Kieran
Member
Doing good since June 2018
2 Month Streak
Latest activity
Kieran went on a group run
Mon 12th Oct at 6:30pm
Wandsworth Report written by Anastasia Hancock (she/her)
We kicked things off last night with a warm-up and our Quiz Qu of the Week: Which country is wider than the Moon? Russia certainly threw us off the scent, but three of you cracked it! 🌍 Well done! Apologies that I forget to mention at the time, but a huge shout-out goes to Pritesh for running the Royal Parks Half Marathon yesterday – fantastic effort! 🏃♂️👏
We also welcomed Molly who joined us for their very first GoodGym session. 👋 Great to have you with us!
Then it was time to head out into the darkness and make our way to Paradise Community Garden, a special green space that provides a haven for wildlife and a green oasis for the local community. Community gardens like this are vital for supporting biodiversity, creating habitats for wildlife and giving people a place to connect with nature.
Unfortunately our original task to shovel manure had to be postponed as access issues meant it hadn't been delivered. Luckily, there were still two tasks to keep us busy – chopping up firewood and painting the shed. But first, we had to navigate our way through the frogs! 🐸 We've never seen so many - they were everywhere, creating, as Joput it,'a carpet of frogs', so careful footwork was essential. We did our best to avoid stepping on our tiny amphibian friends and keep this happy, healthy ecosystem thriving.
Once we'd safely negotiated the frog-filled terrain, we found our way to the firepit and split into two teams.
🎨 Team Shed Painting took on the challenge of finding the right colour for the job. Getting the shade just right was all part of the challenge, as was the dark surroundings. Nevertheless, they persevered and a beautiful newly painted shed was soon underway.
🪵 Team Firewood tackled the sawing, which came with its own challenge: mastering the two-handed saw. With a bit of practice, the team perfected their techniques with various implements around the site, keeping a safe distance from one another. All fingers and toes remained intact – result! Great work, everyone. 💪
As the rain started to set in and we'd already had a good workout, we decided to give the fitness session a miss this time and head back for some well-earned stretches. We took care to avoid the wildlife on the way, although the snails unfortunately didn't all make it through unscathed. 🐌 Let's just say it wasn't a completely casualty-free journey!
A huge well done to everyone for being adaptable, getting stuck into the tasks and helping look after this lovely community space.
Next week: We're heading back to St Mary's to give the outside of Battersea's oldest church a good blitz. 🧹 We hope to see you all there!
Until then, happy running, and thanks for being brilliant, GoodGym Wandsworth! ❤️
Kieran signed up to a group run.
Mon 12th Oct at 6:30pm
Kieran went on a group run
Mon 28th Sep at 6:30pm
Wandsworth Report written by Anastasia Hancock (she/her)
A very warm welcome to our new runners Gabriel and Gareth last night — great to have you along for your first GG Wandsworth session!
We started with our usual warm-up, plus the random question of the evening:What is the only dog that doesn’t have a pink tongue? The answer of course was the Chow Chow, whose tongue is famously blue-black. Now fully warmed up — and considerably more knowledgeable about canine anatomy — we set off towards Battersea Park for a rather special visit.
First stop on the magical mystery tour was the Thrive Garden, where we picked up our tools before heading deeper into the park to visit the Battersea Park's resident monk. The famous Peace Pagoda was built in 1985 by the Nipponzan Myohoji Buddhist Order as a focus for peace and is one of around 80 such pagodas around the world. Reverend Gyoro Nagase helped construct the Battersea Pagoda and maintains it to this day.
Our mission for the evening was to give his garden a good tidy up. Armed with rakes, bags and plenty of muscle, the team got stuck in. Leaves were raked up and packed away — despite the bag having a significant hole in it which provided an unexpected extra challenge as we attempted to transport the leaves without simply redistributing them across the park!
There was weeding and clearing to be done, along with planting a new salvia bush. Before long the area was looking considerably tidier. The monk came out to thank us and was clearly very happy with the transformation — always a lovely way to finish a task.
But we weren't done for the evening. We squeezed in a two-minute fitness challenge, seeing how many reps of jump squats, shoulder taps and plank jacks. The numbers and form were very impressive! Well done everybody.
Tools returned, it was time to head back to base for some stretches and, of course, that hill. And apparently we didn't suffer enough, because there was even a request for more hill sprints! Ask and you will receive - more sprints are coming soon to a hill near you.
Next week…
We're heading to Doddington community garden followed by our monthly pub quiz social! Everyone is welcome — whether you're joining us for the run, the task, the quiz or all three!
See you there! 🏃♂️🌿🍻
Kieran signed up to a group run.
Mon 28th Sep at 6:30pm
Discover something amazing in the middle of Battersea Park
Read moreKieran went on a group run
Mon 21st Sep at 6:30pm
Wandsworth Report written by Anastasia Hancock (she/her)
Last night we kicked things off with a proper warm-up to get the legs moving, paired with our weekly question: What town has the longest name in the UK? The answer, of course, is Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch—a staggering 58 letters long, and a test for anyone attempting to pronounce it mid-lunge!
