Our first balmy weather of the year brought a friendly group of six Goodgymmers together for a session at Shepherds Hill Gardens. Four of us set off from the Phoenix, with Theo rocking up just in time to set off as our fifth for the 3km run.

The run had us dodging tree roots, leaping over dogs, swerving around pedestrians and somersaulting cars. (Well, not really, but I'm trying to earn the pun in this report title. We were SUPER-safe and observant the whole way.)

Rescheduled from earlier in the year, we were glad to see Pat fighting fit and - bless her indomitable kindness - already prepping refreshments! We got stuck in with brooms and rakes, clearing leaves at the top of the Gardens. Working in pairs, we swept the paths and benches, scooped up the green waste and carried it down to the dead hedges and piles in the wood.

Then we settled at a bench for biscuits, hot chocolate, fresh mint tea and a special treat just for the vegan among us (me!): samosas. Though within moments we had a new vegan signed up to a plant-based dietary regime for the rest of his life - well done Paul! (I'm sure he wasn't just after a samosa.) We also spotted some violets along the wall by the path - lovely early signs of spring.

Tonight's question was: which actor, living or dead, would you like to play you in the biopic of your life? Here's a 'match the actor to the Goodgymmer' quiz:

GGers George / Paul / Subham / Jack / Lucy / Theo

Actors El Vez / Angelina Jolie / Jonny Depp / Philip Seymour Hoffman / Robert Redford / Jack Nicholson

This was a cycle route using Dollis Brook and Pymmes Brook . Jack was meant to join me but got pulled away for some urgent work, so I rode most of it solo which actually gave me a great chance to really test the roof properly. Jack was meant to join me but got pulled away for some urgent work, so I rode most of it solo which actually gave me a great chance to really test the roof properly. Cool dry condition a couple of muddy patches to keep things interesting but nothing sketchy. The big win is that it’s most of off-road traffic free and feels properly Green despite being right in BARNET. It rolls nicely works in all weathers and his ideal if you’re new to a group ride or just want to relax and have a social spin rather than a lung Buster. Honestly, it’s a perfect starter for a bike scenic for Giving and confidence boosting with plenty of places to pause chat and enjoy the surroundings. I’ll be listing this again in about a month or so and next time Jack will be there too. Join us next time if you fancy an easy welcoming ride that shows just how much green space we’ve got on our doorstep.

These January nights are getting easier! Despite the day's rain, we had a cool, clear evening in which to help our favourite local cinema charity and community hub, the Phoenix.

A whopping 7 Goodgymmers showed up tonight, but the Phoenix could only find a couple of hundred leaflets for us, so we immediately plotted a longer route. During our warm up, Jack gave us the question to chat about: favourite films. A good one! Rachel went with one of her favourite comedies, Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Paul chose Groundhog Day, so he'll be going back leafleting every day this week until he works out how to break the loop.

Then we set off with Lucinda and Subham backmarking. Around the corner and up a long road, we targeted houses we'd not leafleted for a while, to remind them, yes, cinema is great and they are in walking distance of a lovely venue. Jacqui snapped action shots of people hitting letterboxes. Down a really interesting cul-de-sac with retirement bungalows, George disturbed an old, lazy fox sleeping on a doormat.

We ran out of leaflets soon after, so Paul suggested we jog over to the corner of Highgate Wood and do sprints up the Capital Ring path. After two rounds of that we headed back, with a short detour via a famous musician's home (clue: we admired the wonderful walls). Subham's creative interpretation of backmarking put him in the lead, so we had another quick sprint to keep ahead of him then our warm down stretch outside the Phoenix.

We rounded off with a round of drinks and popcorn at the Phoenix, making judicious use of our 10% discount at the bar. No better way to spend a January evening!

GoodGym Barnet Starter Session & January Challenge Good Deed

A dull January day, but thankfully the rain mostly held off just the odd light mist to keep things atmospheric.

We gathered at Stephens House & Gardens, chatting and welcoming everyone along. Huge thanks to today’s heroes , and a big welcome to Joyceon her very first GoodGym run she did magnificently and fitted right in from the off.

We spent a bit of time talking about why Stephens House & Gardens is such a special place. As a charitable trust, it relies heavily on volunteers and community support, and it’s somewhere we help throughout the year with a wide range of tasks.

From there, we headed off to Long Lane Pastures, a local nature reserve we support occasionally. It’s a fantastic spot to explore, but the path alongside it was looking pretty tired, so out came the bags and litter-pickers. With limited time we didn’t quite finish the job definitely one to return to.

We then ran on to visit the Tiny Forest, giving our newer runners and walkers a flavour of the kinds of community projects we support on GoodGym runs.

After the session, some of us rounded things off with well-earned snacks and drinks at the Stables Café back at Stephens House & Gardens a perfect way to end the morning.

Another great example of getting active, doing good, and enjoying each other’s company. Well done everyone