It was wonderful to have so many participants for our group run session to Highbury Quadrant Estate on Monday evening! 11 Goodgymmers (including first timer Lazar - welcome!) helped local volunteer coordinator Frannie and the team at Elizabeth House with a variety of green fingered tasks around the woodland gardens.

4 Goodgym runners joined Area Activator Simon for a warm up on the Emirates Stadium slopes, and a pleasant (if slightly hilly) run towards Clissold Park. Together, we gathered in the Wildflower Meadow community space, ready to assist the local residents (and to pet a 2 year old Border Terrier called Bernie- she was very friendly and was keen to meet new visitors!).

Group 1 were requested to pull on some gardening gloves, and to help with releasing rainwater from two large water butts next to the tool shed. The butts were in need of a clean, but we wanted to thoroughly drench all of the growing beds first to give the fruits, vegetables and flowers the best chance of surviving this very hot weather. A big job, but completed by the Goodgym team!

Group 2 started with using loppers to chop down the overgrown ivy surrounding the brick walls of the Wildflower gardens. Then, the rest of the crew used hoes, secateurs and rakes to gather up as much green waste as possible from the connected garden spaces. Anne and Matt took on the top garden, while Rosie and Michael (who completed his 50th good deed with us tonight! Congratulations!) made short work of the pathways by the allotments.

We did an amazing amount of work within 50 minutes - stellar job Goodgym folks! To celebrate, we ran back to the Arsenal Community Hub, and enjoyed a post group run social at The Tollington Arms. Highly recommended for delicious Thai cuisine and good times!

---

GOODGYM ISLINGTON NEWS

---

SESSIONS IN JUNE AND JULY

Group Walk!- Light of the World Church Gardens 6.45pm, Arsenal Community Hub Monday 30th June

https://www.goodgym.org/v3/sessions/group-run-light-of-the-world-church-gardening-project

Note: We will be walking from Arsenal Community Hub at 6.45pm sharp to arrive at Light of the World Church Gardens for 7.15pm!

Community Mission- Hornsey Rise Kickabout Playground, 7.15pm, Hornsey Rise, Monday 7th July

https://www.goodgym.org/v3/sessions/community-mission-hornsey-rise-kickabout-playground-377a24b0-a761-4b71-a1e9-89a6054c724b

Community Mission- Timbuktu Adventure Playground 7.15pm, Grenville Road, Islington, Monday 14th July

https://www.goodgym.org/v3/sessions/goodgym-islington-community-mission-timbuktu-adventure-playground

Group Run- Isledon Gardens Nature Trail 6.45pm, Isledon Gardens, Parkside Crescent, Monday 21st July

https://www.goodgym.org/v3/sessions/group-run-isledon-gardens-nature-trail

Community Mission- Highbury Quadrant Estate 7.15pm, Highbury Quadrant Estate, Monday 28th July

https://www.goodgym.org/v3/sessions/community-mission-highbury-quadrant-gardening-caa4b5c0-b45f-447c-8894-2f0c3a620ff4

Group Run- Market Road Gardens 6.45pm, Arsenal Community Hub Monday 4th August

https://www.goodgym.org/v3/sessions/group-run-market-road-gardens-with-elizabeth-house

—------------------------------------

Achilles International VI Guide Running Sessions

Every Thursday, 6pm, Various London locations

On Thursday evenings, the all abilities sports charity Achilles International holds a group run session at a London location.

Here is a list of our upcoming events and sign up pages. Runners, supporters and guides of all abilities and experiences welcome!

Hyde Park Summer Session Thursday 26th June

https://www.goodgym.org/v3/sessions/come-and-guide-run-with-achilles-international-green-park-summer-session-c678ec05-b717-4db9-938c-c77e130dbd37

Stratford Olympic Park Thursday 3rd July

https://www.goodgym.org/v3/sessions/come-and-guide-run-with-achilles-international-olympic-park-stratford-route-0ff3f6ac-768b-458e-ab8e-d6cd6053878e

Arsenal Emirates Stadium Thursday 10th July

https://www.goodgym.org/v3/sessions/come-and-guide-run-with-achilles-international-emirates-stadium-ecfd9f28-dc7c-467b-a021-42f76616dcd5

—--------------------------------------

Elizabeth House Food Hub- Lunchtime Sweep Up Task!

Tuesday 1st July, 12.45 - 1.15pm, Elizabeth House

On Tuesday afternoons, during term time, the team at Elizabeth House Food Hub have requested for an extra pair of hands to help with cleaning and tidying up their donation centre.

