Seven sturdy Goodgymmers gathered at the Phoenix for our group re-run to Shepherds Hill Gardens. It's a good long one, and to make it inclusive, we set up a walking group as well, with Patricia and Paul setting off early.

Yet we also gathered to celebrate yet another amazing milestone: Richard's 400th mission! Well, technically 402nd, as he'd been busy over the weekend helping at Ally Pally Park Run, but still, out came the hat, and we had our little ceremonial congratulations for the evening.

Subham joined us just in time for the warm up, and tonight's icebreaker was about pets, dissections and weird animals. Rachel shared a story about feeding crickets on the loose, and I recalled a fond memory of my tortoise, also called George. And, courtesy of Victoria, we learned schools in the US do a lot of weird dissection.

Then it was off for the long 2.7km run to Shepherds Hill, where Pat had already broken out the brooms and rake. There was a pile of dumped cement in one corner, which Subham gamely resolved, while Patricia tackled the grass areas, raking everything up. Everyone else was on path duties, catching all the early autumn leaves and carrying them in bags down to the leaf pile in the wood.

And before we knew it, it was time for our little tea break - some lovely fresh mint, guava juice and biscuits - so many biscuits, including a special vegan treat for me! We ate enough to earn the run back to the Phoenix, arriving about 20:30 for a warm down and a pat on our proverbial backs for treating ourselves to a night of fitness and helping the Friends of Shepherds Hill shepherd the hill.

A great Saturday morning session combining fitness, community at Ally Pally Parkrun.

We met at 8:50am before the 9:00am Parkrun start. The session gave GoodGym members the opportunity to take part in a challenging 5km run.

The course was challenging, with a mixture of tarmac, hard paths and trail sections, as well a significant hill. The approximately 63-metre elevation gain made it a good test of fitness and endurance. A big shout out to Subham who ran first time on the Ally Pally parkrun and did his PB on the 5k run in a few years period.

Today we put in the bag 5k run and 12.50 km cycling makes it 220-320m of climbing in total. 🙌💪

Following the run, on the way home we had coffee. It was great to contribute to an event that encourages people of all abilities to stay active and connected within their local community.

Overall, it was an enjoyable and challenging GoodGym session, combining running and social connection. A great way to start the weekend!

September litter picking – a little extra care goes a long way

September saw several of us out litter picking in our own neighbourhoods, showing how even a short session can make a noticeable difference.

Paul B returned to his regular route along the River Quaggy in Kidbrooke. Heavy rain had brought a lot of rubbish downstream and he collected around half a dozen bags for life full of muddy litter, with plans to return and finish the job.

Jacqui and Sally managed to combine a night out with a good deed, litter picking on their way back from the Chaka Khan musical in Wembley. Their haul was mainly discarded coffee cups and sandwich wrappers. Cecilia also spent 40 minutes around Herbert Road, collecting a full bag of mixed rubbish and giving the local streets some much-needed TLC.

I did my usual September litter pick, walking from home to a local park via the church. The area around the bus stop and churchyard was particularly bad. While picking in the graveyard, a lady walking through with some schoolchildren stopped to give me a very warm thank you. At the other end of the spectrum, someone rather unusually suggested I should simply “phone the council”!

Thankfully that reaction is rare. Most people are incredibly appreciative. I’ve even had council workers offer me bags and thank me for helping them out when they’re already stretched.

And perhaps that’s the wider value of doing this. It isn’t only about removing litter. It gets us outside, improves the place where we live and quietly shows other people that we care about our community. Adding that little bit of extra care will nearly always be noticed and valued.

Another Tuesday evening saw us gathering in the foyer of the Phoenix Cinema for our regular GoodGym Barnet session this time with a milestone to celebrate.

George had reached his 200th GoodGym good deed, so before we set off he was presented with his badge and his very own GoodGym Barnet cap – England-style! He duly knelt to receive it and wore it proudly for the rest of the evening.

Welcome to Patricia & Victoria both on their first group run!

After our warm-up, our icebreaker was to share a time we’d rescued an animal. Appropriately, George had rescued a fox from some netting that very day, although most of the other stories seemed to involve pigeons and other birds!

We then headed the kilometre or so to Martin Primary School, taking the back streets and stopping for a few exercises along the way to keep everyone together.

At the school we met John and, with limited tools available, split into two groups – one working out while the other shifted a large pile of woodchip across the path into the Forest School area. Twenty minutes later we were meant to swap, but there was still plenty to move, so everyone piled in. With a shiny new wheelbarrow, plenty of hands and even a few saucepans pressed into service as scoops, we got the job done.

Then it was back to the Phoenix for a celebratory drink or two, supporting our wonderful local cinema while raising a glass to George and his 200 good deeds.

Well done George – here’s to the next 200!