22 GoodGymers have supported Archer Academy with 2 tasks.
Tuesday 20th June 2017
Written by Pennie Varvarides
This week 13 GoodGym-ers braved 30º heat to run 2km and continue work on our Archer pond.
Sarahwas awarded the honour of wearing the GG Barnet flag this week. Give her a cheer! And we were joined by Danica for the first time in AGES. She'll be joining GG Barnet and GG Haringey runners at Race the Neighbours on 2 July. The race is real local to the Barnet start point, so if you're free and fancy a friendly 10km, there's still time to sign up!
We started with a gentle jog down to Cherry Tree Wood for a warm up round of resistance running in groups of threes and some dynamic stretches. Once everyone's blood was pumping and they were raring to go I lead us up to Archer to continue work on our pond. It's incredible how far we've come since February. It's a real treat to have a long term project like this were we are able to see a real change.
Anja, New Freya and Hazel all did a great job with the mattock, finishing the final dig on the pond, while Jennie, Louis and Eleanor did some great shovelling.
Chris revealed his inner Scotsman with some incredible log carrying and the whole team came together for the largest log carry of them all. This fallen tree was turned into a beautiful pond-side bench. Jody did some fab stick piling and Shawn took charge of the scissors, chopping the lining down to size.
Very impressed with the team's efforts overall and Maaike was over the moon.
After a quick fitness session in the playground, mostly consisting of Bulldog, it was time to head back to base.
This week's Barnet Biscuit was brought to us courtesy of TF Freya in the form of a cake.
Bonus Barnet Biscuit, more cake, came from Heather, who finished work too late to run with us, but made it down to the pub after for drinking and bake sharing.
Next week will be a run to Long Lane Pasture to move compost. Bring bug spray – and maybe long trousers (or at least high socks). Sign up here. 2km each way.
Tuesday 14th March 2017
We returned to Archer Acadamy this week to help Maaike, the science teacher, with the pond. There was more digging, sand fetching, pile consolodating, jumping, dancing and posing.
As always, we started at the wonderful Phoenix, where we were greeted by two GG Barnet newbies: Gary and Kim. Give them a cheer!
Freya lead us ALL THE WAY to the school (500m), while Paul was our trusty back-marker. Maaike was there to meet us at Archer Acamdey once again, and went off to fetch us the mattock whilst we collected the spades and wheelbarrows. Let the digging commence.
With twice as many GG-ers this week, we were able to split into teams: the diggers, the movers and the sand fetchers. Everybody did a fantastic job transforming the hole into an almost pond! We managed to get the pond down about a foot and a half, lay the sand, pound it into the ground with some very energetic jumping and consolodate all the stuff for the wildlife to nest in by the pond. The jumping was helped along by Destiny's Child and Girl's Aloud (thanks, Dorian.
We then finished up with a game of tag, some relays and a quick circuit on the netball court, before running back to base for biscuits. Well done to Paul for the speedy circuit!
The Barnet Biscuit of the Week: Chocolate Bourbons
Well done to Hazel and Damian for getting their black GG shirts! And to Heather for already passing the 100km mark this month! That's some epic running and do-gooding folks!
Don't forget about the movie night at the Phoenix tomorrow, it's free if you've come to 10 or more sessions. Sign up here. If you're unsure if you qualify, drop me an email and I'll check!
And we have a Barnet mission on Sunday marshalling and pacing a 5km and 10km run around Ally Pally / Highgate Woods. Sign up here.
Next week we will be running back to Dell Fields to paint some garden furniture. Sign up here
See you soon! Pennie