Expect some satisfying sweeping and surface cleaning to assist this busy team!

https://www.goodgym.org/v3/sessions/elizabeth-house-food-hub-lunchtime-sweep-up-task-545fd5e6-4495-47d2-ad61-1143636fc1a5

—---------------------------------------

Green Guardians Spring Sessions

The Garden Classroom, Newington Green

Wednesday 25th June

Saturday 28th June

Wednesday 2nd July

Wednesday 9th July

Wednesday 16th July

Saturday 26th July

Next session:

https://www.goodgym.org/v3/sessions/the-garden-classroom-newington-green-green-guardians-volunteer-morning-5bf65e60-2eea-44ef-81ee-af9663ead582

—---------------

Market Road Gardens

Tuesday 1st July

Tuesday 8th July

Tuesday 15th July

Next Session:

https://www.goodgym.org/v3/sessions/the-garden-classroom-market-road-gardens-tuesday-volunteer-morning-9c3c911f-3cc4-4eb9-b9d9-833d9d673552

—--------------------------

Penn Road Gardens - June Volunteer Day

Sunday 29th June, 10am - 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. https://www.goodgym.org/happenings/penn-road-gardens-open-morning-june-9e600c77-b5a5-4aa8-abeb-c47ddf68b57d

—---------------------------

Elizabeth House Food Hub - Blue Day Leafleting Campaign

Saturday 12th July, 10.30am - 1.30pm, Elizabeth House Food Hub

A session of distributing flyers across the Islington, Finsbury Park and Highbury boroughs to promote the amazing work by Elizabeth House Food Hub. Great to attend after parkrun!

https://www.goodgym.org/v3/sessions/elizabeth-house-food-hub-blue-day-leafleting-campaign

—----------------------------

Compton Terrace Gardens- Volunteer Session

Saturday 12th July, 10am - 1pm, Union Chapel, Islington

A smashing community mission for those partaking in Highbury Fields or Finsbury parkrun on a Saturday morning!

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/v3/sessions/compton-terrace-gardens-volunteer-open-morning-june-b1d66c4f-0e85-47eb-a196-21b47e5bba16

—----------------------------

Friends of Canonbury Square- Volunteer Morning (July)

Saturday 19th July, 10am - midday, Canonbury Square Gardens

The Friends of Canonbury Square Gardens host an open community gardening session on the 3rd Saturday morning of every month.

Usual tasks would include bulb planting, trimming, laying compost, maintaining flower beds and litter picking.

https://www.goodgym.org/v3/sessions/goodgym-islington-friends-of-canonbury-square-volunteer-morning-july

—---------------------------

Golden Olden Community Gardens - Monthly Volunteer Open Day

Saturday 19th July, 10am - 2pm, Opposite Whistler Street, Islington

Olden Community Garden is a charity that maintains this lovely green space, with the object to promote a community garden for the benefit of people living or working in the London Borough of Islington. Olden Garden gives local people opportunities for education and recreation, with the aim of increasing involvement in the community and reducing isolation.

https://www.goodgym.org/v3/sessions/goodgym-islington-friends-of-canonbury-square-volunteer-morning-july

We were back at Stoke Newington Common today, this time watering the young trees planted previously in the year and mulched at the weekend. One GoodGymer joined the Stoke Newington Users Group (SNUG) volunteers to get the job done.

The trolley full or containers was filled with water and the group set off to the furthest away trees, which needed 3 containers of water each. After a refill, the next batch of thirsty trees were tended to. Thereafter, it was time to water the youngest of the trees - those planted earlier this year and still in their protective plastic tubing. They needed just 1/3 of a container each but there were about ten times as many, so there were several trips back and forth to the water tap to refill the containers again. And again....

After 1.5, all trees were hydrated and it was time for the group to head home for some refreshments of their own.

The Stoke Newington Common Users Group (SNUG) were back out on the common today, mulching young trees ahead of the dry summer days. One GoodGymer went along to lend a hand.

Before the group could get started, they needed to collect wheelbarrows, spades and shears from Abney Park Cemetery. From there, the volunteers proceeded across to Stoke Newington Common and the mulch pile. The target was to distribute ALL the mulch by the end of the session.

With barrows filled, the group systematically visited the young trees, weeding around the roots before piling on the mulch - one barrow per tree. Having planted lots of young trees earlier in the year, there was plenty to do, requiring multiple trips back and the forth to the mulch pile.

Within 2 hours, the mulch pile was no more, all the trees were protected and the group were able to get away home before the rain came on.

3 GoodGym volunteers helped Jack shift soil ready for new raised beds at Pembury Community Garden.

Once the community garden was located and the team found a work around to accessing the soil, which was within a locked garden area of the estate (solution = climbing over the fence), the task went ahead, as GoodGym joined Jack and the team for their regular growing session!

A true GoodGym workout with some extra problem-solving thrown in for good measure!

Great to meet first-timer, Brandon.

With 6 planters to fill, we'll be back at Pembury for more soil-shifting soon.

Matt and Anne were on hand to help tidy up the front garden, which had be one overgrown with grass, brambles and an assortment of other vegetation which was to be removed.

Task Owner, Alice, had already made a start in the week and was glad of the extra help to get the job finished.

As ever, the biggest challenge was what lay beneath the surface, to ensure roots were lifted along with the rest of the plant. And then after extracting the whole plant, shaking the soil off the roots so there was still something to plant fresh flowers and shrubs in. A few interesting 'historical finds' were also made, prompting the questions, how long does it take for a crisp packet to rot?, and when was scaffolding invented? Neither of which anyone could answer, although probably in the case of both, the answer is 'longer than you might think'.

The trio were given encouragement and thanks from the neighbours, as well as the offer of fresh espresso, which although declined, prompted a further question - how much quicker would the task get done if we were fueled by caffeine?

A scientific experiment for another day, perhaps.