Area Activator Simon tied up his running shoes and jogged over to the Arsenal Community Hub to meet with Dharmesh and Josh (while narrowly avoiding a short but surprisingly heavy rainfall on route- much appreciated after our fortnight of record breaking temperatures). The three of us engaged in a dynamic warm up on the Emirates slopes (drills, engagement exercises and springs!), before running down the road towards Thornhill Square Gardens.

On route, we bumped into Alison and Caitlin just near Caledonian Road, and we made our way to the park. Anna, the resident gardening expert for this lovely community park was on hand to greet us as we arrived. First thing, we picked up a collection of wheel barrows, spades and forks from the tool shed, and Dharmesh and Josh got cracking with turning the earth around 4 newly planted trees in the south side of the park. In the meantime, Caitlin and Alison unrolled a hose pipe and started to fill up some large buckets of water. Together, we soaked the ground around the trees to make sure that the roots were well hydrated after the heatwave.

Josh and Dharmesh then filled up the wheelbarrows with wood chip, and started to distribute it around the base of the trees to help with protecting the roots from neighbouring wildlife. Area Activator Simon also lent a hand with snipping down a collection of brambles around some more trees around a memorial garden site (while gathering the last of the summer berries).

Anna was thrilled with the progress we made within around 45 minutes between us (especially between our small but focused team), and stated that we can come back at anytime! From here, we set off in our separate directions, but only after Area Activator Simon introduced his favourite new spot to meet local cats just by Caledonian Park!

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NEWS

St. Mungos Hilldrop House Group Runs

On Monday 1st and 8th August, we will be leading our group runs to the Hilldrop House homeless care community centre, off just Pankhurst Road. These will be smashing full-on greenery renovation tasks at the entrance of the centre itself, and our assistance is hugely appreciated by the busy staff at the hub.

1st August:

https://www.goodgym.org/happenings/group-run-st-mungo-s-hilldrop-house-week-1

8th August:

https://www.goodgym.org/happenings/group-run-st-mungo-s-hilldrop-house-week-2

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August Social- Area Activator Simon's 3rd Anniversary

Monday 8th August will mark Simon's 3rd year as the trainer/area activator for the Goodgym Islington borough, after taking over from the legendary Paul Bown in 2019.

After our group run, we will be visiting The Highbury Library, one of our favourite pandemic safe hangouts on Drayton Park.

Sign up here to get involved!

https://www.goodgym.org/happenings/august-social-the-highbury-library

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Elizabeth House Food Hub Summer Holiday Deliveries

Our friends at Elizabeth House Food Hub have requested our help with local food deliveries on foot or by bike. Goodgym Islington have been on hand for the past few years to offer assistance through the busy Summer Holiday months (when regular volunteers often take time off, and demand for more supplies increase while families are at home).

No training required- deliveries will be packed up and organised in advance, with addresses listed. All we need to do is drop off the correct parcels to the right locations!

We have sessions listed on:

Tuesday 2nd August

https://www.goodgym.org/happenings/school-s-out-elizabeth-house-food-hub-deliveries

Tuesday 16th August

https://www.goodgym.org/happenings/school-s-out-elizabeth-house-food-hub-deliveries-0d6bd601-7257-47d4-95fc-50cc0cb6276b

Tuesday 23rd August

https://www.goodgym.org/happenings/school-s-out-elizabeth-house-food-hub-deliveries-ce5b8a33-6627-40c8-8cb0-fd5a2ccc53fb

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Cally Clocktower junior parkrun

Lastly, Helen and the event directors at Cally Clocktower junior parkrun have asked if anyone would happen to be free to marshal on any Sunday morning over the Summer months. Junior parkrun is a free weekly timed 2km run for children aged 4-14 years old independently, and this small but close knit event requires a crew of volunteers to allow it to operate every week! Summer holidays prove to be difficult times for recruiting helpers, as you can imagine.

A wonderful way to enjoy a Sunday morning!

Next Sunday's listing can be seen here:

https://www.goodgym.org/happenings/volunteer-at-caledonian-junior-parkrun-summer-holiday-help-09f2c096-7cfe-4f94-93f6-9af0200229a3