Ellie Simpson
54
Good Deeds
Workouts
54
Cheers given
0
Cheers received
62
Expand Down
Member
Doing good since August 2018
0 Month Streak
1 Month Streak
Latest activity
Ellie Simpson went on a group run
Mon 2nd Sep at 6:45pm
Islington Report written by Simon Fitzmaurice
Area Activator Simon was thrilled to catch up with 6 Goodgym legends at the Arsenal Community Hub (Emirates Stadium) last night, including returning Islington runner Ellie, Big Half finisher Louise and first time attendee Louise- welcome!
Together, we engaged in a dynamic warm up on the Emirates slopes (particularly useful for those with tired legs), before running up Sussex Way to Archway (approx 1.6 miles). Upon our arrival at Caxton House, we met with local volunteer coordinator Rose for a briefing and some much appreciated cups of water (very humid still!). Our first objective for the night was to admire the outcome of our Goodgym sessions in May, June and July 2024- a lovely planting spot and quiet garden space has been constructed out from the wild weeds, discarded plastic pipes and old dry soil at the back of the centre. Youngsters from the children's group helped with planting new bulbs and seeds last week, so we hope to see them flourish!
Our task for the evening was to help with clearing up the main entrance garden space- lovely and green, but overgrown over summer. Between us, we separated into 2 groups- group 1 assisted with using scrapers and trowels to pick out the weeds protruding from the paving slabs around the concourse. Group 2 used loppers and secateurs to trim back and remove the vines and tree branches that smothered the benches and searing areas. We kept sweeping up all green waste as we went, and easily filled 5 bags of weeds and moss by the end of our session.
A total transformation within 50 minutes of help- great job everyone!
--------------------------------------‐-----------
GOODGYM ISLINGTON NEWS
Changes to Monday Group Sessions from September 2024
SEPTEMBER GROUP SESSIONS
Due to changes within Goodgym HQ, Area Activator Simon has agreed to lead a group run every fortnight, not weekly. However, a group session will still always be listed on a Monday, even if a group run is not included.
Here is a run down for September:
GROUP SESSIONS- SEPTEMBER 2024
Monday 9th September- Return to Caxton House Gardens- Community Mission 7.15pm, Task Location
Monday 16th September- Lighthouse Community Project- Group Run 6.45pm, Arsenal Community Hub
Monday 23rd September- Thornhill Square Gardens- Community Mission 7.15pm, Task Location
https://www.goodgym.org/v3/sessions/community-mission-thornhill-square-gardens
Monday 30th September- Hornsey Rise Playground- Group Run 6.45pm, Arsenal Community Hub
https://www.goodgym.org/v3/sessions/group-run-sunnyside-community-centre
---‐------------------------------------
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!
Thursday 5th September- Paddington Rec Track
Thursday 12th September- Emirates Stadium
Thursday 19th September- Paddington Rec Track (Janice's Birthday Special)
Thursday 26th September- Stratford Olympic Park
Highbury Quadrant Greening with Elizabeth House
Every Saturday, 10.30am - 12 midday, Highbury Quadrant Meadow
A fantastic task for post-parkrun runners at Highbury Fields or Finsbury Park!
Elizabeth House Community Centre, in partnership with Islington Council, Highbury Quadrant Tenants and Residents Association, Highbury Councillors and community organisations transformed three unloved and unusable green spaces on Highbury Quadrant estate.
These green spaces have been designed into three distinct spaces, improving bio-diversity and the local environment. There is now a beautiful meadow, an orchard and woodland areas.
Local residents have the opportunity to access these green spaces and take part in gardening and nature based activities, every Saturday mornings 10 am to 12 pm.
Saturday 7th September
Thornhill Square Gardens- September Workday
Saturday 7th September, 10am - midday, Thornhill Square Gardens
This is an open volunteer gardening morning set up by the Friends of Thornhill Square. As one of the largest public spaces in Islington without council maintenance assistance, extra pairs of hands for bulb planting, composting, litter picking and preparing flower beds would be hugely appreciated!
https://www.goodgym.org/v3/sessions/thornhill-square-gardens-open-volunteer-morning-september
-------------------------------------------‐------
Arachne Turkish and Cypriot Women's Group Refurbishment Project
Tuesdays, 6.30 - 8pm, Hercules Street, Holloway Road
"Arachne has recently had a small flood! We are still seing clients, but we would really value some help to wash down our office and community room walls and windows to get ready for a refurbishment. We might need support moving some office furniture. We will also be cleaning our shop front to look more welcoming for our clients and community."
