GoodGym Islington
We Litter-ally Cleaned Up Finsbury Park Last Night
Monday 25th August
Written by Simon Fitzmaurice
Last night, Goodgym Islington held a special Bank Holiday group run session, combining a lovely run down The Parkland Walk with the excellent work promoted by Trash Free Trails. A deviation from our usual meeting location, Area Activator Simon caught up with our running group (including first timers Da Marcus and Katya, and returning Goodgymmer Paul - welcome!) outside the Woodman Pub in Highgate, ready to try out some Plogging.
Plogging is the environmentally conscious activity of collecting litter while jogging, or performing another physical exercise, such as walking or hiking. The word is a portmanteau of the Swedish word "plocka upp" (to pick up) and the English word "jogging". The activity originated in Sweden in 2016 and has since become a global phenomenon, combining fitness with community and environmental action.
Our crew ran and cycled together down the Capital Ring Trail, while picking up the occasional dropped bottle or can on route (the path has been well maintained by The Friends of the Parkland Walk). The former railway line is famous as being a unique wooded trail cutting through Haringey and Islington, and is a must for anyone looking to explore the boroughs!
About 2 miles down the path, we arrived at Finsbury Park by crossing over a railway bridge. The amount of litter and debris greatly increased as we entered the park, particularly towards the latter part of a Bank Holiday Weekend. We peeled off into small groups, and filled up multiple heavy duty black bin bags with refuse in no time, while jogging towards The Museum of Homelessness in Manor House. Goodgym Islington were part of the original volunteering crews at MOH back in 2023, and we are thrilled to see how much progress has been made since our last visits!
To finish up the evening, we plogged all along the side of Seven Sisters Road (a wind block for rubbish blown across the park), and stopped by the funfair entrance near Blackstock Road. After an hour and a half of plogging, we had gathered at least 9 hefty bags of rubbish, that would otherwise have ended up in bushes and wildlife habitats. Well done everyone!
A group of us celebrated a job well done by visiting the Someday Canteen opposite Finsbury Park station for pizza, tacos and refreshments. Area Activator Simon also marked 6 years as the Goodgym Islington coordinator, and hopes for many more to come!
GOODGYM ISLINGTON NEWS
SESSIONS IN SEPTEMBER
Group Run- Isledon Gardens 6.45pm, Arsenal Community Hub Monday 1st September
Community Mission- Light of the World Church Gardening and Painting 7.15pm, Lighthouse Community Centre, Evershot Street, Monday 8th September
Group Run - Caledonian Park- Autumn Path Building 6.45pm, Arsenal Community Hub, Monday 15th September
https://www.goodgym.org/v3/sessions/group-run-caledonian-park-autumn-path-building
Community Mission - Highbury Quadrant Estate Gardens 7.15pm, Highbury Quadrant Estate Wildflower Gardens, Monday 22nd September
Group Run - Thornhill Square Gardens, 6.45pm, Arsenal Community Hub, Monday 29th September
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Achilles International VI Guide Running Sessions
Every Thursday, 6pm, Various London locations
On Thursday evenings, the all abilities sports charity Achilles International holds a group run session at a London location.
Here is a list of our upcoming events and sign up pages. Runners, supporters and guides of all abilities and experiences welcome!
Stratford Olympic Park Thursday 28th August
Arsenal Emirates Stadium Thursday 4th September
Paddington Rec Track Maida Vale Thursday 11th September
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Penn Road Gardens - July Volunteer Day
Sunday 31st August, 10am - midday, Penn Road Gardens
Every last Sunday of the month, the residents of Penn Road invite keen volunteers to help with maintaining this lovely community spot just off Holloway Road.
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The Post Big Half After Party
Saturday 7th September, 11.30am onwards, The Mitre, Southwark
Come to the after-party for a social with your fellow GoodGymers and celebrate your achievements!
https://www.goodgym.org/v3/sessions/post-big-half-after-party-eed83bcd-77c9-425e-8264-84af1a37ce12
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Compton Terrace Gardens- Volunteer Session
Saturday 13th September, 10am - 1pm, Union Chapel, Islington
A smashing community mission for those partaking in Highbury Fields or Finsbury parkrun on a Saturday morning!
A friendly gardening group started to look after the park about 10 years ago. We are always looking for more help - with planting, mulching, pruning, and all the other things a garden needs.
