Brambles, Banter and Baby Bottles: A Run to Remember at Cherry Tree Woods

We kicked off the evening at he Phoenix Cinema with our now-traditional circle chat—this time diving into our earliest childhood memories. From the sound of milk bubbling in baby bottles to first flights to India and tales of youthful bumps and scrapes, the stories flowed almost as freely as the banter and laughter.

With nostalgia warmed, we split into runners and walkers and headed downhill to Cherry Tree Woods—just half a kilometre away. One kind passer-by even applauded us on our way down, a first for many of us!

At the woods, we met András, our fantastic host from the Friends of Cherry Tree Wood, who had tools lined up and tasks ready. But first—bramble bashing could wait—a quick fitness session on the open field. Some warm up exercises and a nice plank to finish. we are now ready to take on the brambles!

Armed with loppers, rakes, and shovels, we got stuck into clearing overgrown brambles. We powered through the first patch so quickly that we tackled a second area before time ran out. Litter was picked, pathways cleared, and even some locals stopped to say thank you.

As we walked and ran back in small groups, it was clear just how much can be achieved in under an hour when a group of people come together with purpose and energy. It’s always a privilege to support local volunteer groups like Friends of Cherry Tree Wood, whose ongoing work makes these spaces safe and welcoming for the whole community.

The first person to read this and write a comment get a drink from me!

A brave gaggle of Goodgymmers gathered for our latest group run to Northway Gardens, where we were helping Brian clear the banks of the brook. A somewhat failed attempt at a conversation starter in 'What would you use AI for?', mostly leading to the answer 'To solve the need to ever have to use AI'. So we appointed Rachel to come up with a better prompt for next week!

We set off in good time, Beattie marking the rear, jogging through the back alleys of East Finchley. At Lyttleton Playing Field, we stopped briefly for squat kicks and some core strengthening - the braver among us doing one-armed planks.

Meeting Brian on Northway, he produced two pairs of trusty loppers and set us off in groups either side of the stream, cutting back the overgrowth. Daniel emerged from the undergrowth, having run straight to site - great to see him back again on his second group run in the past month.

Then to work! We cut back self-seeding trees, mostly elder, some figs, and our extra hands ran back and forth, like mobile trees (hence the Macbeth reference!) across the road to the dumping pile. It was hot and careful work, making sure no one took a swan dive into the drink while trimming saplings. We made it as far as the bridge, and made a big difference to the garden's view along the way.

Jogging back, Lucinda took up backmarking duties, and guess what? She's completed her 25th good deed! Well done!

With all the heat, we agreed we needed some refreshments, so we returned to the White Lion for a quencher and chitchat and a promise to be back next week, when we'll be helping Roger and the Friends of Cherry Tree Wood.

It's a very short run, so you can expect https://www.goodgym.org/v3/profile/paul-salman to lead a work out circuit or maybe even some yoga. See you there!

Leaflets, Lunges & Local Advice: GoodGym Supports Citizens Advice Barnet

Nine of us gathered outside the iconic Phoenix Cinema for a GoodGym Barnet group run with a real purpose—supporting Citizens Advice Barnet. Louise from the charity kicked things off with a short talk about their work, reminding us just how much this vital service relies on local fundraising and volunteers to survive.

Before setting off, we went round the group sharing our current favourite topics of conversation—from Spanish pilots to obscure poetic periods, running tales to curious dietary trends. Let’s just say it was an eclectic warm-up for the brain as well as the body.

The physical warm-up followed suit: hill drills, knees-up, kicks, skipping and high-intensity bursts by the cinema steps. Then we split into two teams, with George back-marking and keeping us together as we pounded the pavements of East Finchley.

Both teams made light work of their routes, running efficiently through local streets, posting through doors with precision. If there was ever a pause, we threw in a few extra exercises to keep the energy up. Between us, we delivered over 500 leaflets—not bad for a Tuesday night!

The leaflets promoted a fundraising gig in support of Citizens Advice Barnet, featuring Pop & Rock covers by The Jiminy Rockit Band:

Thursday 3rd July 2025 | 8.00–10.30pm (doors open 7pm) The Claddagh Ring, 10 Church Road, NW4 4EA £13 General Admission / £5 Staff & Volunteers

Let’s hope the effort raises both funds and awareness for a service that helps so many across our borough.

Great work team—same time next week?

GoodGym Barnet: Digging In for a Charity with 500 Years of Local Care

Last night’s GoodGym Barnet run was all about celebrating the variety of good deeds we’ve done over the years — from scrubbing graffiti off cinema walls, helping local businesses learn about waste disposal, delivering community leaflets, to good old-fashioned graft that leaves you tired but satisfied, and with a deeper bond to the local community.

This week we turned our legs and hands to one of Barnet’s oldest community pillars: The Finchley Charities, which has been supporting local people in need for over 500 years. They run almshouses, allotments and vital welfare projects — and last night’s mission was at their community allotment, used for educational projects and to supply fresh produce to the Essential Food Bank.

As usual, we gathered at the Phoenix Cinema — our regular HQ — where we swapped favourite mission stories and congratulated Beattie on completing her 101st GoodGym good deed! With the sun blazing down on a warm summer evening, we set off for a gentle jog along the High Street to Fuel Lands, about 1.5 km away. Subham Basu back-marked the group safely as we paused by the locked gates, stretching and doing a few bus-stop squats, which must have amused the passing traffic.

Once Peps from The Finchley Charities arrived to let us in, we joined other local volunteers and got stuck in — clearing brambles, tidying up plots, and helping make the site productive and welcoming for the charity’s projects and future visitors.

It was hard work under the warm evening sky, but everyone agreed it felt great to contribute a small piece to a legacy that has helped underprivileged local residents for half a millennium.

Tools down, brambles conquered, we regrouped and jogged back to the Phoenix — another GoodGym Barnet evening done, and another bit of Barnet made better, together.

Huge thanks to everyone who came — and to The Finchley Charities for their tireless local support and for welcoming us onto their allotment. Here’s to the next 500 years!