Orchard Runs and Hedge Heroics with Goodgym Barnet April 1st, 2025 – Friary Park, North London

It was a cloudless, golden evening for GoodGym’s latest outing to Friary Park, where four valiant volunteers converged from across the borough — by foot, bike, and good intention — to lend a hand (and legs) to the Friends of Friary Park.

Our mission? Water an orchard and a very thirsty hedge, both planted to boost local biodiversity and food sustainability. The orchard, a collection of young fruit trees, had had a drink recently. The hedge? Not so lucky. It hadn’t seen much water since Christmas, and it showed.

Led by Nick and Sarah, with help from Sarah’s young daughter (who enthusiastically joined our end-of-session exercises), we got to work. The hedge was a long way from the tap, so we made do with watering cans, a wheelbarrow, and a repurposed caravan tank, jogging and schlepping our way across the park in a joyful sort of sloshy relay.

As the sun dipped behind the trees, we closed with a bench-based workout: squats, dips, press-ups, and sprints. The perfect blend of graft, laughter, and effort with a purpose. We even managed a group photo on a beautiful old tree stump — captured with flair by our junior photographer.

Why do we do it? Because when community groups lack manpower and councils lack funding, an hour of help can make a real difference. We need more hands, more hearts — so why not join GoodGym and bring a friend?

1,800 new trees! 🌳🌿

Next to the North Circular, one of London's busiest roads, sits Mutton Brook. This previously under-utilised green space has now expanded from our initial Tiny Forest to four thanks to the brilliant work of 8 GoodGymers, Earthwatch, Barnet Council, school children and members from the local community.

Great work and nice one for being apart of it Scarlett, Paul, George, Daniel, Kubilay and special mention to Anastasiia and David on your first good deeds with GoodGym!

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What is a Tiny Forest and how does it help? 🌳
The 3 new Tiny Forests each hold 600 densely planted trees, using the Miyawaki method developed in Japan. Having an additional 1,800 new trees will not only help to improve local biodiversity and create more green spaces for people to connect with nature, they’ll also be used for scientific studies by Earthwatch, universities, schools, and citizen scientists.

The planting will specifically help scientists understand how trees in urban areas can grow best - the 3 plots are trialling different planting methods, using a mix of experimental and traditional techniques. We're proud to be part of such an innovative project that’s putting Barnet on the map for green solutions.

Record holders 🥇
Citizen science is a key feature of Earthwatch’s environmental research projects, providing evidence and monitoring data that are crucial to helping scientists better understand and improve the management of the natural environment.

We were also very proud to find out that our first Tiny Forest in Mutton Brook holds the record for the most data submitted - well done to all of our citizen scientists for all their data collections over the years.

Inspiring speeches 🎤
After a lovely day planting in the sunshine we then headed to Stephens House & Gardens, a beautiful space that we regularly support, for Earthwatch's evening reception. After many inspiring speeches, Paul and Daniel closed, speaking brilliantly about GoodGym and their experiences in Mutton Brook - emphasising how well the Tiny Forest connects the community and the importance of helping people benefit from connecting with nature and green spaces.

We look forward to supporting the growth of the new Tiny Forests and thank Earthwatch for being such brilliant and inspiring partners to collaborate with.

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To read BBC's feature on the Barnet Tiny Forest planting please click here.

To find out more information about Earthwatch's Tiny Forest project please click here.

A few people came online to do yoga.

Yoga talk Practicing brief sessions of Hatha yoga and mindfulness meditation can significantly improve brain function and energy levels, according to a new study from the University of Waterloo. The study found that practicing just 25 minutes of Hatha yoga or mindfulness meditation per day can boost the brain’s executive functions, cognitive abilities linked to goal-directed behavior and the ability to control knee-jerk emotional responses, habitual thinking patterns and actions. “Hatha yoga and mindfulness meditation both focus the brain’s conscious processing power on a limited number of targets like breathing and posing, and also reduce processing of nonessential information,” said Peter Hall, associate professor in the School of Public Health & Health Systems. "These two functions might have some positive carryover effect in the near- term following the session, such that people are able to focusmore easily on what they choose to attend to in everyday life.” Thirty-one study participants completed 25 minutes of Hatha yoga, 25 minutes of mindfulness meditation, and 25 minutes of quiet reading (a control task) in randomized order. Following both the yoga and meditation activities, participants performed significantly better on executive function tasks compared to the reading task. “This finding suggests that there may be something special about meditation— as opposed to the physical posing— that carries a lot of the cognitive benefits of yoga,” said Kimberley Luu, lead author on the paper. The study also found that mindfulness meditation and Hatha yoga were both effective for improving energy levels, but Hatha yoga had significantly more powerful effects than meditation alone. “There are a number of theories about why physical exercises like yoga improve energy levels and cognitive test performance,” said Luu. “These include the release of endorphins, increased blood flow to the brain, and reduced focus on ruminative thoughts. Though ultimately, it is still an open question.” Hatha yoga is one of the most common styles of yoga practiced in Western countries. It involves physical postures and breathing exercises combined with meditation. Mindfulness mediation involves observing thoughts, emotions and body sensations with openness and acceptance. “Although the meditative aspect might be even more important than the physical posing for improving executive functions, there are additional benefits to Hatha yoga including improvements in flexibility and strength,” said Hall.  “These benefits may make Hatha yoga superior to meditation alone, in terms of overall health benefits.”  The study is published in the August 2017 issue Mindfulness.

Spring is in the air, and what better way to mark the change of seasons than with a community mission in the heart of Highgate Woods? GoodGym Barnet gathered once again to lend a hand to the wonderful Ranger Cindy, a familiar face from our summer sessions. This time, we were stepping out of winter hibernation to help restore and protect a well-worn patch of woodland—laurel and behold, we had a plan!

A Fence of Foliage

Meeting at the café in the centre of the park, we soon made our way to Cindy’s latest project near the playground and toilets. The ground in this area had become heavily compacted by the constant footfall of visitors, leaving a barren patch where greenery struggled to thrive. Cindy’s clever idea? A “laurel” defence—using cut laurel branches to create a natural-looking barrier that would discourage people from trampling the space, allowing it time to recover.

With logs in hand (and a fair bit of heavy lifting), we carefully placed them around the perimeter. Then came the pièce de résistance: planting the laurel branches upright, crafting what looked like fresh new growth. The deception was all part of the plan—if it looks like a newly planted area, people are less likely to walk through it. A cunning, leafy illusion!

A Walk on the Wild Side

With our natural fencing complete, Cindy led us on a walk deeper into the woods to explore some of the conservation efforts taking place. We visited a protected pond teeming with life and admired a newly planted Blackthorn hedge. Then, to our delight, we spotted a tree creeper—a small, elusive bird that blends so well into tree bark that it’s a rare sight even for regular visitors. Laurel-ly speaking, it was quite the highlight!

A Moment to Restore

Before we wrapped up, we took a few moments for some restorative yoga—because after all that heavy lifting, our bodies deserved a stretch. We stood tall in mountain pose, flowing through some simple movements with the breath, before adding a few deep squats to shake off the effort. A little woodland-wellness to round off a morning of good deeds!

Join Us Next Time!

This was our first session at Highgate Woods coming out of winter, but certainly not our last. Cindy’s experiment with laurel fencing is an inspired approach to conservation, and we can’t wait to see if it takes root (pun intended!). If you’re looking for a fun, active, and rewarding way to give back to nature, come along to the next GoodGym Barnet mission—we’d laurel-ly love to have you!

Check out upcoming sessions and get involved—your local green spaces (and your legs) will thank you!