Fourteen fabulous GGers ran 5k to Dell Fields Care Home for Barnet's first double task group run.

Meeting at the Phoenix, we were joined by Saba, visiting from Islington, Katie from Camden, and Akthar for his second group run. Welcome along!

We were also joined by Federica for her LAST Goodgym run (for the time being) as she is leaving later this week for Actual Peru. Amazing! We're very sorry to see her leave but also a bit jealous of her trip. Looking forward to seeing photos and make sure you give her a cheer. Hope to see you back sometime in the future Federica.

So - to GG Barnet's first double task evening! We had our arranged task with Dell Fields Care Home - running 2.5k each way to varnish the garden furniture, and we were also contacted by the Syrian Kitchen who got in touch for some help promoting their event on Saturday. The Syrian Kitchen are a brilliant initiative here in Barnet, offering three course traditional Syrian food, cooked by refugees. They hold regular supper club events - check out their twitter: @bsyriankitchen. We've also be offered half price tickets for GoodGym runners!

We set off with Paul backmarking and started to flyer the residential roads on the way over to the care home. Once we arrived, we set about varnishing in the garden right away. There were four tables and two chairs to get on with and with some rapid brush work we got all of it done in 25 minutes. There was a family enjoying the garden while we worked, but they didn't mind our chattering and even asked to take some photos to promote on the local Facebook group!

There were not quite enough brushes to go around so Hazel led a team of four to do some more flyering (and more running!). Good work.

Hard work done, we tidied up and set off. We stopped in Viccy Park for our team photo (look at that sky!) and carried on back to the Phoenix. There were a few more flyers to dispense, which we did rapidly (making it 100 flyers distributed), and got back to the Phoenix for a stretch (via a sprint finish of course).

Lisa, Fay, Graham and Rupesh joined us at the finish to come to the pub. You can see the photo of our lovely group saying goodbye to Federica (shortly after catching the end of the football as well!).

There is lots of GG news and events coming up so keep an eye on the website guys. Most importantly - the social on Thursday, and the British 10k on Sunday (with Alice and Fay running - good luck guys!! & Lisa, May and Louis volunteering).

Hope to see you next week for some gardening at Stephen's House!

Over to Foreigner 🎶🎸

Nine fine goodgym runners braved the heat and the world cup frenzy to help the Phoenix cinema . The cinema acts as our meeting point every Tuesday so it was a pleasure to deliver leaflets to promote the up and coming films. It is one of the oldest continuously functioning, purpose built cinemas in the country. Saved from being demolished by a trust, it still preserves its original 1910 barrel vaulted ceiling, and in a later refurbishment Art deco panels. It became a trust in 1985 and does great work in the community as well as art house films. We gathered for a head count, a chat about biscuits and a warm up in cherry tree woods. Give a shout to Akthar on his first goodgym run and his love of merry land cookies! We played a quick game of ‘stick in the mud’ with the added consequences of press-ups and squats if you got caught. We set off into the sun and heat with Rebecca as our back marker (a good gym Olympian !) After delivering all our leaflets we headed back through the woods stopping occasionally for some core and breathing exercises. The days activity ended back at the Pheonix with a warm down stretch and high fives. Thank you for doing good!

Thirteen terrific Goodgymmers ran to the Fenton Trust to cut the hedge and tidy the garden.

Meeting at the Phoenix, we were joined by Miriam and Rachel for their first Goodgym runs. Welcome! Katie also joined us, having been along to Camden a few times. Great to have you along Katie. Go give them a cheer.

It was one of the hottest days of the year so far so we were grateful for the shorter run today: 1.3k down to the Fenton Trust. The Fenton family go back a long way in Barnet and give vital money to lots of important local causes. We've been trying to get a date in diary to help them with the hedge for a long time so it was great to get down there.

I led the way with Fay kindly backmarking. On arrival, we were greeted by Nicholas Fenton who handed out water and explained the task: the very tall hedge surrounding the garden needed cutting back and tidying. There were lots of manual tools available, along with a proper hedge trimmer. Fortunately, Paul has a similar tool at home, so was very happy to grab it and speed up our cutting. Graham steadied his ladder, while everyone else focused on chopping or picking up leaves. Hopefully you get a sense of the progress in the pictures: the garden looked so much tidier and much bigger too, letting in loads of the gorgeous evening sun.