Tuesday 17th September
Compton Terrace Gardens- Volunteer Session
Saturday 14th 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.
Crouch End Open Space (CREOS) Volunteering Day
Sunday 15th September, 11am - 1pm, Hanley Tennis Club Car Park, Greenways
Our monthly trip to CREOS this year for a woodland regeneration- loads of smashing forest path building has been planned!
https://www.goodgym.org/v3/sessions/crouch-end-open-space-creos-volunteering-day-september-2024
Friends of Canonbury Square- Volunteer Morning (September)
Saturday 21st September, 10am - midday, Canonbury Square Gardens
The Friends of Canonbury Square Gardens host an open community gardening session on the 3rd Saturday morning of every month.
Usual tasks would include bulb planting, trimming, laying compost, maintaining flower beds and litter picking.
-----------------------------------‐-‐-----------
Camino Ultra London Lee Valley Eco Trail- Aid Station Superstars
Saturday 5th October, 9am onwards, Ranger's Retreat, 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!
Goodgym Race Team Big 4- Love Luton RunFest 2024
Sunday 13th October, 8.45am onwards, Luton Town Centre
This 5k, 10k, and half marathon around the streets of Luton is a popular road race with GoodGym. Join us for this 4th and final official GoodGym race team race of 2024. Big Goodgym running crew meet up to be expected!
https://www.goodgym.org/v3/sessions/love-luton-love-luton-runfest-2024
Met League Cross Country Series- Goodgym Race Team
Various locations, October 2024 - February 2025
Met League Cross Country is a set of five 7-8km races organised by London race clubs. They are held in parks and forests around London with the routes including a mixture of grass, gravel and a fair bit of mud (it is XC after all!)
Sign up to the Goodgym Race Team for £15, and enter ALL 5 RACES for the bargain price of £6!
Newbies encouraged and welcomed- the most fun you can have running over the Winter months!
Fixtures
12th October Claybury https://www.goodgym.org/v3/sessions/london-met-league-cross-country-claybury-3aab4cb8-8f15-4d0d-a0ed-126cdf50e85e
9th November Horsenden Hill https://www.goodgym.org/v3/sessions/london-met-league-cross-country
30th November Uxbridge https://www.goodgym.org/v3/sessions/london-met-league-cross-country-uxbridge
11th January Welwyn Garden City https://www.goodgym.org/v3/sessions/london-met-league-cross-country-stanborough-park
8th February Trent Park https://www.goodgym.org/v3/sessions/london-met-league-cross-country-trent-park
Ellie Simpson signed up to a group run.
Mon 2nd Sep at 6:45pm
Building a lovely new sensory garden at this great community centre
Read moreEllie Simpson went on a group run
Mon 15th Nov 2021 at 6:45pm
Islington Report written by Simon Fitzmaurice
On Monday evening, 3 Goodgym folks (including Dee on her first GG run- welcome!) joined Area Activator Simon for a group run over to Market Road Gardens. Simon, Kike, Aidan and Dee ran together across Holloway Road, and up to Caledonian Road to meet Paul (one of our regular Goodgym cyclists) at the doors to the permaculture garden space.
Simon had the keys on hand (arranged in advance by the top folks at Octopus Community Network) and proceeded to open the community garden equivalent of Fort Knox to allow us access to the space and the necessary tools for the task (better safe than sorry!).
Our plan for the evening was to move all of the contents of a compost bay (full of green waste and dry rotted leaves) over to a hugelgarden space opposite, designed to speed up the decay process, and to provide fresh compost of spring gardening after the winter months. Between us, we separated into 3 teams- team 1 shoveled the green waste into wheelbarrows. Team 2 transferred the wheelbarrows to the hugelgarden spot. Team 3 unloaded the wheelbarrows and spread the mulch evenly across the beds.
This proved to be a pretty efficient way of working, and we almost cleared the entirety of the compost bay within 45 minutes of effort! A very satisfying accomplishment on one evening!
Nikki joined our group run crew for the 1.2 mile social run back to the Emirates Stadium, where we completed some additional stretches together before heading off into the night. Great work everyone!
