Kim
(She/her)
96
Good Deeds
Workouts
456
Cheers given
135
Cheers received
419
Member
Doing good since September 2022
22 Month Streak
Latest activity
Kim (She/her) went on a group run
Mon 25th Aug at 6:15pm
Islington Report written by Simon Fitzmaurice
Last night, Goodgym Islington held a special Bank Holiday group run session, combining a lovely run down The Parkland Walk with the excellent work promoted by Trash Free Trails. A deviation from our usual meeting location, Area Activator Simon caught up with our running group (including first timers Da Marcus and Katya, and returning Goodgymmer Paul - welcome!) outside the Woodman Pub in Highgate, ready to try out some Plogging.
Plogging is the environmentally conscious activity of collecting litter while jogging, or performing another physical exercise, such as walking or hiking. The word is a portmanteau of the Swedish word "plocka upp" (to pick up) and the English word "jogging". The activity originated in Sweden in 2016 and has since become a global phenomenon, combining fitness with community and environmental action.
Our crew ran and cycled together down the Capital Ring Trail, while picking up the occasional dropped bottle or can on route (the path has been well maintained by The Friends of the Parkland Walk). The former railway line is famous as being a unique wooded trail cutting through Haringey and Islington, and is a must for anyone looking to explore the boroughs!
About 2 miles down the path, we arrived at Finsbury Park by crossing over a railway bridge. The amount of litter and debris greatly increased as we entered the park, particularly towards the latter part of a Bank Holiday Weekend. We peeled off into small groups, and filled up multiple heavy duty black bin bags with refuse in no time, while jogging towards The Museum of Homelessness in Manor House. Goodgym Islington were part of the original volunteering crews at MOH back in 2023, and we are thrilled to see how much progress has been made since our last visits!
To finish up the evening, we plogged all along the side of Seven Sisters Road (a wind block for rubbish blown across the park), and stopped by the funfair entrance near Blackstock Road. After an hour and a half of plogging, we had gathered at least 9 hefty bags of rubbish, that would otherwise have ended up in bushes and wildlife habitats. Well done everyone!
A group of us celebrated a job well done by visiting the Someday Canteen opposite Finsbury Park station for pizza, tacos and refreshments. Area Activator Simon also marked 6 years as the Goodgym Islington coordinator, and hopes for many more to come!
GOODGYM ISLINGTON NEWS
SESSIONS IN SEPTEMBER
Group Run- Isledon Gardens 6.45pm, Arsenal Community Hub Monday 1st September
Community Mission- Light of the World Church Gardening and Painting 7.15pm, Lighthouse Community Centre, Evershot Street, Monday 8th September
Group Run - Caledonian Park- Autumn Path Building 6.45pm, Arsenal Community Hub, Monday 15th September
https://www.goodgym.org/v3/sessions/group-run-caledonian-park-autumn-path-building
Community Mission - Highbury Quadrant Estate Gardens 7.15pm, Highbury Quadrant Estate Wildflower Gardens, Monday 22nd September
Group Run - Thornhill Square Gardens, 6.45pm, Arsenal Community Hub, Monday 29th September
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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!
Stratford Olympic Park Thursday 28th August
Arsenal Emirates Stadium Thursday 4th September
Paddington Rec Track Maida Vale Thursday 11th September
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Penn Road Gardens - July Volunteer Day
Sunday 31st August, 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.
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The Post Big Half After Party
Saturday 7th September, 11.30am onwards, The Mitre, Southwark
Come to the after-party for a social with your fellow GoodGymers and celebrate your achievements!
https://www.goodgym.org/v3/sessions/post-big-half-after-party-eed83bcd-77c9-425e-8264-84af1a37ce12
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Compton Terrace Gardens- Volunteer Session
Saturday 13th September, 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.
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Golden Olden Community Gardens - Monthly Volunteer Open Day
Saturday 20th September, 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.
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Camino Ultra Epping Forest 50km and 25km Eco Trail- Aid Station Superstars 2025!!!
Sunday 4th October, 9am onwards, Rangers Road, Chingford
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!
Kim (She/her) signed up to a party.
Mon 25th Aug at 8:15pm
Area Activator Simon invites you to a social after our plogging run!
Read moreKim (She/her) signed up to a group run.
