Tonight was all about milestones, memories and moments worth celebrating — proof that at GoodGym we’re not just growing gardens, we’re growing friendships too.

Before the festivities began, seven of us headed over to English Martyrs School to lend a hand with some very much-needed outdoor weeding. A huge special welcome also goes to our first-timer,Charlie It was lovely to meet you and we really hope this was the first of many good deeds with us.

The task itself required a delicate touch rather than brute force. Armed with determination (and slightly creaky knees by the end!), we settled down around the outside play area, carefully teasing out tiny clumps of grassy weeds from the bark and liner. Intricate work, yes — but as always with GoodGym, the conversation flowed so easily that the task flew by.

During the session El and I took a few moments to admire some of our previous handiwork at the school. We revisited the pond area and the large flowerbed we'd previously rescued from a jungle of brambles and weeds. It’s always satisfying seeing the difference our collective efforts make and remembering that little jobs steadily grow into big transformations.

Then it was time to swap gardening for glasses at the Brew House as we moved on to the evening's celebrations — and there was plenty to celebrate!

First up was El reaching an impressive 50 good deeds. It genuinely feels as though El has always been part of the group; she fitted in from day one and has brought positivity, warmth and enthusiasm to every task. Fifty acts of kindness is a brilliant achievement and here's to the next fifty (which, knowing El, will probably arrive before we know it!).

Paul reached his incredible 250 good deeds today. A Quarter of a thousand acts of kindness is no small achievement and represents years of showing up, mucking in and giving back to our community. Whether it's tackling tasks with his usual good humour or simply being one of those dependable people you know you can count on, Paul has made a huge contribution along the way. Two hundred and fifty good deeds is something really special — and we’re delighted to celebrate this milestone with him

The milestones keep on coming because then we celebrated the unstoppable Barbara and her extraordinary 400 good deeds. Four hundred! That's hundreds of hours given, countless tasks completed and an enormous impact made on our community. Barbara really is one of the cornerstones of our group — a true GoodGym legend.

And finally, huge congratulations went to Sarah and Ryan on their recent wedding! It was such a joy to celebrate this exciting chapter with them both. While GoodGym often brings people together through shared tasks, this may be our finest example yet of teamwork becoming a lifelong partnership ❤️

With gifts presented, glasses raised and plenty of laughter shared, the evening reminded us that while the tasks themselves matter, it's the people that make GoodGym so special.

Ground Force? More Like Ground Source!

Tonight we paid a visit to Turning Tides to help with an exciting new project at their Victoria Road site. This beautiful Sussex flint house, nestled in the grounds of an equally beautiful church, is set to become something really special.

We were warmly welcomed by Franca, who shared her inspiring vision for the space — a huge allotment area filled with vegetables, wild flowers together with fruit bushes and trees, creating not just a productive garden but a peaceful place for people to enjoy and nurture.

On this glorious sunny evening, I was lucky enough to be joined by Barbara, Sue, Stephane and Paul, who were all ready to really “dig in” with plenty of energy and enthusiasm! Armed with tools, teamwork and good humour, we got stuck straight into clearing and preparing the ground.

An hour later, we’d already made fantastic progress and could really start to see the potential of the space coming to life.

Round one complete… and we can’t wait to return for round two!

Worthing RUN - Fest Report

Our GoodGym crew arrived bright and early to help get everything race-ready for the half marathon, 10K, and family mile. We got stuck straight into shifting stacks of water and Powerade, making sure runners would stay hydrated, and carefully unwrapping what felt like hundreds (okay… thousands!) of medals ready for those well-earned finishes.

Once the races got underway, things quickly picked up pace. With thousands of runners crossing the line, it became a whirlwind of medal handing, drink توزيع, and cheerful encouragement. It was busy, a little chaotic at times—but exactly the kind of organised madness we thrive in!

We were lucky to have glorious sunshine all day. Perfect conditions for us volunteers soaking up the rays, though definitely a bit toasty for those pounding the course—extra kudos to every runner out there giving it their all.

