GoodGym Water Testing: Citizen Science Report Several GoodGym members have been taking part in the Great UK WaterBlitz, carrying out simple water-quality tests in different locations around the country. The activity uses small test tubes and colour charts to record nitrate, phosphate and pH levels, helping to build a wider picture of river health. Harvey’s report I went down to the river — but into the river I didn’t swim! — on a sunny morning. Although I could hear the traffic on the bridge above, the River Brent flowed peacefully along. Armed with phone and testing kit, I set about following the instructions to fill three small plastic tubes with water from the river. It was easy! Then I matched them to a colour chart. Turns out the river in that spot, at that time, had moderate ecological status, so I guess that’s not terrible, but could do better! A nice thing to do.

Pauls report Why this kind of citizen science matters What I love about this kind of citizen science — and water testing in particular — is that it makes you stop and properly experience a place. You notice the movement of the water, the birds, the dappled light, even the traffic or urban noise around you. A spot you might normally hurry past can suddenly feel like a small haven. And at the same time, you’re doing a simple experiment and producing results that can actually be useful. It’s relaxation, observation and environmental action all rolled into one. Brief summary of Paul’s test results Paul’s sample showed: Test Result Brief interpretation Nitrates 1–2 mg/L Slightly raised; this may be the main reason the sample was not classed as “good”. Phosphates 0.02–0.05 mg/L Low, which is encouraging. pH 8–9 Alkaline, but not extreme. Overall, Paul’s result suggests a moderate ecological status at that spot and time: not terrible, but with room for improvement. The low phosphate reading is positive, while the nitrate level and slightly high pH show why repeated testing across different locations and conditions is useful.

Tiny steps, big impact

On a lovely sunny day, we gathered at Stephens House and Gardens for a GoodGym Barnet starter session — a relaxed introduction to how GoodGym connects running, volunteering and local community spaces.

The aim of the session was simple: to give newcomers a flavour of what GoodGym does locally, using two great examples of our community activity — Stephens House and Gardens and the nearby Tiny Forest.

Stephens House and Gardens is one of Barnet’s much-loved green spaces, and GoodGym has helped there in many ways over the years, from gardening and planting to supporting the team with practical outdoor jobs. It is a brilliant example of how regular volunteering can help care for local community assets.

After numbering up and introducing ourselves, we had a fun opening chat about encounters with animals while out running. Needless to say, we won’t go into all the details here — but it certainly got everyone smiling.

We then headed off through the park and down towards the Tiny Forest. This is another fantastic local project where GoodGym has been involved, helping with planting, care and citizen science monitoring. At the forest, we carried out some simple measurements linked to carbon capture and biodiversity, using survey slabs to see how the site may be changing over time — including what is happening in the soil as the forest develops.

It was one of those GoodGym sessions that perfectly combined movement, purpose and community: a bit of running, a bit of learning, a bit of science, and plenty of fresh air.

Afterwards, we headed back to Stephens House and Gardens and enjoyed the sunshine at the café with some well-earned food and drinks.

It doesn’t get much better than that.

We’ll be running these starter sessions regularly, so if you’re new to GoodGym Barnet and would like a gentle taster, keep an eye out for the next one. And if you don’t want to wait, come along to one of our Tuesday evening group activities. We’re a welcoming group, we’re not about super fitness, and we always adapt what we do depending on the task and who is with us.

Four goodgymers went along to the Mutton Brook Tiny Forests to help the local community in their first citizen science event of 2026.

With local residents, they engaged in all sorts of different surveys of the Tiny Forests: soil compaction, thermal comfort, tree measuring. And they collected several bags of rubbish around the site.

The weather played its part: it was windy but gloriously sunny and everyone was happy to be out on this spring day,blowing away the winter cobwebs.

The surveys help collect data from the 200+ forests dotted around the country, which environmental charity Earthwatch collates and analyzes.

If you want to learn more about the science around the Tiny Forests, visit this link

We look forward to the next community mission at the Tiny Forests!

Undeterred by the drop in temperature and threat of rain, our trusty group of Goodgymmers gathered for a return to the Tinyforests at Mutton Brook. And, for a change, we had cyclists with us!

Daniel has been carrying on with his pioneering work to engage local asylum seekers in community projects. He organised invitations to two groups, so cycled from Mutton Brook to the Phoenix Cinema and back to help ferry our guests to the site. He introduced the tinyforest, citizen science and the kind of care Goodgym brings to green spaces across Barnet. He'll be working on signing them up properly, so they can engage with more volunteering and connect with the area.

The rest of us ran from the Phoenix - Beattie, Subham, Theodore and myself. We took the quick route as we set off a little late, arriving at about 7:20. The other cyclist, Paul met us on site, helped litter pick the field with us.

Aside from the remains of a barbecue, there wasn't too much litter in the main field - a weird pair of thermal sports leggings, the usual bottles, wrappers, cans. Others found bigger stuff near the roadside, and we took our fair haul of two sacks up to the bus stop bin.

We checked on the tinyforests, skirting the bounds. Earthwatch have put some clearer markers around their attempt at a tinymeadow, which hasn't worked too well. But the original tinyforest is doing so well it seems to have put some runners under the fence, with new trees now as tall as the original! Amazing to see a forest taking shape.

With another week to go before the clocks 'spring forward', it was dark by 7pm, so there wasn't much citizen science we could do after our plog. But with the extra time, that meant a slightly longer, scenic jog back through Northway Gardens and Lyttleton Park. A good bit of cardio!

GoodGym Barnet Starter Session & January Challenge Good Deed

A dull January day, but thankfully the rain mostly held off just the odd light mist to keep things atmospheric.

We gathered at Stephens House & Gardens, chatting and welcoming everyone along. Huge thanks to today’s heroes , and a big welcome to Joyceon her very first GoodGym run she did magnificently and fitted right in from the off.

We spent a bit of time talking about why Stephens House & Gardens is such a special place. As a charitable trust, it relies heavily on volunteers and community support, and it’s somewhere we help throughout the year with a wide range of tasks.

From there, we headed off to Long Lane Pastures, a local nature reserve we support occasionally. It’s a fantastic spot to explore, but the path alongside it was looking pretty tired, so out came the bags and litter-pickers. With limited time we didn’t quite finish the job definitely one to return to.

We then ran on to visit the Tiny Forest, giving our newer runners and walkers a flavour of the kinds of community projects we support on GoodGym runs.

After the session, some of us rounded things off with well-earned snacks and drinks at the Stables Café back at Stephens House & Gardens a perfect way to end the morning.

Another great example of getting active, doing good, and enjoying each other’s company. Well done everyone

Two goodgymers joined a group of asylum seekers living in the local community in looking after the Mutton Brook Tiny Forest.

We talked about the four tiny forests at the site, with a combined total of 2,400 trees, and got on with the job of measuring and reporting the height and girth of a sample of trees.

These measurements go into a big database that tracks the progress of trees in more than 200 tiny forests around the country.

We also counted wildlife and collected two large bags of litter, so the site looked much tidier when we left it!

Goodgym Barnet is proud to work with groups of asylum seekers, who are often keen to contribute to the communities they live in, but lack the resources or local connections to meaningfully participate.

Through Goodgym they get connected to the local area and find ways of making a contribution while they wait for their cases to be resolved. We look forward to other similar sessions!