On Tuesday evening, GoodGym Barnet volunteers Beattie,Theo,Ed and Richard headed back to Long Lane Pasture, the site of our group run, for a session filled with teamwork, headtorches, and a whole lot of woodchip.

Richard took the lead as run leader, guiding the group safely along the darker parts of the route. Beattie welcomed everyone with her trademark warmth, while Theodore and Edward kept the group together as back markers, ensuring no one was left behind.

🌱 Meeting Donald & Getting Stuck In We met with Donald, one of the dedicated task owners from the Long Lane Pasture.

Donald had prepared three large sacks of woodchip, ready to be moved up a hill and spread along a 60cm‑wide earth pathway. Armed with shovels, buckets, gloves, and headtorches, the team got straight to work. The group formed a smooth rhythm — scooping, carrying, tipping, and raking — gradually transforming the track into a refreshed path that will benefit visitors and protect the site’s biodiversity.

Huge appreciation to everyone who came out — Beattie, Theodore, Edward and Richard keeping the group safe and together.

Long Lane Pasture looked better already by the time we left, and Donald was delighted with the progress. A brilliant evening of community, graft, and GoodGym spirit.

A bright and energetic Saturday morning saw Jacqui, Subham, and Richard heading to Sunny Hill parkrun for a start‑your‑weekend‑right session.

Meeting at the start line just before 9am, with the group gathering at the starting. The atmosphere was classic Sunny Hill: friendly volunteers, eager runners, and that familiar mix of nerves and excitement before the countdown begins.

The trio joined the 5km course, taking on Sunny Hill’s famously undulating route. Whether powering up the climbs or cruising down the descents, everyone kept strong momentum and supported each other throughout. A great effort all round.

The team meant to support the parkrun community but it wasn't required at the end. Sunny Hill parkrun relies on volunteers every week of barcode scanning, stewarding, and keeping the event running smoothly for all participants. Keep yourself updated on their Facebook page

After finishing, the trio walked down to the local cafe to drink a well deserved refreshment.

Turn up and help make someone’s Saturday healthier and happier, we’ll be back again soon.

Five Goodgymmers gathered at the Phoenix for the short run to the Fuel Land Allotments, where Brigid and Les were already at work on the Finchley Charities' community allotment.

But before we got started, it was time for a takeover! Beattie and Rachel brilliantly stepped up to lead our warm up as part of This Girl Can's Move for 10 campaign. Our 10min warm up started with some gentle jogging on the spot, before getting into: * lifting knees and kicking backsides * jump twisting * hip joint warm ups * sprinting on the spot * imaginary stick breaking over the knee * and skipping up the side road then back down

As we did so, they gave us two icebreaker questions for the evening because women have to work twice as hard to succeed! No arguments there! Our questions were: * When was the last time you had a girl boss? * When have you experienced nature 'in tooth and claw' (i.e. the scary side)?

With our brief answers in mind and our muscles warmed up, we set off for the Fuel Lands with Sheela back marking, hearing about all the great bosses we'd had and that time I hit a hornet with a skewer, or the two mice Rachel found nesting in her boot over the weekend (and which Beattie had mysteriously passed to her to put on without disturbing them moments before, but she definitely didn't put them in there herself).

At the gates, Sheela let us in and we made our way to the community plot, where Brigid and Les set us on a number of tasks. First there were some logs to carry. Then we tried and failed - possibly fortunately, for health and safety reasons - to lift the lid on a well cover, to see what was going on. Beattie managed to spy through a corner what was going on - mud, no water, not a lot of excitement - which was sufficient to tell us to delve no deeper.

Sheela and I then helped sow wildflowers as part of the Finchley Pollinators' plans to sow 600 mini-meadows this year. Richard helped Les move some of the paving slabs we'd dug up earlier in the summer, then was joined by the others to help move a large, empty water tank to nearer some beds. Brigid was busy chopping up comfrey leaves to fertilise trenchesa around a bed, and told us the history of the variety - bocking 14, which is a sterile variety developed in the village of Bocking, Essex. It's apparently as nutritious as manure for the soil.

With the daylight fading, we started tidying away tools, but at the shed at the back we still had a pile of sticks they'd dragged from the side by the fence, which needed sorting. So, with 10 minutes left of the session, we decided to snap all the smaller branches off and put them in the wheelbarrows, so the larger branches would be easier to move around.

No promises, but the sticks may end up fuel for a barrow fire in late October, when we go back (with headtorches) for one last session.

(Also! I can't remember any of the puns people were coming up with for the report - something about wells? Post in the comments if you remember!)