We gathered once again at the ever-reliable Phoenix Cinema, braced for another properly cold winter’s evening. With the last few days dipping well below freezing, this Tuesday proved no exception and with the added prospect of snow and icy surfaces later on, safety came first.

Our task host at Shepherd Hill, Pat, made the sensible call to cancel the session there due to slippery conditions and a light covering of snow. So… Plan B it was. And when in doubt, you can always rely on GoodGym’s most generous task of all: litter picking.

We warmed up in the cinema foyer, where conversation turned to New Year’s Eve plans past, present, and imaginary. Answers ranged from the sensible (“go to bed early”) to the surreal. Subham absolutely won the night with his story of accidentally meeting Mike Tyson on a staircase in a famous New York nightclub Tyson going up, Subham coming down, polite smiles exchanged. Subham briefly considered pushing him down the stairs and claiming victory… wisely deciding against it.

It was also great to see John from Camden joining us, and the beauty of litter picking meant plenty of time to chat while quietly doing good around the local area. Always surprising (and slightly depressing) how many cigarette ends lurk around trees though there was a small victory when a blocked drain was cleared using nothing more than a litter picker and determination.

As the cold finally began to bite, we headed back inside for the important stuff: hot chocolate, refreshing drinks, and a rather large box of popcorn, courtesy of George much appreciated.

Thanks to everyone who came out, adapted, laughed, and still made a difference. Next week we’re at Stephens House & Gardens it’s a great one, so bring a friend!

Run, chat, do good see you there.

A hardy group of Goodgymmers, new and regular, gathered at the Phoenix Cinema for their regular session, only to find... the cinema was closed! Thankfully, the lovely manager was in, and more than happy for us to gather our resolve in the foyer as we prepared to go out into the dark and damp.

Tonight's mission was leafleting for the North London Hospice. Each year they offer a great service collecting Christmas trees and donations to keep themselves going. We had 500 leaflets and many pairs of hands to make light work of delivering them to nearby houses, especially the ones with all their Chrimbo decorations sparkling.

Warming up outside, we welcomed Fanny and Kingsley for the first time, as well as Narina for her second consecutive week (thanks also for bringing Kingsley!). Amazing to see Jacqui also, who can't usually make Tuesday group runs. And, of course, stalwarts Rachel, Subham and Paul making up the numbers.

Then off we went, with Rachel and Paul leading a walking group of 5, and myself, Subham and Jacqui jogging to the far end of the nearby roads, then working our way back to meet them in the middle. Then, after a quick redistribution of the remaining flyers, we set a challenge to see whether the runners could finish and get back to the Phoenix before the walkers. The walkers won, mainly because the runners stopped to take a photo.

Lucky for us, the Phoenix manager was still working and more than happy to open the bar for us! After a round of bevvies (or maybe two for some), we patted ourselves on the back for another job well done.

Looking forward to the new year, on Wednesday 7 January we'll be helping North London Hospice reap the rewards of our leafleting, collecting Christmas trees - a great follow up to start 2026 with!

We gathered at the Phoenix Cinema, full of festive spirit and only slightly intimidated by the kind of rain that looks like it’s been booked specially to test our resolve.

But, as every seasoned GoodGymer knows, the weather is never the boss of us. Sure enough, by the time we set off, the rain eased just enough for us to get moving in good spirits towards Grange Big Local estate in East Finchley.

We were meeting Emma and her brilliant volunteers from Hope North London, who are working hard to support families on the estate with Christmas lunches and festive essentials. Our job: deliver their Christmas packages to every home across the estate.

Once paired up, we were off. I teamed up with Rachael, and between us we somehow managed to do three blocks — popping back to reload like festive posties on a mission. Other teams powered through their routes too, and in no time the whole estate had received their Christmas deliveries.

With the job done and the warmth of good deeds carrying us home, we jogged back to the Phoenix for our stretch-down,

Then it was straight on to the White Lion for our Christmas get-together — good food, good chat, lots of laughter, and plenty of cheer to round off a brilliant year. let’s shout out for Narina on her first outing what a great one to be involved with!

⭐ Milestone Shout-Outs

A big festive cheer to: • Daniel M. – approaching 100 good deeds • George T. – also closing in fast on the 100 mark and for sorting out the Christmas meal! • Narina](/v3/profile/narina-bira) first ever GoodGym session (welcome!)

A fantastic outing and a reminder of what GoodGym Barnet does best: turning up, supporting our community, and having a brilliant time doing it.

7km!! of Leafleting Long Roads & Loads of Good: Supporting Citizens Advice Barnet

It was a cool, crisp evening in East Finchley perfect weather for a purposeful GoodGym group run. This week we teamed up with Citizens Advice Barnet, a charity doing vital, often unseen work supporting people across our borough. Many don’t realise that our local CAB is a standalone fundraising charity, completely reliant on grants and donations to keep offering free advice on debt, housing, benefits, employment issues and more. When people hit crisis, CAB is often the first and only safety net so helping them reach more residents felt especially worthwhile.

We met in the foyer of the Phoenix Cinema, where Louise from CAB (and keen runner!) joined us with a quick intro and a giant stack of freshly printed flyers — 1,000 of them to be exact. Our mission: get as many as possible through local letterboxes to spread the word about their current appeal, which also has a match-funding sponsor doubling any donations. If you’ve got a spare few pennies, this is the moment they go twice as far.

Before setting off, we shared the meanings behind our names from Georges to Louises to those of us named after 60s bands which set a relaxed and cheerful tone for the evening. It was also great to welcome Sonya ( meaning wisdom) , joining us for the first time in awhile!

Beattie took back-marking duties as we warmed up with a gentle jog through the cool East Finchley streets, looping past the station and into the long, straight roads around Brim Hill prime leaflet territory with plenty of front gardens, long driveways, and a fair few tempting glimpses into cosy houses on a November night.

We split into two teams of three and got to work. There’s something uniquely satisfying about a leafleting mission: a rhythm develops, steps rack up fast, you admire (or survive!) people’s front paths, and you always spot an impressive number of parcels on doorsteps.

Despite our best efforts, 1,000 leaflets was a tall order but we managed around 450, which was an excellent push for one evening. We’ll look to return for a follow-up mission to complete the rest.

A big thank you to everyone who came, to Sonia for joining us, and to Louise for bringing the materials and the motivation. Great cause, great company, and a great night.