As always, the highlight was the teamwork. Everyone mucked in, supported each other, and kept things flowing smoothly even at peak finish-line frenzy. It really showed what a fantastic group this is.

Massive thanks to you all for your energy, teamwork, and smiles—you truly went the extra mile (and then some)! 🙌

I can't end the report without special mention and welcome to Zuzanna on her first task with us- what an absolute superstar she was - quietly , efficiently and unobtrusively giving out water right on the finish line to over heated runners 😇 Bravo 👏 wr how you will join us again doing. Thank you El for bringing your little sister along 🙏

Enjoy your Bank Holiday Monday and see you all again soon 😀

What a cracking evening at our beautiful Goring spot, where GoodGymers proved once again that many hands really do make light work—and much cleaner green spaces!

Before we got stuck into the task, we paused to celebrate two absolute legends of the group. Huge cheers went up forEl , who smashed her 50th task tonight. It genuinely feels like she’s always been part of the crew—she fits in so naturally and brings such great energy every time 👌😍

And then, in truly jaw-dropping fashion, Barbarahit an incredible 400 good deeds. Yes, 400! A phenomenal milestone that speaks volumes about her dedication and spirit. She is, without question, one of the stalwarts of our group.

We’ll be locking in a date for a joint celebration in the coming weeks, but for now—massive congratulations to you both 👏

With celebrations complete, we headed out in different directions armed with bags and determination. The mission? Tackle litter and restore a bit of sparkle to our local beauty spot. Mission well and truly accomplished—everyone managed to fill a bag each, making a visible difference across the area.

A simple task, but such a worthwhile one. Great teamwork, great impact, and a great way to spend the evening.

Very well done, everyone 💚

A lovely evening on Worthing seafront saw seven GoodGymers, blue bags and pickers in hand, removing litter from a stretch that ran from the Beach Office to Anchor Gardens. Always a great “catch up and chat” occasion, the full bags tell their own story about the real difference simple tasks like this make.

Denials with thanks

Interaction with the locals is always a pleasure on GoodGym tasks. Today we were given appreciative thanks in two areas along the prom. We also had a profuse denial of littering responsibility directed at us as we cleared around the bench they occupied. The hope that, regardless of his responsibility or not for the litter we picked, is that our visible presence doing this task will be remembered and the bins placed along the seafront are used for their intended purpose.

When the wind blows

To be fair to Worthing, there wasn’t that much rubbish that had been dropped. Most of what we collected probably arrived on the persistent winds we have been experiencing. Activity on the beach has also been restricted due to the trundling back and forth of heavy machinery as they work to repair our long-neglected groynes.

Just like Arnie

We will be back! As we head towards summer, the beach will be busier. Our litter picking example becomes increasingly important, as does the removal of that pesky wind-blown stuff.

It was a real treat to return to our regular task at English Martyrs First School, where Head Teacher Helen and premises manager Richard gave us their usual warm welcome. It’s always such a lovely atmosphere here, and even more so when shared with this wonderful team who never fail to raise a smile.

Tonight offered a choice of tasks, with something for everyone. Indoors, the mission was to freshen up a recently renovated transition room, while outdoors the focus was on continuing the varnishing of the sheds we’d previously worked on (doors first, now the full works!).

Inside, Sue, El, Belinda and I got to work tackling those easy-to-miss spots – covering over blue tack marks and scuffs with a smart coat of grey paint. It’s always satisfying seeing those little imperfections disappear and the room come together.

Meanwhile outside, Paul and Barbara took on the important job of varnishing (but not vanishing!) the sheds, making great progress under the watchful eye of John, who had kindly volunteered as photographer for the evening. I (Julia) was especially grateful for that, as it meant I could fully get stuck into the task without worrying about capturing the action.

All in all, it was a really sociable and productive hour, and a joy to be back doing what we do best together.