Mon 25th Aug at 6:15pm
A special group run with AA Simon, collecting rubbish and debris along a lovely North London trail
Read moreKim (She/her) went on a community mission
Thu 21st Aug at 6:00pm
Islington Report written by Simon Fitzmaurice
We had a bumper turn out for guide runners, VI athletes and guide dogs for our final Achilles International session in Hyde Park for 2025. We were treated to beautiful sunshine and excellent running conditions. Welcome to our new guides and runners too!
We will be at Stratford Olympic Park for our next group run session with Achilles International on Thursday 28th September:
Kim (She/her) went on a group run
Mon 11th Aug at 7:00pm
Islington Report written by Simon Fitzmaurice
Goodgym Islington were delighted to be invited back to Elizabeth House Food Hub to lend a hand with the team's busy Summer Holiday food bank project.
As we approached the distinctive blue hall just off Blackstock Road, Arsenal, we were able to see the place was already buzzing with activity. This well established food bank project operates like a supermarket for donated food and supplies from local businesses. Residents arrive to pay a small donation to cover managing costs, and are able to take shopping and essential items back home.
David and Robin agreed to travel over to Highbury Hill to drop off a few bags of shopping to a family near by. In the mean time, the rest of our team helped with closing down the food bank. We cleaned and sanitised all the surfaces, and we moved tables back into a storage room. Any non perishable food were moved over to the kitchen, ready for next month. All leftover food was taken to composting bins to rot down for more gardening projects (check out Highbury Quadrant Estate Gardens!).
We finished up the evening with sweeping up the floors, ready for play scheme tomorrow morning. Excellent work, efficiently completed in record time!
Thank you so much for joining us this week (It was my 750th Good Deed!). See you all at Arsenal Community Hub for our group run next Monday!
GOODGYM ISLINGTON NEWS
SESSIONS IN JULY / AUGUST
Group Run- Highbury Quadrant Estate Gardens 6.45pm, Arsenal Community Hub Monday 18th August
Bank Holiday Special Group Run- Parkland Walk Plogging with Camino Ultra and Trash Free Trails 6.15pm, The Woodman Pub, Highgate Monday 25th August
Group Run- Isledon Gardens 6.45pm, Arsenal Community Hub Monday 1st September
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Post Group Run Social August- Someday Canteen, Finsbury Park
Monday 25th August, 8.15pm, Someday Canteen, Finsbury Park
Area Activator Simon began leading sessions for Goodgym Islington 6 years ago, taking the reins from Goodgym legend Paul Bown (still active in GG Sheffield). We invite you for good food, excellent refreshments and fun times!
—-----------------------------------
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!
Paddington Rec Track Maida Vale Thursday 14th August
Hyde Park Lancaster Gate Thursday 21st August
Stratford Olympic Park Thursday 28th August
Arsenal Emirates Stadium Thursday 4th September
Paddington Rec Track Maida Vale Thursday 11th September
—--------------------------------------
Compton Terrace Gardens- Volunteer Session
Saturday 9th August, 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-august
—----------------------
Golden Olden Community Gardens - Monthly Volunteer Open Day
Saturday 16th August, 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.
—---------------------------
Penn Road Gardens - July Volunteer Day
Sunday 31st August, 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.
—--------------------------------
Camino Ultra Epping Forest 50km and 25km Eco Trail- Aid Station Superstars 2025!!!
Sunday 4th October, 9am onwards, Rangers Road, Chingford
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!
Kim (She/her) signed up to a group run.
Mon 11th Aug at 7:00pm
This wonderfully busy community food hub has asked our crew to help out with neighbourhood deliveries!
Read moreKim (She/her) went on a community mission
Sat 2nd Aug at 11:00am
Islington Report written by Caterina Farulla
The workshop with Achilles International was a powerful and eye-opening experience (literally!). We were blindfolded to simulate what it’s like to run without sight, which really helped us understand the level of trust and communication needed between a guide and a visually impaired runner.
We then took turns guiding and being guided during short runs, learning the ropes—quite literally! The team also walked us through different types of visual impairments and how to tailor our support depending on the individual's needs.
It was informative, inspiring, and left all of us with a deeper appreciation for accessible running and the strength of the Achilles community. Huge thanks to the organisers and participants!
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