On a brisk November evening, GoodGym Barnet gathered at the Phoenix Cinema, ready for a run. My trusty computer assured me the skies were cloudy, but the rain on my face hinted otherwise. Clearly, technology and I had a bit of a misunderstanding — maybe the computer was right, and I was simply too human to grasp its wisdom?

The Phoenix was buzzing with a private event, but we still managed to crowd together, number up, and chat. Naturally, the big topic was cinema. Each of us threw in a film recommendation, and, honestly, we’ve got some eclectic taste here at GoodGym Barnet. Here’s what made the list:

🎬 GoodGym Barnet’s Film Picks • The Educators • Howl’s Moving Castle • Once Upon a Time in Anatolia • Round Midnight • Lost Highway • 12 Chairs (Russian comedy!) • Blood Simple (aka: “If you’re into misunderstandings and murder…”)

So, next time you’re scrolling through streaming platforms, consider one of our picks — and if you think we missed a must-watch, add it in the comments!

As we set off, the cold wasn’t quite “recreational ground weather,” so we took an alternate path that felt like stepping into an enchanted forest. With the glow of street lamps filtering through the trees, we ran through a tunnel of golden-brown leaves, looking every bit like we were sprinting through a woodland fairytale. Just one of those rare, perfect little moments that makes GoodGym so special.

Mission Accomplished… with Style! Upon arriving, we met Vicci from the Friends Group who helps care for this hidden gem of a park. We threw on our head torches, which transformed the damp grass and shadowy paths into a scene from a sci-fi movie — an alien planet expedition, complete with litter bags as our “research specimens.” We worked in pairs (perfect for some bonus conversation!) and ended up with a respectable stash of litter, enough to give the area a fresh start.

On our way back, we even caught a glimpse of foxes in the woodland. Their eyes glinted like jewels as they peeked out, a little audience for our ragtag team of trash-collectors.

New Faces and Noteworthy Moments Special shoutout to Ben, joining us for his first GoodGym run, and to Kirsten, returning from a brief break. And kudos to Kubilay, who’s volunteered for an upcoming mission to build a table for a gentleman in Barnet. We also had Anthony, who received a surprise in the form of a small women’s GoodGym shirt (yes, the admin strikes again!). And let’s not forget BT and Rachel, heading off to Norway to catch the Northern Lights—safe travels, and bring back stories!

We ended the night with a warm-down, mutual applause, and some well-deserved refreshments back at the Phoenix Cinema. Yet again, we’d proven that GoodGym is about more than just fitness or service—it’s a way to get out of our heads, connect with our community, and have a blast together, rain or shine.

Ready to join the fun? Come along next Tuesday, and who knows—you might discover a new favorite film and get a glimpse of the foxes yourself!

Last night’s GoodGym group run was a delightful mix of community spirit, fitness, and fun. We set out to meet Linda from the Friends group, who had requested our help to clear the area around the children’s playground and fitness equipment in Coldfall Woods.

The evening was warm and beautiful, perfect for a summer run. We gathered at the Phoenix Cinema, chatting excitedly about our upcoming holidays, before numbering up and setting off on a 4km run through the charming backstreets of East Finchley. Despite the heat, we took breaks to catch our breath and stay together, embodying GoodGym’s philosophy of social, inclusive running.

Upon reaching Coldfall Woods, Linda welcomed us and provided tools and bags. We spent a productive 40 minutes clearing weeds around benches and equipment, and picking up litter. It was rewarding to see the area looking tidier and more inviting for the community.

As the sun began to set, we headed back, the golden light filtering through the trees. We couldn’t resist playing a bit of frisbee on the recreational ground, laughing and enjoying the simple pleasure of throwing and catching as we ran.

We finished back at the Phoenix for a good stretch, savoring the last moments of the glowing sunset. Some of us then went to the pub for a well-deserved drink and a chat. To top off the evening, we watched the final of the freestyle relay event where Great Britain won the gold medal.

In our own way, we felt like we had won a medal too. Thanks to everyone who came out, ran, and helped make a positive impact in our community!

Beautiful evening for a short group run to help our friends of Coldfall wood.

Beattie, Rachel, Emily, Moya and Cloud set off from The Phoenix cinema for a steady 12 min run with a pit stop for a series of short sprints.

we met our host Linda at the back of Coldfall woods where the green open space is. Today's task involved digging little holes ready for seed planting next week. the planting will be done by the local school kids.

we have done an amazing job (pat on the back) digging a total of 112 holes ! there were a total of 5 volunteers... who do you think dug the most holes and how many??

keep up the great work GGers!

What’s the connection between Barbie and an old Arrowhead. The answer is this weeks GoodGym Barnet group run!

A goodgym group run is a great way to get perspective on life and what better way than to start in a barbie saturated cinema, run to an ancient woodland, (where they had found a 4000-year-old Arrowhead) and then help to protect the trees by rebuilding fences.

We gathered at the cinema which was covered in pink balloons to celebrate the arrival of the film. Then warmed up, introduce ourselves, before setting off on the 1.5 km to the woods where we met Linda.

During her introduction, she mentioned the fact that they had recently found an arrowhead, which dates between 1500, BC and 4000 BC. She then went on to explain how we would rebuild some of the forest fences. We got to work as the sun started to set and by the time we had finished and set off back to the cinema, it was twilight. We had enough time to do some shorts sprints before a warm down outside the cinema. Some of us then went for some light refreshments in the cinema café.

Thanks for coming, running, doing some good and maybe shifting your perspective for the better!

Give a shout out to our new runners… Alefiyah Megan

6 GoodGymers ran to our local nature reserve Coldfall Woods to meet up with Ann from the Friends of Coldfall Woods. The recent winds had blown a lot of branches down, and with the summer heat there was a danger of fires from illegal barbeques. We were put to task in teams collecting branches and piling them onto designated areas to protect trees from being trampled around, and provide a nice habitat for insects and small rodents. We also found some rather unusual stinkhorn mushrooms growing, happily not yet at their stinkiest. We swiftly got stuck in to our stick-picking and made some satisfying piles.

But the big news of the night was that by joining this task (and gathering up litter on the way) Jacqueline had done 100 Good Gym deeds! What an achievement, and definitely worthy of that angel wings red t-shirt. No sticky wicket for her - that's a century! We all ran back and celebrated at the Phoenix cinema with some well earned hot drinks.

Three of us met at the Phoenix Cinema to make the short walk and run to Coldfall Woods and its recreational ground to help with weeding. Ivana wanted to walk so we did alternate tag running ( one of us running off and back ) this allowed us to keep company with Ivana. Two others tried to meet us at the venue. Unfortunately Kirsten never found us despite using a WhatsApp tracker. (thanks for trying look forward to catching up soon!) Richard did join us and we met up with Linda who gave us tools to start our work. We were looking to clear the base of the tree of weeds and uncover the watering pipes. We then had the jolly task of throwing the bags of weeds over into the compound. we headed back and three of us had some refreshments at the Phoenix Cinema on its glorious balcony! thanks for coming running and doing some good!