On Friday I joined the wonderful regular volunteer team at Stephens House & Gardens (Avenue House), 17 East End Road, Finchley N3 3QE — a friendly and welcoming group who meet every Friday from 10am–12pm.

It’s a beautiful historic house set within a peaceful park right in the heart of Finchley — a real hidden gem.

The volunteers couldn’t have been warmer — and yes, there was tea and biscuits afterwards! ☕

The highlight for me was planting a Redwood tree. It was proper, satisfying work — digging the hole, carefully transferring the potted tree, guided expertly by Noah and Helen. Hard graft, but meaningful. Hopefully it will grow tall alongside the older Redwoods already standing in the park — a small legacy contribution for future generations.

We’ll be looking to list and support this Friday gardening session over the coming months, and it would be great to see some GoodGym faces join in when available.

Even if gardening isn’t your thing, please do come and: • Visit the café ☕ • Walk in the park 🌿 • Support this charitable community space • Consider hiring rooms inside the historic house for events or meetings

It’s a special local asset worth supporting.

🌱 If you’d like to join a future Friday session, let me know — I’ll be adding more dates soon.