The Friends Of ParkLand Walk
The Parkland Walk is the longest Linear Nature Reserve in London
The Parkland Walk is the longest Linear Nature Reserve in London at 4km in length. The Park follows the former railway line connecting Finsbury Park to Alexandra Palace which opened in 1873. Its fame is now global as it often features on 'must do' lists for visitors from oversees. Make the Parkland Walk a better place for everyone.13 GoodGymers have supported The Friends Of ParkLand Walk with 3 tasks.
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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!
Sloggin' the Hoggin
Wednesday 16th December 2020
Written by Simon Fitzmaurice
AA Simon, Jack and Kathleen met up at the North London Cricket Club in Crouch End yesterday for a lunchtime CREOS task. Glenys, the head volunteer for Crouch End Open Space directed our team to their current pathway maintenance project.
Goodgym Islington have been assisting with laying down large piles of hoggin (a clay, sand and cement substrate, with really good absorption qualities) onto the pathways between Crouch End and Highgate for the past few months. The lockdown has increased the footfall around these beautiful ancient woodland areas (which is a positive!), meaning that stronger paths and less puddles are required!
AA Simon and local volunteer Rob began with clearing some of the excess mud and green waste from the paths with shovels, while Jack and Kathleen used wheelbarrows to deliver loads of builders rubble and old broken flag stones over. We used the stones to form a mosaic style pattern along the path (particularly around the steps and spots that would see the most footfall), and then covered the stones with rubble. For our final half hour, we started a human chain of wheelbarrow runners, shovelers and rakers to deposit as much of the hoggin as possible before the end of our lunch break.
We did a fantastic job with a limited time frame, and were cheered on my various dog walkers, runners, hikers and families appreciating our efforts in renovating their favourite paths. Smashing work everyone!
Rake it til you make it
Monday 14th December 2020
Written by Simon Fitzmaurice
AA Simon cycled to Crouch End Open Space (CREOS) this Monday lunchtime to help the local volunteer team with maintaining the footpaths between Shepards Hill Allotments and Highgate. Our task involved creating and clearing some ditches running alongside the paths- acting as a gutter for excess rainwater. The gutters help to clear the water from the paths, lessening the amount of puddles appearing on the footway and keeping these lovely woods accessible. AA Simon used a rake to gather up the mud and leaves from the ditches, and then swept up the paths with a strong brush. Very satisfying work- the hoggin (a groundcover material made of gravel, sand and clay) started to appear under the muck! We did a great job over the course of an hour!
Goodgym Islington will be back again on Wednesday at 12 midday. Sign up here to get involved! https://www.goodgym.org/happenings/lunchtime-creos-hoggin-laying-3610948d-c8da-413d-b490-69549a0e5a7b