CREOS (Crouch End Open Space) November Open Day
We will be returning to one of our favourite weekend community missions next Sunday (21st November), from 11am - 1pm. This time, we plan to lay down some fresh hoggin (cement and sand mix) along the woodland paths between Crouch End and Highgate Woods. It is a great day out, and is often followed by hot drinks and a picnic hosted by the Friends of CREOS.
Sign up here to get involved: https://www.goodgym.org/happenings/crouch-end-open-space-creos-volunteering-day-november-2021
Finsbury parkrun Goodgym Takeover
We have arranged with the lovely folks of Finsbury parkrun to take on most of the volunteering duties and pacing opportunities on Saturday 4th December. We would love to see a strong Goodgym presence on the day, whether you choose to run or to volunteer!
Sign up for for more information, and to get involved:
https://www.goodgym.org/happenings/finsbury-parkrun-goodgym-takeover
Goodgym Islington Christmas Party!
We will be hosting a special Xmas social at the Hammerton Brewery Taproom just off Caledonian Road on Thursday 16th December.
Sign up here to join us: https://www.goodgym.org/happenings/goodgym-islington-festive-social-at-hammerton-brewery-taproom
Ellie Simpson signed up to a group run.
Mon 6th Dec 2021 at 6:45pm
Indoor painting task for a pair of new sewing and textile rooms
Read moreEllie Simpson signed up to a group run.
Mon 15th Nov 2021 at 6:45pm
Preparing this awesome permaculture garden for future school visitors from the Heyward Centre
Read moreEllie Simpson went on a community mission
Fri 30th Apr 2021 at 6:30pm
Islington Report written by Simon Fitzmaurice
Frannie from Octopus Community Network invited our Goodgym team back to the Tufnell Park Plat Nursery (first time in 2021). This is a really interesting local project, converting some un-used space behind an Islington council estate to become a gardening hub for the residents. First job involved moving some large planting tables- requiring 8 people to lift the metal beds together in unison. This quick bit of manoeuvring freed up some additional space for 2 more plots, and plenty more plants!
Richard and Alison borrowed a wheelbarrow to unload some fresh compost into these new beds, while David and John helped with clearing up the area surrounding the tool shed, and moved an old plant pot shelf to another location. Steve and Ellie used spades and hoes to sift through some older soil which had dried up over lock down, and added some fresh soil to the mix- introducing some fresh nutrients to the planter beds.
Wonderful work everyone- it was so great to be back. Ellie was offered a tiny pot plant as an addition to her new garden! An incentive for us all to return as soon as we can!
Ellie Simpson signed up to a community mission.
Fri 30th Apr 2021 at 6:30pm
Preparing a community plant nursery for the local residents
Read moreEllie Simpson went on a community mission
Mon 12th Apr 2021 at 6:45pm
Islington Report written by Simon Fitzmaurice
5 local Goodgym folks joined us for our second Easter holiday evening delivery session at Elizabeth House Food Bank. Goodgym Islington have been leading a hand at this community centre throughout 2020, typically on Tuesday lunchtimes. However, the volunteer team set up a play scheme for families and children off school, changing our community mission timings to a couple of rare Monday evening sessions instead.
Our crew became part of a production line of volunteers making up bags and parcels of essential items and weekly shopping for local households. This week, every delivery included at least 1 pre-cooked meal from different restaurants in the area- offering delicious looking stews, noodles, salads and curries.
Within 45 minutes to an hour, our team were able to drop off every delivery across the whole of Islington, Arsenal and Finsbury Park areas. Smashing work everyone!
If you would like to get involved, we will be back again next Tuesday at 12.30pm (back to our original time slot). Sign up here: https://www.goodgym.org/happenings/elizabeth-house-foodbank-deliveries-dd59b9e0-a9e9-4996-b2aa-451522177596
Ellie Simpson signed up to a community mission.
Mon 12th Apr 2021 at 6:45pm
Assisting this awesome project with foot deliveries to local households
Read moreEllie Simpson done a 6 month mission streak. 🎉
Monday 5th April 2021
Ethan Hunt
Ellie Simpson done a 6 month mission streak.
Ellie just completed a six month streak of doing missions. That’s so many bags of garden rubbish cleared and jobs done to help someone out and put a smile on their face. Give Ellie a cheer to encourage them to keep up the good work.
Loading...
