What a day for a Community Mission at Stephens House and Gardens.

Under blue skies and warm spring sunshine, I joined Helen and Noah to plant a Eucalyptus debeuzevillei – the Snow Gum, bought in memory of my mum after the previous tree sadly died.

This one should be a tougher customer apparently hardy and happy in a wide range of conditions — so here’s hoping it thrives. Compared with the redwood we planted a few weeks ago, this was a lighter job, but we still gave it the full treatment: compost down, soil mixed in, tree planted, and a guard grid fitted around it.

With that done, we moved on to some weeding around the pond, making the most of a truly beautiful spring day with flowers and fresh growth everywhere.

Best of all, we finished in traditional style: tea and biscuits in the Bothy garden.

A lovely afternoon, a meaningful planting, and a little bit more life added to a very special place.

Two Goodgymmers joined a fantastic community event bringing together organisations working to make Barnet a cleaner and more sustainable, organised by BeLifted.

The first panel explored ways of making businesses and community organisations sustainable. The second panel featured Community Energy Barnet and Finchley Pollinators, with some inspiring examples of how much we can achieve by coming together. Then there was some general mingling, refreshments and chats.

It was great to see a whole host of organisations, projects and people Goodgym Barnet have connected with over the years, as well as some new ones: Barnwood Community Centre, the Eco Show and Tell Fairs, National Park Cities, Coppetts Wood Conservationists, Friends of Friary Park, Barnet Friends of the Earth and some of the great volunteer organisations we meet at networking sessions.

Huge thanks to the organisers, and here's to making Barnet a healthier, cleaner and sustainable borough, one car-free journey at a time.

Three of us came together for the final planting and celebration at the new Hollickwood Community Orchard, which we helped get started in January. Subham met me in North Finchley and we ran with the gorgeous weather through Coppetts Wood to Friern Bridge Open Space, then across the A406 into Hollickwood.

There we were met by lovely staff from Earthwatch Europe and The Orchard Project, as well as some brilliant volunteers from nearby, a few from January and one or two new. We got stuck in with ferrying mulch and water for the last fruit tree (a Diospyros Kaki, a type of persimmon). Then we helped expand the 'edible island' bed to accommodate some well-weathered herbs.

Once everything was in the ground and mulched, we ran back and forth with buckets and watering cans to make sure everything had a good drink. Paul arrived just in time to help with some heavy lifting. And then it was our turn for refreshments, with some excellent vegan catering, out on the Freehold Centre patio.

We'll no doubt be back later in the year to check on things and help the Centre out with some other tasks, but for now we can congratulate ourselves on some good work, great exercise and even better weather!

Stars, sprints and shovels at Martin Primary’s Forest School

On a beautiful clear evening, with the stars out and the temperature just right for running, a magnificent seven GoodGymers set off from the Phoenix Cinema for the short 1km trip to Martin Primary School’s Forest School on Tristan Green.

Before we got moving, we squeezed in a quick warm-up with kick-ups and knee raises to get the heart rate up, then jogged through the backstreets. On the way, we even found a handy spot for a few sprints, because GoodGym never misses a chance to mix community work with a bit of fitness.

Once at the school, we got straight into the jobs that needed doing. The team helped clear and tidy the outdoor kitchen area, recovering pots and pans that had somehow spread themselves all over the forest school, and then turned to the heavier work of repairing the paths with fresh woodchip using wheelbarrows, rakes and shovels. We also tackled a rather sizeable hole, filling it in before it could cause any more trouble.

It was one of those classic GoodGym evenings that shows what the group is all about: collective energy, practical help, fresh air and exercise, all wrapped into one session. There’s something especially satisfying about getting outside on an evening like that, doing useful work alongside other people who’ve chosen to spend their time helping out locally rather than sitting indoors.

A special welcome back to Gavin joining us again for his second session, and great to have Subham there too, adding to the growing task force.

A lovely evening, a useful task, and another reminder that doing good together feels even better outdoors.

A few people came online to do Yoga.

Yoga talk Yoga teaches us to find ease in effort, comfort in discomfort, and resilience in every breath. This idea is beautifully mirrored in a concept called hormesis—the practice of facing small, manageable challenges to grow stronger and more adaptable. Whether it’s holding a pose longer than feels easy or stepping onto your mat when it’s cold outside, these moments of deliberate effort cultivate resilience.

GoodGym members joined forces with local residents for a satisfying morning of churchyard graft at St Mary-at-Finchley, the oldest building in Finchley, with parts dating back to the 12th century.

This was no ordinary tidy-up. The churchyard is packed with local history, and our task was to help protect it. We worked on the western side near the tower, clearing overgrowth, tackling stubborn roots, cutting back ivy and snowberry, and helping free up gravestones that were being slowly swallowed by vegetation.

It was great to see a healthy turnout, with GoodGym Barnet members and community volunteers all mucking in. Bit by bit, the area started to open up again, revealing memorials that had been hidden and making the churchyard feel more cared for, more visible and more respectful.

And this site really does matter. Among the memorials are Grade II listed gravestones, including the tomb of John Cartwright a significant figure in British political reform. Cartwright campaigned for fairer representation and wider voting rights, and his ideas fed into the long road towards universal suffrage. He also supported the principles behind American independence, so this quiet Finchley churchyard has connections to some very big democratic ideas.

So there we were: cutting roots, hauling back branches, tidying the past, and giving history a bit more breathing space.

A lovely community mission in a beautiful and important setting practical, purposeful, and full of local character.