GoodGym Barnet came to support a community day at the Tiny Forest situated just off the North circular. We gathered to do various activities, including litter, picking, carbon capture measurements and bulb planting, but more importantly, it was a chance to catch up and chat with our neighbours and friends. The highlight of the gathering was listening to a poem read by Annabel Borushek about the Tiny Forest that she had helped plant and look after over the last two years.

Community

The tiny forest. By the side of a busy road. Sucking up carbon dioxide from our cars, helping to clean the world. That drought in July. Summoned by a message on my dad's phone. Some dying trees in a newly-born forest. Would we come help water them? So, we went. We saw neighbours, friends. Who had come to help Hands reached to buckets, buckets reached to water, Which blossomed Because of our tinyforest community Community is what helped us overcome that drought, Help those trees. And it is community that will help us solve climate change I know that one tiny forest won't change the world. But together - We can all help solve climate change

By Annabel Borushek, Age 12 ©

Eighteen goodgym runners gathered to run and do good but also in celebration of ten years of Goodgym! It’s grown from one mans idea to 15000 people looking to use their energies to help their local communities. We welcomed Samuel (possibly our youngest runner), Simon, Agnes (good luck with your Half marathon at Eden.. hopefully we helped!), and Justine. Give them a cheer! We numbered up and as is now traditional answered a simple question. This time a favoured restaurant or cafe ( Sorry I should have made notes so could you reply with your suggestion?.. they all sounded great!) Our group run was to Coldfall woods to help the friends by litter picking the recreational area. The walking group set off first lead by Fiona with the added task of distributing leaflets for Stephens House and Gardens. (A beautiful charity park with a great cafe)Then the runners set off with Damian on point and Sarah as the back marker(possibly her last as she moves abroad for work… give her a cheer!) We set off at a gentle pace and stayed together as a group. We ran through the streets and then the woods to stop at the recreational ground. We then used the flat open playing fields to do some speed work. Picking up pace for tens seconds, driving with the arms and legs and then relaxing into a normal pace for another ten seconds repeated until the end of the fields. We then gathered to meet Linda ( from the friends) who distributed pickers and bags to paired runners. It was a beautiful twilight evening to litter pick. We covered a large area and collected a good haul including a tea pot! Tea rrific! ( see evidence in photos for tea-rrible pun!) The walkers joined us and we warmed up with some aerobics ( No Good by The Prodigy) and then some static core work and lunges. We then headed home and after walking through the woods (very dark!) we split into two groups for the run home to the Pheonix. Hope you can make some of the community missions over the weekend.

Thanks for coming you were Tea rrific!