GoodGym Barnet came to support a community day at the Tiny Forest situated just off the North circular. We gathered to do various activities, including litter, picking, carbon capture measurements and bulb planting, but more importantly, it was a chance to catch up and chat with our neighbours and friends. The highlight of the gathering was listening to a poem read by Annabel Borushek about the Tiny Forest that she had helped plant and look after over the last two years.

Community

The tiny forest. By the side of a busy road. Sucking up carbon dioxide from our cars, helping to clean the world. That drought in July. Summoned by a message on my dad's phone. Some dying trees in a newly-born forest. Would we come help water them? So, we went. We saw neighbours, friends. Who had come to help Hands reached to buckets, buckets reached to water, Which blossomed Because of our tinyforest community Community is what helped us overcome that drought, Help those trees. And it is community that will help us solve climate change I know that one tiny forest won't change the world. But together - We can all help solve climate change

By Annabel Borushek, Age 12 ©

Thanks to all those GoodGym members who came along to the community day for the Tiny Forest Barnet on Sunday. It was a lovely sunny warm day. Perfect conditions to do a little bit of litter, picking, weeding and of course, some citizen science. It was great to see some young families visiting as well as all ages of the community. The trees seem to be flourishing, and we found it tricky to negotiate a route. But there’s still lots of weeding to do if you find some time. We hope to go back soon. Thanks for coming along and please do encourage anybody to visit the Tiny Forest and take part in the citizen science or just enjoy the green space.

Please also check out and share the following about a Tiny Forest tour. If you know anybody in these locations, please forward on the details.

Tiny Forest volunteer and his dog embark on a Tiny Tour to inspire urban communities to connect with nature

GoodGym and Tiny Forest volunteer Paul Salman, and his dog Gus, are taking to the road in their campervan on a Tiny Tour this August, visiting seven Tiny Forests from Oxford to Nottingham. Travelling almost 200 miles over 11 days, Paul will meet with local communities to encourage them to spend time in and connect with their local Tiny Forest through a variety of activities including yoga, forest maintenance, and citizen science. Everyone who is based along the route is invited to come along and support Paul on his journey and discover their local Tiny Forest. The Tour will begin on 14 August at Witney, Earthwatch Europe’s first ever Tiny Forest, planted in March 2020. And having reached his final destination, the tour will come to an end at Bulwell Park in Nottingham on 24 August. Paul became a Tree Keeper volunteer for Mutton Brook Tiny Forest in Barnet, London, through membership of his local GoodGym group. The group regularly meets at the Tiny Forest, bringing together GoodGym’s mission to do social good and the nature and wellbeing benefits of Tiny Forest. Inspired by the active community in Barnet, Paul decided to embark on a ‘Tiny Tour’ to discover some of the other Tiny Forests in the network, engage with their local communities, and inspire more people to get involved. There are over 200 Tiny Forests across the UK looked after by over 600 Tree Keeper volunteers. The project, pioneered by environmental charity Earthwatch Europe in the UK, is based on the Miyawaki planting method from Japan which aims to create fast-growing miniature woodlands that develop into a natural forest ecosystem as they grow. Each forest is made up of approximately 600 densely planted native trees and shrubs covering a space the size of a tennis court. Located in urban settings, Tiny Forests aim to help mitigate the impacts of climate change, provide havens for wildlife and connect people with nature in their local area. Spending time in natural green spaces like Tiny Forest improves people’s physical and mental wellbeing. GoodGym is a community of people who get fit by doing good. Covering most urban areas across the UK, the GoodGym community run, walk and cycle to do physical tasks for community projects and to support older people. Over 20,000 GoodGymers have carried out over 300,000 good deeds to help older people and community organisations throughout the UK. Paul will be visiting and hosting events at the following Tiny Forest sites: 1. Witney, Oxford - Monday 14 August 2. Meadow Lane, Oxford – Tuesday 15 August 3. Oak Street, Wolverhampton - Friday 18 August 4. Mill Lane, Walsall - Saturday 19 August 5. Queen’s Park, Hinckley - Monday 21 August 6. Holt Drive, Charnwood - Wednesday 23 August 7. Bulwell Hall Park, Nottingham - Thursday 24 August Paul Salman, Tree Keeper and GoodGym volunteer, said: “A Tiny Forest is something that people get very excited about. They quickly understand all the benefits it will bring and see it as a really positive community-building activity, so they just want to get involved. It is representative of what trees do, and more importantly bigger forests do all over the world, to clean the air, slow down water run-off and provide a habitat."

Jack Da Silva, Tiny Forest Lead at GoodGym, said:

"Paul has been instrumental in getting GoodGymers involved in the Mutton Brook Tiny Forest and supporting them in learning more about biodiversity and experiencing the various benefits of being in natural green spaces. We are really excited to follow Paul's journey to inspire even more people to connect with their local Tiny Forest. It is also fantastic to see further collaboration and a strengthening of our partnership with Earthwatch."

Divya Kumar, Community Engagement Coordinator at Earthwatch, said: “When Paul approached us about undertaking a tour of Tiny Forests with plans to host events that connect with and inspire local communities we were thrilled at the idea. We are also pleased to be able to build on our partnership with GoodGym who are helping to link communities with their Tiny Forests across the UK. Using Tiny Forests as spaces to connect with nature and bring people together is what the Tiny Forest movement is all about.”

Find out more about Paul and Gus’s Tiny Tour and how you can get involved at https://earthwatch.org.uk/tiny-tour Sign up for Tiny Forest events at https://earthwatch.org.uk/get-involved/events

About Earthwatch Europe Earthwatch Europe is an environmental charity with science at its heart. We drive the change needed to live within our means and in balance with nature. We do this by: • Connecting people with the natural world • Monitoring the health of our natural resources • Informing the actions that will have the greatest positive impact Earthwatch is pioneering Tiny Forest in the UK, and is working with partners - including businesses, local authorities, schools and communities - to plant, maintain and monitor their Tiny Forest. For further information about Tiny Forests or Earthwatch, visit our website at https://earthwatch.org.uk/get-involved/tiny-forest or email pressoffice@earthwatch.org.uk
About GoodGym GoodGym is a community of people who get fit by doing good. Covering most urban areas across the UK, the GoodGym community run, walk and cycle to do physical tasks for community projects and to support older people. GoodGym arose out of a frustration with normal gyms being a waste of energy and human potential. So instead, GoodGym supports and encourages adults to combine regular exercise with helping isolated and older people, and community projects. You can find out more here: https://www.goodgym.org/about