Three brave Goodgymmers made the run from the Phoenix to Stephens House this week: Rachel, Abdikani and me, where we met the rest of the night's sign ups, Daniel, Abdulkadir, Richard and Subham, already in action.

Andy and Richard from Stephens House got us cutting back vegetation along the fence on East End Road - a follow up to our mission last month, but with much better weather this time. Daniel was behind bars - he drew the 'short saw' and was cutting down thicker branches inside the fence. Abdulkadir and Adbikani took on sweeping and bagging duties, while Richard and Subham manned the barrow, taking away the green waste for composting. Rachel and I chopped and cut along the fence, helping tidy the bigger bits.

We managed another 50+yards of fence and this side is nearly finished. Andy says there's another couple of fences to cut along, so we'll be back again soon to help them keep things tidy while the evenings are light.

Five Goodgymmers met for the run from the Phoenix to Shepherds Hill Gardens. Setting off in good time, we jogged the long road down to Highgate in good weather, to meet Pat and Joan, stalwarts of the friends group managing the lovely green space. Fanny soon joined us, followed a bit later by Amanda, so we had plenty of help for the tasks ahead.

We split into teams, Daniel and Richard trimming hedges at the top, while Subham got stuck in to the hedges lower down ibto the wood. Fanny and Paul started on litter picking, while I began sweeping and clearing the paths. Then we rotated, doing a record amount of tidying and trimming, then taking the green waste down to the compost pile, while stopping to admire the amazing view across Queens Wood.

Once done, and, we all stress it's never the reason we go , Pat broke out the famous refreshments we love so much - apple juice, fresh mint tea and biscuits. Then a quick wrap-up taking the tools back to Pat's, and the round trip back to the Phoenix for the five runners and a cheery wave goodbye to Fanny and Amanda.

Five goodgymers went along to help the local community with citizen science activities at the Tiny Forests near Mutton Brook. There are four Tiny Forests there now, and there is a lot of work to do: litter picking, tree measuring, and various other experiments.

London Climate Action Week could not have come at a more appropriate time, with the whole of Europe baking under record high temperatures. And tree cover in urban areas is a hot topic, as we all battle to keep our cities livable in this new normal.

So it was great to see local citizens caring for their local forest cover: 2,400 trees planted by the community since 2022, with the help of environmental NGO Earthwatch.

Tiny Forests are densely packed areas of tree cover, planted using the now-famous Miyawaki method . The tree cover is all native species and they are ideal for urban environments, where space is at a premium.

We all got busy with different tasks, while enjoying the sight of butterflies and bees coming to feast on the flowers growing alongside the trees.

Looking forward to the next event at the Tiny Forests!

GoodGym members Paul, Richard, George, Rachel and Subham showed up for the Film screening for the Tiny Forest part of London Climate Action Week (LCAW) 20-28 June on what I believe was the hottest day of the year. We welcomed a full crowd at The Phoenix Cinema, which is also our local meeting point on Tuesday evenings. There were many Earthwatch folk as well as locals and we also were able to spread the word abour GoodGym as well as the Barnet Tiny Forest, which we often have helped with. After the film, which documented Tiny Forests in Europe as well as told more of the story of Prof. Miyawaki, the founder of the Tiny Forest method, there was a Q&A with members of Earthwatch as well as Paul representing GoodGym, which was well received. A great time was had by all! And we were able to escape the heat!