Everyone welcome, no special skills needed! Lots of fresh air and a nice chance to meet local people. We meet once a month on a Saturday morning near the shed in the middle of the Gardens.
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Golden Olden Community Gardens - Monthly Volunteer Open Day
Saturday 20th September, 10am - 2pm, Opposite Whistler Street, Islington
Olden Community Garden is a charity that maintains this lovely green space, with the object to promote a community garden for the benefit of people living or working in the London Borough of Islington. Olden Garden gives local people opportunities for education and recreation, with the aim of increasing involvement in the community and reducing isolation.
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Camino Ultra Epping Forest 50km and 25km Eco Trail- Aid Station Superstars 2025!!!
Sunday 4th October, 9am onwards, Rangers Road, Chingford
DaznBone (aka Darren Strachan and David Bone) and the Camino Ultra team are putting together the logistics for their next 50km ultra race (running from Wanstead Flats, up the green corridor to Epping Forest and back), and have invited the Goodgym crew to get involved!
On the course, there will be 4 major aid stops, and we have been invited to take over the first refresh point and the penultimate aid station.
This will involve providing water and snacks to runners of all abilities during the key stages of their race, and to support them with smiling faces and enthusiasm!
Summertime Speed with Achilles International in Hyde Park
Thursday 21st August
Written by Simon Fitzmaurice
We had a bumper turn out for guide runners, VI athletes and guide dogs for our final Achilles International session in Hyde Park for 2025. We were treated to beautiful sunshine and excellent running conditions. Welcome to our new guides and runners too!
We will be at Stratford Olympic Park for our next group run session with Achilles International on Thursday 28th September:
Goodgym Islington: Leaping into action at FROGS
Monday 18th August
Written by Simon Fitzmaurice
On yet another muggy and humid Monday evening, Area Activator Simon was joined by 3 keen Goodgym runners for a fun social run right down to the Islington / Shoreditch border. Louise, Deirdre and Alice ran together from the Arsenal Community Hub, through Upper Street and down towards Regent's Canal and the City Basin- a solid 2.2 mile run with one slight wrong turn! The canalside was buzzing with activity - folks commuting from Angel or Kings Cross, the Islington Boat Club leading kayak sessions or fellow running groups passing through.
Upon our arrival, we met with Matthew, Mehmet and Eslam, and got straight to work with a variety of tasks laid out by The Friends of Graham Street (aka FROGS). Our first (and most important) task involved using buckets and watering cans to hydrate the community planting beds and allotments around Graham Street Park. We carefully dripped our vessels into the canal water, and made our way to the planting gardens by the open playground (covered in street art by Skeleton Cardboard), and towards the East of the park.
In the meantime, Matthew, Mehmet and Eslam were busy digging out a compost bin, and mixing the contents together (allowing the material to aerate). We used shovels for the initial digging, and forks for the shifting, while pouring more water onto the compost mixture for additional hydration. Towards the end of our session, we successfully piled the fertiliser back into the bin, ready to be cultivated for spring time. Louise and Eslam even washed the tarpaulin covers in the Regents Canal before placing them back in position.
Excellent work, everyone. A really efficient evening for jobs for this lovely community group. Keep your eyes peeled for more sessions on World Clean Up Day on Saturday 20th September!
https://www.worldcleanupday.org/
GOODGYM ISLINGTON NEWS
SESSIONS IN AUGUST
Bank Holiday Special Group Run- Parkland Walk Plogging with Camino Ultra and Trash Free Trails 6.15pm, The Woodman Pub, Highgate Monday 25th August
Group Run- Isledon Gardens 6.45pm, Arsenal Community Hub Monday 1st September
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Post Group Run Social August- Someday Canteen, Finsbury Park
Monday 25th August, 8.15pm, Someday Canteen, Finsbury Park
Area Activator Simon began leading sessions for Goodgym Islington 6 years ago, taking the reins from Goodgym legend Paul Bown (still active in GG Sheffield). We invite you for good food, excellent refreshments and fun times!
—-----------------------------------
Achilles International VI Guide Running Sessions
Every Thursday, 6pm, Various London locations
On Thursday evenings, the all abilities sports charity Achilles International holds a group run session at a London location.