Soon, we had filled six bags with hedge clippings and it was time to pose for a team photo before leaving.

On the way back, we decided to stop for some interval training: 250m (ish) laps varying the pace, with a quick rest in between. Everyone smashed it (including Paul and Graham who cannot be told when it isn't a race!). fromd there we dashed back to the Phoenix, with a fast finish for stretches, water and biscuits.

Next week we'll be distributing flyers for our hosts, the Phoenix.

This week's Barnet Biscuit: Hobnobs.

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Seventeen keen goodgym runners ran to help the friends of Friary Park. This was one of our longer runs and well attended with 15 runners meeting at the Phoenix cinema and two running direct to the venue. It was a warm day , a brief warm up, and a warm welcome to two new runners. Give them a shout! Charlotte Prinsley & May Edmondson. After a brief discussion of our favourite puddings we started off slowly and picked up pace as we ran through the lovely cold fall woods and playing fields. This area is truly blessed with green field runs. (Unfortunately no time for a history lesson) Jody again was back marking give her a cheer..Jody We all come together at Friary Park (The site was to home to the Knights Hospitaller in the middle ages, and of Frien Barnet Manor from the sixteenth century) and met with Richard and Yvonne, from the friends of Friary Park, who explained the work required. We paired up to do litter picking and weeding. After half and hour we gathered again for a group photo and some breathing exercises to re energise us for the long run back to the phoenix. We split into a fast and an even faster group to get back for biscuits and a warm down. Vital statistics and thanks: We ran 6.17miles just under 10km except for Rupesh and Graham who kept running around until they had done over 10km Give them a shout. It wasn’t flat either with a a height elevation gain and loss of 341 feet! Congratulations to Faye for becoming a coach runner and to Jenny who is now an established coach runner. Give them a shout! …and also thanks to Hazel for the music and carrying around a rather heavy speaker!

Thank you all for coming, getting fitter *and doing *good! ( give everybody a shout!)

It was really nice to see the following email from our hosts.

*Just to thank you and your team for taking the trouble to run all the way (and back!) from East Finchley to help us with the jobs in Friary Park. As you saw there is always work to be done and despite the best efforts of our own group, additional help is always useful. Yvonne and I were really impressed by the enthusiasm and good humour of your members and we really enjoyed meeting you all.

Thanks so much again and we hope you’ll make a return visit before long!

With our Best Wishes,  *

Last night sixteen superb GGers ran 4km to do some gardening in Northway Gardens.

Meeting at the Phoenix, we were joined by GG Barnet celebrity (and now Camden regular) Freya and GG first timer Ruth! Give them a cheer.

After a quick warm up we set off with Fay and Hazel back marking. The run took no time - though we found a nice patch of grass for some squats halfway too.

Arriving at the gardens, we quickly divided into teams. Task leader Brian explained that we needed: a team opening compost bags and spreading it in the beds, a team litter picking, a team edging the pathways in the gardens, and a team edging the flower beds.

Everyone got to work and soon all the littler was collected and the compost spread. This left everyone to work on the edging - with some new tools from homebase courtesy of Brian - which soon left the flower beds and pathways looking very smart indeed. Hopefully the pictures give some idea.

We all agreed that the gardens are looking great and it's a real pleasure to be there on such a sunny evening.

After tidying up, we said our goodbyes and set off. This time we stopped for a running drill: 300m (ish) laps near the station. Dividing into teams, everyone did one lap at medium effort before kicking and working hard on the second, especially on the slight incline. Good work team.

After that it was a short dash back to the cinema, with a sprint finish of course, and some stretching.

Sarah had kindly made lemon cookies which she shared out at the end. Thanks Sarah!

Next week we'll be heading to Friary Park to litter pick: it's 5k each way, so one of our longest runs. If you have any concerns with the distance but still want to come let me know and we'll work something out.

We'll be back at Northway Gardens to carry on our good work at the end of July.

This week's Barnet Biscuit: lemon cookies courtesy of Sarah.

Over to Gaga: