Orchard Runs and Hedge Heroics with Goodgym Barnet April 1st, 2025 – Friary Park, North London

It was a cloudless, golden evening for GoodGym’s latest outing to Friary Park, where four valiant volunteers converged from across the borough — by foot, bike, and good intention — to lend a hand (and legs) to the Friends of Friary Park.

Our mission? Water an orchard and a very thirsty hedge, both planted to boost local biodiversity and food sustainability. The orchard, a collection of young fruit trees, had had a drink recently. The hedge? Not so lucky. It hadn’t seen much water since Christmas, and it showed.

Led by Nick and Sarah, with help from Sarah’s young daughter (who enthusiastically joined our end-of-session exercises), we got to work. The hedge was a long way from the tap, so we made do with watering cans, a wheelbarrow, and a repurposed caravan tank, jogging and schlepping our way across the park in a joyful sort of sloshy relay.

As the sun dipped behind the trees, we closed with a bench-based workout: squats, dips, press-ups, and sprints. The perfect blend of graft, laughter, and effort with a purpose. We even managed a group photo on a beautiful old tree stump — captured with flair by our junior photographer.

Why do we do it? Because when community groups lack manpower and councils lack funding, an hour of help can make a real difference. We need more hands, more hearts — so why not join GoodGym and bring a friend?

1,800 new trees! 🌳🌿

Next to the North Circular, one of London's busiest roads, sits Mutton Brook. This previously under-utilised green space has now expanded from our initial Tiny Forest to four thanks to the brilliant work of 8 GoodGymers, Earthwatch, Barnet Council, school children and members from the local community.

Great work and nice one for being apart of it Scarlett, Paul, George, Daniel, Kubilay and special mention to Anastasiia and David on your first good deeds with GoodGym!

---

What is a Tiny Forest and how does it help? 🌳
The 3 new Tiny Forests each hold 600 densely planted trees, using the Miyawaki method developed in Japan. Having an additional 1,800 new trees will not only help to improve local biodiversity and create more green spaces for people to connect with nature, they’ll also be used for scientific studies by Earthwatch, universities, schools, and citizen scientists.

The planting will specifically help scientists understand how trees in urban areas can grow best - the 3 plots are trialling different planting methods, using a mix of experimental and traditional techniques. We're proud to be part of such an innovative project that’s putting Barnet on the map for green solutions.

Record holders 🥇
Citizen science is a key feature of Earthwatch’s environmental research projects, providing evidence and monitoring data that are crucial to helping scientists better understand and improve the management of the natural environment.

We were also very proud to find out that our first Tiny Forest in Mutton Brook holds the record for the most data submitted - well done to all of our citizen scientists for all their data collections over the years.

Inspiring speeches 🎤
After a lovely day planting in the sunshine we then headed to Stephens House & Gardens, a beautiful space that we regularly support, for Earthwatch's evening reception. After many inspiring speeches, Paul and Daniel closed, speaking brilliantly about GoodGym and their experiences in Mutton Brook - emphasising how well the Tiny Forest connects the community and the importance of helping people benefit from connecting with nature and green spaces.

We look forward to supporting the growth of the new Tiny Forests and thank Earthwatch for being such brilliant and inspiring partners to collaborate with.

---

To read BBC's feature on the Barnet Tiny Forest planting please click here.

To find out more information about Earthwatch's Tiny Forest project please click here.

With clear skies above and sturdy legs below, four Goodgymmers stormed into the darkening evening from the Phoenix Cinema. We ran a solid, mostly car-free 3km to the tinyforest, with Kubilay and Theodore. Subham kept the pace up while night scarfed up the tender eye of pitiful day. Starlight hardly pierced the twilight engulfing Lyttleton fields, so we turned on head torches.

On Falloden Way we met Gabonnet and Scarlett, who joined us in the meadow. Dark tracks from the diggers led to the newly turned earthy, where we'll be planting three new tinyforests later this month. Then, in the far corner of the forgotten fields we found the existing tinyforest.

We assembled our three birdfeeders, two with fat balls and one with seeds, entered the forest and hung the feeders on branches. Though stones have been known to move and trees to speak, we heard nary a nightingale nor late blackbird singing for supper, but we'll see what they have taken when we come back next week.

We talked about the impact of the tinyforest, the various citizen science data we could record (in daylight) and the new tinymeadow that should start blooming soon. Then, wishing a fair journey home to Scarlett, Subham and Gabrielle, three of us mustered our mettle for the 3km trek back to the Phoenix.