Who Turned Out The Lights?
6 Goodgymers helped their local community in Islington
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Monday 11th September 2023
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Report written by Simon Fitzmaurice
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It was been a hot and sticky weekend during this unprecedented heat wave in September. However, 6 Goodgym runners braved the muggy climate and joined Area Activator Simon for 1.6 mile run to the wonderfulThornhill Square Gardens. After a warm up on the Emirates Stadium slopes (engaging some sore calves and glutes!), our crew ran together up Tollington Way, and down to Caledonian Road, passing Penn Road Gardens on route (the park was full of bunting and signage after their resident volunteer celebrations). We spun round Offord Road, and met the lovely Anna in Thornhill Square Gardens.
Anna had already set out a full array of tools and wheelbarrows for our team, so we got straight to work for the evening! Our first task (taken on by Michelle and Sarah) involved using a hoe and a beautiful Japanese gardening knife to trim foliage away from the edges of the flower beds within the park. A very satisfying project. Meanwhile, Alison and Caitlin used clippers and secateurs to chop down a collection of overgrown bushes and branches on the opposite side of the park. And Katie used a gardening fork to pull out some stubborn grasses from the middle of some prime flower beds, before carting all of the green waste over to the compost waste bins in the north of the park.
Within 45 minutes, our group had successfully made a great improvement on various overgrown sections of Thornhill Square Gardens. Great job everyone! It was a shame that we had to finish in the dark this week.
Headtorch Group Runs
As we start to leave the Summer months, we are beginning to finish our group run sessions in the dark. We recommend bringing a head torch with you if possible, so help to illuminate our work spaces.
Area Activator Simon will be bringing portable clip lights and large construction lights, but additional light sources always appreciated!
Goodgym Islington News
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Achilles International VI Guiding Sessions- Emirates Stadium
Thursday 14th September, 6pm, Arsenal Tube Station
Achilles International are an amazing organisation who link guide with blind and particially sighted runners, and they are looking for potential guides for future training sessions.
Goodgym (and parkrun) communities have been very supportive of this team over the years, so we are looking to see if we can introduce more runners to the world of guiding.
Over the Winter months, Achilles International will be hosting fortnightly running sessions around the floodlit forecourt of Emirates Stadium, Islington. Every other week, we will train at Paddington Rec Track.
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City Race- Dartford Orienteers- Southwark Park
Friendly and welcoming orienteering event in Southwark Park! First timers encouraged!
Friday 15th September, 5pm - 8pm, Decathlon Surrey Quays
Orienteering is an exciting outdoor adventure sport which involves navigating around a course using a detailed map and sometimes a compass. The aim is to navigate between a set of control points and decide the best route to complete the course in the quickest time. It does not matter how young, old or fit you are, and you can run, walk or jog round the course and progress at your own pace.
Find out more here:
https://www.dfok.co.uk/info/new-to-orienteering
Come and give it a go at this super beginner friendly event!
https://www.goodgym.org/happenings/city-race-dartford-orienteers-southwark-park
THE BIG LONDON SOCIAL!
GoodGym London Monthly Social (GG Camden), Thursday 14th September, TBC
The first (of hopefully many) monthly drinks in London. Come and meet other GoodGymers and toast each others achievements. We'll be celebrating those on the Heroes Board from August and maybe even deciding which recent puns are worthy of accolade. The venue is TBC but will be somewhere fairly central with good transport links.
https://www.goodgym.org/happenings/goodgym-london-monthly-social
Compton Terrace Gardens Volunteer Open Morning - September
Saturday 16th September, 10am - 1pm, Union Chapel
From the Friends of Compton Terrace Gardens:
A friendly gardening group started to look after the park about 10 years ago. We are always looking for more help - with planting, mulching, pruning, and all the other things a garden needs.
Everyone welcome, no special skills needed! Lots of fresh air and a nice chance to meet local people. We meet once a month on a Saturday morning near the shed in the middle of the Gardens.
https://www.goodgym.org/happenings/compton-terrace-gardens-volunteer-open-morning-september
Crouch End Open Space (CREOS) Volunteering Day (September 2023)
Sunday 17th September, 11am - 1pm, CREOS meadow or Hanley Tennis Club car park
Join us as we help the team at CREOS, a local conservation charity, maintain and improve a lovely green oasis in Crouch End.
CREOS looks after the meadows and wooded pathways of the Crouch End Open Space. GoodGym runners have been helping them maintain this beautiful patch of land for a while now, and the CREOS team always has lots for us to do.
This month, the CREOS team are planning on playing down a load of hoggin (a mix of hardy sand, clay and gravel aggregate) for new paths along the forest walking routes. It will be a big job, so we can use as many hands as possible!
https://www.goodgym.org/happenings/crouch-end-open-space-creos-volunteering-day-september-2023
GG Race Team- Met League Hill Training Sessions!
Friday 29th September, 6.30pm, The Pembroke Castle, Camden
Goodgym Cross Country is back! We will be returning to the Met League in 2023 and 2024!
If you have never tried cross country, it is amazing muddy fun. A definite challenge, but accessible to all who want to give it a go, and are part of a UKA affiliated team (like the Goodgym Race Team).
To coincide with the events, Area Activator Simon Fitzmaurice (who is a UK Athletics Coach in Running Fitness or CiRF for short) will be hosting a series of hill interval training sessions at Primrose Hill over the Autumn and Winter months.
The Pembroke Castle, 150 Gloucester Ave., London NW1 8JA, and we will run to Primrose Hill together to start our session.
September 29th https://www.goodgym.org/happenings/gg-race-team-met-league-hill-training-session-september
October 27th https://www.goodgym.org/happenings/gg-race-team-met-league-hill-training-session-october
November 24th https://www.goodgym.org/happenings/gg-race-team-met-league-hill-training-session-november
January 5th https://www.goodgym.org/happenings/gg-race-team-met-league-hill-training-session-january
January 26th (aka February fixture session) https://www.goodgym.org/happenings/gg-race-team-met-league-hill-training-session-february
Camino Ultra Epping Forest 50km and 25km Eco Trail- Aid Station Superstars!!!
Goodgym Crew are back for the exciting new installment of the Camino Ultra Epping Forest Race!
Saturday 7th October, 9am - 5pm (various shifts), Butler's Retreat, Epping Forest
DaznBone (aka Darren Strachan and David Bone) and the Camino Ultra team are putting together the logistics for their next 50km ultra race (running from Wanstead Flats, up the green corridor to Epping Forest and back), and have invited the Goodgym crew to get involved!
On the course, there will be 4 major aid stops, and we have been invited to take over the first refresh point and the penultimate aid station.
This will involve providing water and snacks to runners of all abilities during the key stages of their race, and to support them with smiling faces and enthusiasm!
This task supported
A quiet oasis off Caledonian Road with plenty of space to picnic, rest, read, and walk a dog.
'A quiet oasis off Caledonian Road. Plenty of space (it is the largest square in Islington) to picnic, rest, read, admire the flowers shrubs and trees, and walk a dog. Volunteers, with the council are working to encourage healthy activities, including walking and yoga, and also to improve the diversity of wildlife in the park.'
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