Warmed up and ready for action, we set off on our run to Larkhall Park. Returning to this green space regularly is so helpful for the local community; keeping a public park safe, clean, and well-maintained means families, runners, and neighbours always have a welcoming place to reset, play, and connect with nature.
We met up with the rest of the team and split into two groups to tackle the tasks at hand. One group got stuck into weeding the overgrown cracks along the pathways, while the other took on a thorough litter pick across the grounds.
It’s always amazing to see how much of a difference a focused group can make in such a short window of time. By the time we finished, the park was noticeably tidier and more cared for—removing litter means fewer environmental pollutants making their way into local soil and wildlife habitats, making the space safer for everyone.
To wrap up all that hard work, we celebrated with a fiery five-minute core blast. It was definitely tough but effective!
A massive well done to everybody who came along and brought all the energy.
Next week on Monday, we're off to a very special place in Battersea Park—you can sign up and find all the details right here:. See you there!
Kieran went on a group run
Mon 12th Aug 2024 at 6:45pm
Islington Report written by Simon Fitzmaurice
In August 2019, Area Activator (former Trainer) Simon took over the reins of Goodgym Islington from legend Paul Bown before his departure to a new life in Sheffield. 5 years have passed since this first group run session (with a global pandemic in the middle of it), and we are thrilled to think back on the hundreds of projects we have completed since then!
This evening, our crew met outside the Arsenal Community Hub (on perhaps the warmest day of the year!) for a social run across the borough. After a chat about the Olympics (climbing was our favourite event!) and an introduction during our dynamic warm up (welcome to first time GG Islington runner Kieran!), we ran together up Highbury Hill and onwards to Highbury Quadrant Estate Gardens!
Upon our arrival, we met up with local gardening wonder woman Frannie, who had a smashing hands-on task ready for us. But first, we were treated to some freshly served water melon slices from one of the residents of Highbury Quadrant- an incredible gift on such a warm and humid night. Together, we wheelbarrowed a collection of hoes, rakes, secateurs and loppers from "the meadow" and through to "the orchard" green spaces, and set to work.
Our task for the evening was to cut back a patch of overgrown greenery and vines, and the pathways that surround this spot. All excess weeds were collected for the compost heap back in the meadow. Following the clipping and snipping, we then laid out several sheets of tarpaulin-like material across 10 metres or so. This area has now been made into a Children’s Story Time Spot, where youngsters can gather together for reading classes. Our last task involved laying down large wooden logs around the spot, to keep the sheet in place, and to offer natural seats for children to enjoy. We made a complete transformation in the course of an hour!
During our session, a local fox family keep an eye on us working next to their den at the bottom of the garden. One cub in particular was very curious, and watched us intently from a safe distance!
To complete an excellent task well done, our team ran/walked/cycled an extra mile to Someday Bar in Finsbury Park for celebratory pizza and refreshments. Well done, everyone!
GOODGYM ISLINGTON NEWS
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!
Thursday 15th August- Green Park
Thursday 22nd August- Paddington Rec Track
Thursday 29th August- Battersea Park
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The Garden Classroom- Weekly Volunteer Mornings in Islington Parks!
Wednesday mornings, 10am - midday, Newington Green
The Garden Classroom has started multiple weekly open garden mornings in Newington Green, Market Road and Hillside Park (near Caxton House). Set up by trained horticulture specialists and open to all!
Newington Green Next Wednesday- 10am - midday
Highbury Quadrant Greening with Elizabeth House
Every Saturday, 10.30am - 12 midday, Highbury Quadrant Meadow
A fantastic task for post-parkrun runners at Highbury Fields or Finsbury Park!
Elizabeth House Community Centre, in partnership with Islington Council, Highbury Quadrant Tenants and Residents Association, Highbury Councillors and community organisations transformed three unloved and unusable green spaces on Highbury Quadrant estate.
These green spaces have been designed into three distinct spaces, improving bio-diversity and the local environment. There is now a beautiful meadow, an orchard and woodland areas.
Local residents have the opportunity to access these green spaces and take part in gardening and nature based activities, every Saturday mornings 10 am to 12 pm.
Saturday 17th August
Crouch End Open Space (CREOS) Volunteering Day
Sunday 18th August, 11am - 1pm, Hanley Tennis Club Car Park, Greenways
Our monthly trip to CREOS this year for a woodland regeneration- loads of smashing forest path building has been planned!
Penn Road Gardens Volunteer Open Day
Sunday 25th 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 London Lee Valley Eco Trail- Aid Station Superstars
Saturday 5th October, 9am onwards, Ranger's Retreat, 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!
Goodgym Race Team Big 4- Love Luton RunFest 2024
Sunday 13th October, 8.45am onwards, Luton Town Centre
This 5k, 10k, and half marathon around the streets of Luton is a popular road race with GoodGym. Join us for this 4th and final official GoodGym race team race of 2024. Big Goodgym running crew meet up to be expected!
https://www.goodgym.org/v3/sessions/love-luton-love-luton-runfest-2024
Kieran signed up to a group run.
Mon 12th Aug 2024 at 6:45pm
Change of task! Meeting at Highbury Quadrant Estate instead!
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