Paul Salman

GoodGym Barnet

BarnetCommunity mission
Subham Basu
George Ttoouli
Paul Salman

Goodgym Tears Bananas!

Monday 7th September

Written by George Ttoouli (he/him)

Subham rocked up first this morning, 09:44, with me hot on his heels, watching him go up the stairs to St Barnabus from the other side of the road. Then Paul rolled up on his bike out of nowhere a short while later, so we had a great little reunion over coffee in the foyer, bonding with some of the regulars about that classic North London competitive divide: Arsenal or Spurs?

Then the delivery arrived and we got stuck into unloading. This week saw: potatoes, carrots, onions, protein shakes, burgers, some kind of beef thing that didn't need fridging, soups, bananas, bread rolls, ciabbata rolls, and plenty more. We helped unload everything, then helped unpack things in fridges and store cupboards, then trotted off on our merry way.

Sadly, they've not had much fruit delivered to the Grocery this year, so we're going to try and work with Barnet Community Harvesters and others to get some fresh apples to them if we can, this month.

Also, Claire, Emily and Kenny are all away next week, so we're definitely needed - sign up soon if you're free!

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BarnetCommunity mission
Daniel Mermelstein
Subham Basu

Goodgym gets (play)street-wise

Sunday 6th September

Written by Daniel Mermelstein (He/him)

Three Goodgymers attended the Windermere Avenue Play street in Finchley to help locals manage this monthly summer event. For a few hours on a Sunday the street is closed to cars, allowing the local children and adults to roam freely and socialise on the street. Goodgym helped the organisers to staff the barriers at the end of the street, to ask motorists to go the long way round, or to let those through who live on the street. The unseasonably good weather continues, so it was a gloriously sunny day for everyone to enjoy the freedom of the street.

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BarnetTraining session
Paul Salman
Rachel Melinek

August yoga

Tuesday 4th August

Written by Paul Salman

A few GoodGym members came online to do yoga.

Yoga talk Fascia is a connective tissue that surrounds structures in our body, including muscles, organs, and bones. It also occupies the space between cells. Practicing yoga can have several positive effects on fascia, helping to maintain mobility as we age

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BarnetCommunity mission
Amir Ohadi
Richard
Paul Salman
Rachel Melinek
Beattie

Super Nature – less filming, more seeing

Sunday 6th September

Written by Paul Salman

The Phoenix Cinema had asked GoodGym Barnet to distribute leaflets for this film in an effort to support a community action screening and Q&A session. We decided to see the film ourselves.

I’ll admit I was initially a little cynical about Super Nature, but having seen it at the weekend,. I think I now understand much better what director Ed Sayers was trying to do.

The whole film is shot on Super 8, the old home-movie format many of us associate with the 1970s and 80s. A cartridge gives you only around two or three minutes of film and there is no recorded sound, so unlike a phone or digital camera you simply can’t keep filming everything. Sayers brought together more than 40 contributors across 25 countries to capture the natural world in this deliberately restricted way.

And perhaps the restriction is the point.

When you only have a tiny amount of film, you have to choose your moment. You spend more time actually looking, waiting and being present in the environment. It reminded me of taking photographs with film: every picture cost something, so you thought about it rather than firing off dozens of shots.

There is also something nostalgic about the grainy Super 8 image. Even the director said at the Q&A that this seems to affect younger people who never actually grew up with the format. It somehow makes what you are watching feel like a memory — and that becomes rather powerful when the subject is a natural world we are in danger of losing.

The film does show some very direct environmental threats: plastic in the oceans, threatened ecosystems and the last northern white rhinos. But I came away thinking there was another, less obvious message as well.

We live in a world where we constantly consume information — photographs, videos, messages, news and data. We record more and more but perhaps sometimes experience less. That endless appetite for more is not completely separate from the wider consumerism which is literally consuming the natural world.

I would have liked more time at the Q&A to explore the community side of this. Perhaps part of reconnecting with nature isn’t travelling across the world to see something spectacular. It is stopping, looking and becoming involved with what is around us — our parks, woods, gardens, birds, insects and local wildlife.

That links very nicely with GoodGym. We can actually do something: look after a local nature reserve, plant and care for trees, clear litter, support community organisations and simply become more aware of the natural world on our doorstep.

Maybe the lesson of Super Nature is quite simple: consume a little less, look a little longer — and get involved.

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BarnetCommunity mission
Paul Salman

Brambles, Benedict and a Living Fossil

Friday 4th September

Written by Paul Salman

A great turnout of 12+ people for the regular Friday morning gardening session at Stephens House and Gardens.

This time I joined Heather and her team of specialist bramble-busters, trying to keep an area of the park under control. Armed with secateurs, rakes, spades and forks, we cut back the brambles and cleared the weeds.

We were working very close to one of the park’s special trees, a Ginkgo biloba. Sometimes called a “living fossil”, it comes from an ancient line of trees stretching back more than 200 million years, with fossil leaves looking remarkably like those we see today.

Having spotted Benedict Cumberbatch earlier that morning, our conversation topic was naturally close encounters with celebrities — always a good one!

After a couple of productive hours we headed back for the traditional tea and cake, this time with an extra reason to celebrate: gardener Ian’s birthday.

Another lovely morning getting outdoors, meeting people and helping to look after this special local park.

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BarnetCommunity mission
Subham Basu

Autumnal nip in the air

Thursday 3rd September

Written by Subham Basu

We had a full house of volunteers at the station today and it definitely was a case of many hands make light work as we tidied and cleaned and cleared and also ensured that the compost bins were well stocked. Soon we will get down to planting for next year!

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