Elizabeth House Food Hub
144 GoodGymers have supported Elizabeth House Food Hub with 111 tasks.
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Upcoming sessions
Tuesday 21st April 2026 12:45pm - 1:30pm
Tuesday 28th April 2026 12:45pm - 1:30pm
Tuesday 5th May 2026 12:45pm - 1:30pm
Tuesday 12th May 2026 12:45pm - 1:30pm
Tuesday 19th May 2026 12:45pm - 1:30pm
Previous sessions
Sweep Dreams: Glitter, Leeks, and Good Cheer at Elizabeth House FoodBank
Monday 30th March
Written by Hermione Taylor
Last night's session saw 9 GoodGymers roll up at Elizabeth House Community Centre, helping to stack chairs, clean tables, and sweep the floor after their foodbank in record time. Although I'm not sure we managed to rid the floor of every sparkle of glitter!
As is often the case with this task - we were rewarded with surplus bread and veg to take home (has anyone tasted those mustard seeds?! They're fiery!!)
5 GoodGymers took a gentle 2.5 km run to get there too - although we all bailed out of the run back, opting instead to head directly home to cook up our leeks and munch on our bread, much to the disappointment of Luke who really wanted to witness me running laps of the stadium with 2 leeks and a baguette in tow... next time!
Keep Calm and Cally On - AA Simon's Last Session!
Monday 2nd February
Written by Simon Fitzmaurice
For one last time as a Goodgym Area Activator, Simon met at the Arsenal Community Hub on Benwell Road to meet a huge group of keen runners, ready to help at Caledonian Park this evening. It was truly a joy to see familiar faces from years gone by (including awesome folks who attended Simon's first session 6.5 years ago at Mildmay Community Centre - I'll find the link!). Also thank you to Astra for attending your first Goodgym session- I heartly recommend attending more sessions soon- we have wonderful people in this community!
After a short (but necessary) warm up, we ran together up McKenzie Road and the Market Road slopes to the wonderful Caledonian Park Clocktower, to meet up with Miriam and Gail, our local task coordinators.
Our objective for the night (with our 26 volunteers on hand!!!), was to shovel piles of crushed rock fines into wheelbarrows, and then transport the loads over to the forest pathways on the West side of the park. This is a lovely wooded walk, that is often frequented by children, families and wheelchair users, and we want to keep this area as accessible as possible during the Springtime months.
We separated into multiple groups to cover the whole area. Team 1 shoveled the ground fines, Team 2 pushed the barrows across the park and Team 3 raked and flattened the ground around the amphitheatre (carefully avoiding the grassed surfaces and paved sections). We also had a 4th team on hand to transfer soil from builder's merchant bags, ready for Spring planting later this month.
This is a massive task, and our crew did an smashing job over the 45 minutes we had available. 26 hands, all working in tandem, really makes a huge difference. Well done!
As we closed up our evening, Area Activator Simon lead a running group back to the Emirates Stadium, while Emily and Louise lead a walking group to The Tollington Arms on Sobell Road- a great local pub that serves incredible Thai food. Together, we celebrated Area Activator Simon's final fixture as a leader, but not his final Goodgym adventure for sure!
Special Delivery (First Class)
Monday 11th August 2025
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!
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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!
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
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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
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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.
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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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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!
Going Callaloo-py at Sunnyside Community Gardens
Monday 4th August 2025
Written by Simon Fitzmaurice
5 keen Goodgym runners joined Area Activator Simon at the Arsenal Community Hub last night, to enjoy a group run up to the lovelySunnyside Community Gardens near Elthorne Park. Upon our arrival, we caught up with Eslam and the rest of our team, enjoying a warm Summer's evening in a pretty green space.
Shovels, forks, wheelbarrows and hose pipes were gathered up in advance, ready for a big Goodgym task! Our objective for the evening was to move the entire contents of a large compost bay, and then sieve through the soil to remove large twigs, branches or forgotten coffee sacks. The twigs were moved to a secondary compost bay, to allow them to break down over time.
As we rotated the soil, Michelle helped with spraying down the compost with water, to help with mixing the materials together (the soil has become very dry, and we needed to use forks to break it up). It took about 40 minutes for our team to remove the compost, but only 10 minutes to shovel it back into place- well done everyone l!
As as a Thank You for our hard work, Eslam invited us to the Sunnyside Community Gardens allotments and greenhouses, across the road from our work space. A hidden treasure trove of fresh vegetables, and community grown produce! We were even allowed to bring a few pots of callaloo back home with us!
Thanks again for a great evening.
Next week we will be at Elizabeth House Food Hub (meeting at 7pm)- more details below!
GOODGYM ISLINGTON NEWS
SESSIONS IN AUGUST
Community Mission - Elizabeth House Food Hub 7.15pm, Monday 11th 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
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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!
Arsenal Emirates Stadium Thursday 7th August
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
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Elizabeth House Food Hub- Lunchtime Sweep Up Task!
Tuesday 5th 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!
—----------------------------
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
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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 - August 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!
UN foodbank
Tuesday 8th July 2025
Written by Islington runner
The friendly multi-national team at Elizabeth House requested some extra help to clear up at the end of a busy foodbank supermarket session. GoodGym provided its own multi-national team - David from Islington and Brenda from Croydon.
Chair stacking, table wiping, crate lugging, food composting - the half hour session flew past. More help requested next week!
Plant Hydration Stations
Monday 23rd June 2025
Written by Simon Fitzmaurice
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
Community Mission- Timbuktu Adventure Playground 7.15pm, Grenville Road, Islington, Monday 14th July
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
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
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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!
Hyde Park Summer Session Thursday 26th June
Stratford Olympic Park Thursday 3rd July
Arsenal Emirates Stadium Thursday 10th July
—--------------------------------------
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!
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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:
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Market Road Gardens
Tuesday 1st July
Tuesday 8th July
Tuesday 15th July
Next Session:
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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
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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
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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.
—----------------------------
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.
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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.
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