their home. To help the final stages of getting things back in order, GoodGym were asked to bag up and remove some items left by workmen and removal men at her backdoor, which were creating a safety hazard.

One of the items was an antique wardrobe which Mrs J thought might be repurposed as a planter. David and Anne were instructed to set this to the side and bag everything else up.

The glitch came when trying to move the wardrobe, which clearly wasn't as weather proof as was hoped. Sadly the main body of the wardrobe was unsalvageable, so as it fell apart in our hands, it was bundled up and added to the pile for out. The base, however, had more potential so was set aside as instructed.

A quick sweep completed the job and after about an hour of work, everything was stacked neatly for collection by the council.

This evening's biggest challenge for Anne and I proved to be trying to find a way from street level to the entrance to Mr P's flat up on the first floor within the labyrinth that is the Barbican - we then found that Mr P's intercom didn't work, but he soon appeared at the door, and after that everything went pretty smoothly.

We descended into the depths of the building to initially retrieve a new divan base, before returning to get the mattress and a headboard - fortunately there was a nearby lift, and a helpful red trolley to assist us, and it wasn't long before we had all three parts safely delivered to Mr P's flat.

A quick descent back in the lift to return the trolley to the building manager, and we wished Mr P well as he moves back into his flat.

On a brisk Monday evening (super Autumnal!), Area Activator Simon caught up with Dan and Emily at the Arsenal Community Hub for a lovely run towards Archway, heading North on Sussex Way. After a dynamic warm up and a chat, we made our way up to Caxton House Community Centre on foot.

We met with Rose, one of the key coordinators at Caxton House who treated our running crew to biscuits and water! Our task for the evening was to pack up about 30+ duvets and pillows into vacuum bags, and to shrink them down into portable sizes, ready for various clothing bank projects across the borough. Half of our team helped with packing the bags and ensuring the right contents were added to the correct packs. And the other half of our team used a couple of "Henry Hoovers" to squeeze down the materials to a packable size.

Well done everyone- we did a smashing job of a very satisfying job. Excellent quality control!

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GOODGYM ISLINGTON NEWS

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GROUP SESSIONS

Monday 21st October- Rose Bowl Youth Club- Community Mission 7.15pm, Task Location

https://www.goodgym.org/v3/sessions/community-mission-rose-bowl-youth-club

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Monday 28th October- Elizabeth House Community Centre Food Hub- Group Run 6.15pm, Arsenal Community Hub

https://www.goodgym.org/v3/sessions/group-run-elizabeth-house-food-hub-6-15-pm-start

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Monday 4th November- Turning Compost at Pollard Close- Community Mission 7.15pm, Near Biddestone Gardens, Holloway Road

https://www.goodgym.org/v3/sessions/group-run-compost-turning-on-pollard-close-b7e8ad39-e346-404c-adb8-4e468d73811a

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Achilles International VI Guide Running Sessions

Every Thursday, 6pm, Various London locations

On Thursday evenings, the all abilities sports charity Achilles International holds a group run session at a London location.

Here is a list of our upcoming events and sign up pages. Runners, supporters and guides of all abilities and experiences welcome!

Thursday 17th October- Paddington Rec Track

https://www.goodgym.org/v3/sessions/come-and-guide-run-with-achilles-international-paddington-rec-track-239016f4-29a3-4d22-839a-74c8861547ca

Thursday 26th October- Stratford Olympic Park

https://www.goodgym.org/v3/sessions/come-and-guide-run-with-achilles-international-olympic-park-stratford-route-4d41d471-6b7b-4c7f-a7ca-5a91f3fd0758

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Friends of Canonbury Square- Volunteer Morning (October)

Saturday 19th October, 10am - midday, Canonbury Square Gardens

The Friends of Canonbury Square Gardens host an open community gardening session on the 3rd Saturday morning of every month.

Usual tasks would include bulb planting, trimming, laying compost, maintaining flower beds and litter picking.

https://www.goodgym.org/v3/sessions/friends-of-canonbury-square-volunteer-morning-september-8c6081b3-a352-4398-a359-e25272b4cca5

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Crouch End Open Space (CREOS) Volunteering Day

Sunday 20th October, 11am - 1pm, Hanley Tennis Club Car Park, Greenways

Our monthly trip to CREOS this year for a woodland regeneration- loads of smashing forest path building has been planned!

https://www.goodgym.org/v3/sessions/crouch-end-open-space-creos-volunteering-day-october-2024

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Met League Cross Country Series- Goodgym Race Team

Various locations, October 2024 - February 2025

Met League Cross Country is a set of five 7-8km races organised by London race clubs. They are held in parks and forests around London with the routes including a mixture of grass, gravel and a fair bit of mud (it is XC after all!)

Sign up to the Goodgym Race Team for £15, and enter ALL 5 RACES for the bargain price of £20!

Newbies encouraged and welcomed- the most fun you can have running over the Winter months!

Fixtures

9th November Horsenden Hill https://www.goodgym.org/v3/sessions/london-met-league-cross-country

30th November Uxbridge https://www.goodgym.org/v3/sessions/london-met-league-cross-country-uxbridge

11th January Welwyn Garden City https://www.goodgym.org/v3/sessions/london-met-league-cross-country-stanborough-park

8th February Trent Park https://www.goodgym.org/v3/sessions/london-met-league-cross-country-trent-park