15 minutes wondering round the garden revealed 1 butterfly. Fewer than I've seen on other occasions, but perhaps started a little late in the day. Sammy (my dog) clearly thought I'd gone crazy, and was much relieved when I stopped staring at the undergrowth and recorded my grand total. A quick and easy thing to do - I've now added the app, so will probably count butterflies again!

What started as a gentle walk around Stephens House & Gardens turned into an exciting look at the future of GoodGym Barnet.

Daniel and I met up with Jiji Fay, who has recently joined GoodGym as part of an exciting national programme to help introduce more young people to everything GoodGym has to offer. It’s a brilliant initiative, and we’re looking forward to helping it grow here in Barnet.

Our first stop was Stephens House & Gardens – one of Barnet’s hidden gems. This beautiful 10-acre park is cared for largely by volunteers and receives no regular council funding, relying instead on donations, the café and income from the House. GoodGym volunteers regularly lend a hand here throughout the year, helping keep this special place looking its best.

From there we strolled down to our three Tiny Forests, where we chatted about citizen science, biodiversity and how these little woodlands are becoming a hub for people of all ages who are interested in nature and sustainability. They’re a wonderful example of what communities can achieve when people come together.

Of course, we also talked about what makes GoodGym so special. It’s not just about running (or walking!); it’s about meeting great people, improving your wellbeing, discovering local projects, giving back to your community and having fun along the way.

We’re really excited to work with Jiji to inspire more younger people to join the GoodGym family. Here’s to growing an even bigger, more diverse team of volunteers making a positive difference across Barnet—one step at a time.

💥 FUTURE LEADER SOUTHERN COHORT LAUNCHES

To launch the Southern cohort of the Future Leader programme we all came together to help out St Pancras gardens. We did a quick garden tidy up to ensure the area is kept clean for people to enjoy this wonderful green space in the heart of London.

Denzel led a group of runners with Jack leading the group of walkers, with photographer Dave capturing some brilliant shots along the way.

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Future Leaders are young people that will be building leadership skills and care about their community, fitness and social impact. We had people travel in today from York, Plymouth and Cambridge - so amazing to see you all!

🎵 St Pancras Gardens are attached to St Pancras Old Church and have a long history. In 1968, The Beatles were photographed here for a famous series of pictures designed to promote the single "Hey Jude" and the White Album. More recently artists such as Sam Smith have performed concerts there.

🌿 It's a busy place right in the centre of London which attracts a lot of footfall, hence the constant need to keep litter at bay and the paths clear.

🛏 We have all collaborated and made new connections whilst efficiently getting the task done - we also discovered the war of the fallen mattress.

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🙌 Thank you Tyler!
We also had a very special guest speaker - I was joined by the brilliant Tyler Williams-Green for a Q&A session.

Tyler founded The Outrunners Charity in 2015 and shared how he transformed a running club into a charity that last year empowered 1,150+ young people through all their programmes, breaking down deep systemic barriers through fitness, career mentoring and more.

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Huge well done on your 1st good deed Imantha, Ana, Nazifa, Malachi, Tatianna, Luna, Jemima, Javic, Mason, Lubna, Lesley, Rasheed, Jihane, Binit and Reece.

Brilliant to see you doing your 3rd deed Andy and congrats on your 5th good deed Nada.

Such great work everyone 🙌🙌🙌 so excited to see what you all make happen!

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Huge thank you to Havas for allowing us to use their amazing office space for our cohort workshop.