Three Goodgymers joined a group of local community activists helping to keep the waterways of Barnet free of litter. The group included a number of asylum seekers who are being housed locally and have been eager to get involved in the local community by engaging in volunteering with local organisations.

The task took us along the Mutton brook, near the North Circular road, and onto the Dollis Brook. These two waterways are tributaries of the river Brent, which flows south into the Thames, so keeping them clean is of benefit to many Londoners.

We collected multiple bags of rubbish, mostly the usual mix of discarded alcohol containers, packets of cigarettes and food packaging.

It was muddy work, but the rain held off and we were able to stay dry.

Thank you to the Dollis Brookers community group for organising, and to the asylum seekers who came out to help their local community.

Warmth on a Cold Night at St Mary’s

Daniel and I spent the night supporting the Winter Night Shelter at St Mary’s Church Hall in Finchley and it was a quietly humbling experience.

Run almost entirely by local volunteers, the shelter provided warmth, food and calm on a night when temperatures dropped to –2°C. By the time we arrived, guests had eaten well and were settling down to sleep across the main and smaller halls. Our role overnight was simple but important: to be present, supportive, and help ensure everything ran smoothly.

In the morning, a fresh group of volunteers arrived to prepare breakfast before guests packed up and moved on to the next venue. Seeing the interfaith community working together so seamlessly really brought home how vital and effective this network is.

Without shelters like this, nights like that could be unimaginably hard for those sleeping rough. It was a privilege to play a small part in such an important local effort.

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Two goodgymers joined a group of asylum seekers living in the local community in looking after the Mutton Brook Tiny Forest.

We talked about the four tiny forests at the site, with a combined total of 2,400 trees, and got on with the job of measuring and reporting the height and girth of a sample of trees.

These measurements go into a big database that tracks the progress of trees in more than 200 tiny forests around the country.

We also counted wildlife and collected two large bags of litter, so the site looked much tidier when we left it!

Goodgym Barnet is proud to work with groups of asylum seekers, who are often keen to contribute to the communities they live in, but lack the resources or local connections to meaningfully participate.

Through Goodgym they get connected to the local area and find ways of making a contribution while they wait for their cases to be resolved. We look forward to other similar sessions!