Block Party
4 Goodgymers helped their local community in Islington
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Monday 2nd October 2023
Credits
Simon Fitzmaurice
SESSION ORGANISER
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Report written by Simon Fitzmaurice
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While avoiding some very dramatic thunder cracks and lightning flashes, Area Activator Simon met with Luke and first time Goodgym runner Patricia (welcome!) at the Arsenal Community Hub for our evening of running and good deeds. Together, we engaged in some warm up exercises up the Emirates Stadium slopes, before running to Highbury Hill, and towards the lovely Highbury Quadrant Estate near Clissold Park (just over 1 mile from point to point). Along the route, we passed a known den for local fox cubs just by the gardens- about 4 or 5 very healthy looking foxes curiously watched us jogging by!
Frannie, the main coordinator for Octopus Community Network (a mutual collaboration between 15 of Islington's largest multi-purpose community centres- https://www.octopuscommunities.org.uk/) met our team (along with Alison) at the Highbury Quadrant Meadow. Our task for the evening was to efficiently distribute flyers across the neighbourhood to promote an up and coming garden open day and fresh growing tutorials near Birchmore Hall. The areas surrounding Highbury Quadrant have 15+ housing blocks, each stretching to 5 flights of stairs each- no easy task unless you are a fit and healthy Goodgymmer, of course!
Between the 4 of us, we covered each housing block methodically- with each runner scaling the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th or 5th floor in rotation, to ensure the same Goodgymmer wasn't climbing all the stairs every time. Within 40 minutes, we had successfully dropped off flyers at every property that was willing to receive the message. Hopefully we will see great numbers at the next open gardening event!
From Highbury Quadrant, we ran back towards the Emirates Stadium up and down Highbury Hill again, and successfully avoided another heavy downpour! Well done everyone!
Here is a lovely mention on the Octopus Community Network Instagram page
https://www.instagram.com/p/Cx6Fx-cIFlI/
GOODGYM ISLINGTON NEWS
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!
GROUP RUN!- Slow Ways Route Mapping- Highbury and Islington to Hampstead Heath
Establishing safe walking routes and pedestrianised paths for the general public across the UK!
Monday 9th October, Arsenal Community Hub, 6.45pm
The plan is to run together from The Arsenal Community Hub, over to Highbury and Islington Station (0.6 miles). We will then run a new route to Hampstead Heath, connecting the Slow Ways Point for Highbury and Islington to Hampstead Heath (HigHam 1). Our objective is to record the ease of navigation and the accessibility of this route for other users.
This will then be uploaded to the Slow Ways website, a database for pedestrian friendly walking routes across the UK. https://beta.slowways.org/
After our run, we will stop by at a local pub in Hampstead Heath, in walking distance from Hampstead Heath overground station.
The Magdala 2A S Hill Park, London NW3 2SB
London GoodGym Monthly Drinks
Thursday 12th October, 6.30 - 10.30pm, The Thirsty Bear, Stamford Street
WAHOO - it's the monthly London GoodGym drinks
Come have a drink, chat with friends and celebrate all we've done this past month.
Drinks are moving South this month. The venue is:
The Thirsty Bear 62 Stamford Street London SE1 9LX
https://www.goodgym.org/happenings/london-goodgym-monthly-drinks
Met League Cross Country - Claybury Woods
Saturday 14th October, 12:45pm - 3:45pm, Claybury Park
Met League Cross Country is a set of five 7-8km races organised by London race clubs. They are held in parks and forests around London with the routes including a mixture of grass, gravel and a fair bit of mud (it is XC after all!)
Cross Country is for everyone! Wonderful fun- sign up here for more information!
Crouch End Open Space (CREOS) Volunteering Day (October 2023)
Sunday 15th October, 11am - 1pm, Crouch End Open Space
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-october-r-2023
Compton Terrace Gardens Volunteer Open Morning - October
Saturday 21st October, 10am -1pm, Union Chapel Islington
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-october
GG Race Team- Met League Hill Training Sessions!
Thursday 26th October, 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.
October 26th 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
Penn Road Gardens- Open Gardens Volunteer Morning (October)
Sunday 29th October, 10am-12 midday, Penn Road Gardens
Every last Sunday of the month, the residents of Penn Road invite keen volunteers to help with maintaining this lovely community spot just off Holloway Road.
Local volunteers will be on hand to direct anyone who arrives to offer their help between 10am- midday. Come on down to enjoy a lovely morning community task!
Follow this link for more info: https://www.pennroadn7.com/the-gardens
Ghoulgym Halloween Headtorch Run (Hampstead!)
Tuesday 31st October, 6.30pm, The Bull and Gate, Kentish Town
Fancy an evening of spooky running in North London?
Area Activator Simon will be leading an approximate 10km run through Hampstead Heath, starting and finishing at the Bull and Gate pub in Kentish Town. Running in the darkness of night is a wonderful experience, and really good fun with running friends.
Queen's Park Harriers Liddiard Cup Cross Country (75th Anniversary)
Saturday 4th November, 1:00pm - 5:00pm, Kingsbury Free Church (Baptist), NW9
Classic muddy running fun in Fryent Country Park!
Queens Park Harriers invites clubs to compete in the annual Liddiard Cross Country Trophy race which will be run under UKA rules.
This will be the 75th running of the event as no events were held in 2020 and 2021 and we hope to see many of the teams who have competed over the years, plus new ones.
There will be a unique, 75th anniversary medal for all competitors.
https://www.goodgym.org/happenings/queen-s-park-harriers-liddiard-cup-cross-country-75th-anniversary
This task supported
Octopus Community Network is a collaboration between the largest multi-purpose community centres in Islington
We run lots of projects including 'We Can Grow' which encourages food growing on housing estates around Islington as well as engaging with residents to increase environmental literacy and access to outdoor spaces.
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