Here is a list of our upcoming events and sign up pages. Runners, supporters and guides of all abilities and experiences welcome!
Hyde Park Lancaster Gate Thursday 21st August
Stratford Olympic Park Thursday 28th August
Arsenal Emirates Stadium Thursday 4th September
Paddington Rec Track Maida Vale Thursday 11th September
—---------------------------
Penn Road Gardens - July Volunteer Day
Sunday 31st August, 10am - midday, Penn Road Gardens
Every last Sunday of the month, the residents of Penn Road invite keen volunteers to help with maintaining this lovely community spot just off Holloway Road.
—--------------------------------------
The Post Big Half After Party
Saturday 7th September, 11.30am onwards, The Mitre, Southwark
Come to the after-party for a social with your fellow GoodGymers and celebrate your achievements!
https://www.goodgym.org/v3/sessions/post-big-half-after-party-eed83bcd-77c9-425e-8264-84af1a37ce12
—-----------------------------
Compton Terrace Gardens- Volunteer Session
Saturday 13th September, 10am - 1pm, Union Chapel, Islington
A smashing community mission for those partaking in Highbury Fields or Finsbury parkrun on a Saturday morning!
A friendly gardening group started to look after the park about 10 years ago. We are always looking for more help - with planting, mulching, pruning, and all the other things a garden needs.
Everyone welcome, no special skills needed! Lots of fresh air and a nice chance to meet local people. We meet once a month on a Saturday morning near the shed in the middle of the Gardens.
—-----------------------------
Golden Olden Community Gardens - Monthly Volunteer Open Day
Saturday 20th September, 10am - 2pm, Opposite Whistler Street, Islington
Olden Community Garden is a charity that maintains this lovely green space, with the object to promote a community garden for the benefit of people living or working in the London Borough of Islington. Olden Garden gives local people opportunities for education and recreation, with the aim of increasing involvement in the community and reducing isolation.
—---------------------------
Camino Ultra Epping Forest 50km and 25km Eco Trail- Aid Station Superstars 2025!!!
Sunday 4th October, 9am onwards, Rangers Road, Chingford
DaznBone (aka Darren Strachan and David Bone) and the Camino Ultra team are putting together the logistics for their next 50km ultra race (running from Wanstead Flats, up the green corridor to Epping Forest and back), and have invited the Goodgym crew to get involved!
On the course, there will be 4 major aid stops, and we have been invited to take over the first refresh point and the penultimate aid station.
This will involve providing water and snacks to runners of all abilities during the key stages of their race, and to support them with smiling faces and enthusiasm!
Tidying his garden for Mr J
Friday 15th August
Written by Hackney runner
I had a great time helping Mr J with some gardening and weeding on Friday! It was a beautiful evening to be outside, and we made a lot of progress on getting his garden back in shape.
The mission was to help Mr J be able to fully use and enjoy his outdoor space, and I'm happy to report we're well on our way! I focused on weeding a large section of the garden, clearing out overgrown areas to make them tidy and manageable again. There's still a bit to do, but it's amazing what an hour and a half of dedicated work can accomplish.
Just a trim.
Friday 15th August
Written by Nick Moore
A return visit to Mr F's on a sunny Friday afternoon to mow his lawn and tidy up the borders - the lack of rain had meant the grass hadn't grown too long since my last visit, but the greenery in the borders had definitely taken advantage of the growing conditions, so it was as much a case of plucking as it was trimming with the mower. Mr F was impressed with my handiwork, and asked for a repeat visit in a month's time.
Did someone say "cake"?!
Saturday 16th August
Written by Islington runner
The Olden Community Garden is a haven of tranquility, wildlife and green things, hidden between a railway line and a cobbled residential street near Drayton Park. Kelly and David received a warm welcome - and an offer of tea and a tour.
We were tasked with bagging up all the Three-Cornered Leeks that had been dug up, for commercial composting. Sounds lovely and smells lovely, but it was too risky to locally compost this invasive species. We then sifted the contents of another compost bin, for usable fine compost - a rather inventive process involving a shovel, two wheelbarrows and a vegetable crate. After three hours of a good core and arm workout, it was time for a break and homemade cake with the other volunteers.
Look out for this monthly gardening task - a friendly volunteering team and a lovely tranquil location. And did I mention cake....?
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