5 Goodgym folks from the Hackney and Islington boroughs (including Camden regular Ivy who has moved in! Welcome!) joined Area Activator Simon for a special Bank Holiday Group Run. We started with a classic count off, while asking what we got up to with our weekend breaks (Notting Hill Carnival, parkrun tourism, long awaited catch ups with friends, much appreciated lie-ins!- all lovely stuff) before performing a warm-up on the Emirates Stadium Slopes.

On route to Thornhill Square gardens, we jogged together past the Caledonian Road Mansions estate to visit one of Simon's "cat spots"- a hang out for friendly neighbourhood cats discovered while flyering for the Market Road Gardens and Mencap community festival earlier this Summer. Our top cat today was a black and white kitten, who popped over to say Hi to us (see photos above).

We weaved down the Cally Road slopes, and rolled into Thornhill Square Gardens, meeting with Benedict and Anne and Task Owner Anna upon arrival. Wheelbarrows, gardening blades, secateurs and shovels were ready and prepared for us. Josh and Benedict were set to loading up some broken paving slabs into barrows, and placing them in line with a new "desire path"- a footpath created to keep garden visitors from stepping into new wildflower patches and into newly grown rose bushes. The soil proved to be a bit softer than last month, following the very heavy rainfall last week, so the boys were able to achieve a lot within 45 minutes! Anne and Ivy pulled on their gardening gloves, and got cracking with removing some huge, overgrown "bobbly plants" (as Anne referred to them) from the surrounding flower beds. Ivy also smashed through clearing the paved edges of the main pathways to the park of moss, weeds and invasive plants- the whole space looked so much tidier with your efforts!

As we wound up for the evening (and as the night started to draw in- we may need head torches soon!), posed for a Beatles inspired "Abbey Road" album cover photograph together, before setting off on our own separate routes home. Nice Goodgymming everyone- see you at The Arc Centre next week!

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UPCOMING NEWS

Goodgym Islington September Social

After our group run to The Rose Bowl Youth Centre on Monday 12th September, we will be visiting The Tollington Arms on Hornsey Road (just 400m from The Arsenal Community Hub) for a catch up, delicious Thai food and refreshments.

Rose Bowl Group Run: https://www.goodgym.org/happenings/group-run-rose-bowl-youth-club-return

GG Islington September Social: https://www.goodgym.org/happenings/september-social-the-tollington-arms-arsenal

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Canonbury Square Gardens Volunteer Day- September

Area Activator Simon will be joining Beatrice and the lovely resident gardeners in Canonbury Square for a few hours of green space maintenance. Saturday 17th September starting at 10am (perfect after parkrun!).

https://www.goodgym.org/happenings/friends-of-canonbury-square-volunteer-morning-september

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London Open House Festival with Goodgym Islington

Levitt Bernstein Architects have invited Goodgym Islington for the Open House Festival (hosted as a street party along Thane Villas, off Seven Sisters Road). On Saturday 17th September from 2pm - 5pm, community groups and businesses will be celebrating their projects around Islington.

To promote Goodgym Islington to new potential runners and participants, Area Activator Simon will be hosting a 4 mile sightseeing run around the borough, passing some of our current task locations.

• Tufnell Park Plant Nursery

• Caledonian Park

• Market Road Gardens

• Thornhill Square Gardens

• Freightliner's Farm

• The Emirates Stadium

Open to runners of all abilities, and we would love to have a crew of Goodgymmers on board!

https://www.goodgym.org/happenings/group-run-open-house-festival-goodgym-tour-of-islington

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Crouch End Open Space (CREOS) September

We will be returning to one of our favourite community missions with Glenys and the Friends of Crouch End Open Space on Sunday 18th September. Lovely morning of forest path building, often followed by a picnic with neighbours!

https://www.goodgym.org/happenings/crouch-end-open-space-creos-volunteering-day-september-2022