Angela Mynott

Palmeira Square. Our mission, if we chose to accept it, was to edge the footpath to hell and back. A tough decision but 12 of us accepted and having met at the Peace Statue we made our way to said square, picked up bags, tools and receptacles with the intention of cracking on with it.

We had no intention of edging our bets so armed with hoes in the main we set to work. At this point there might be the sound of the needle on a record scratching across the surface and coming to an end as for some reason a lot of us found it a lot harder than imagined. However, with sheer arm power, a couple of pairs of loppers and the odd spade to add to the hoes we actually made good progress and filled around 6 big blue sacks.

Having finished a slightly frustrating but ultimately rewarding task, Tara then put some of us through our paces as we paired up for a fitness session as darkness enveloped us. This writer actually quite enjoyed it...a rare thing!!!

Having completed a fitness session in the gorgeous evening sunshine, seven of us ran up the hill towards Ronald MacDonald House.

We met Jazz who explained what they all do. An amazing place that allows parents with very sick children to access a room to stay so they can be nearby. The parents can come from as far away as Kent and can stay as long as they want....indeed they currently have a couple who have been staying intermittently since last September. It's an invaluable resource and a must make a massive difference for the parents involved.

Jazz explained that while the facility was closed due to Covid the outside area had, in the words of Grandmaster Flash, become "like a jungle".

Jazz and her partner had recently cleared one area alongside a wall but the beds on the opposite side were still crazily overgrown. We set about clearing the dreaded bindweed which was achieved but there is still work to do. While clearing weeds cocktails with a Goodgym theme, our next social and rats were discussed!

All in all a productive evening at a very inspiring location.

Meanwhile over in Hanover and Elm Grove Ward the rest of the team helped local residents paint over several patches of unsightly graffiti and weed and pick up litter in the beds in front of the Percy Wagner almshouses. Although the graffiti has reappeared in some areas we’d painted over on our last visit, I do believe we are winning the war and it was great to see the bottom of Southover Street clear of graffiti on the run back. Items picked up in the litter included the usual haul of drinks cans but also a child’s pair of wellies, an umbrella, a ladle and lots of McDonald’s takeaway litter! So both tasks were supported by the burger chain in one way or another!

This week we all gathered at the Peace statue as our task were nearby and we are enjoying the freedom of starting where we are needed! We welcomed Rachael a long time Lewisham member brand new Brighton, who we're very happy to have on board but she also kept quiet that tonight was her 50th good deed! What a way to start her first session in Brighton! After a brief introduction we split into two groups to tackle both tasks.

The first group took the short run to Palmeira Square to return to one of regular jobs of keeping the square looking good for the residents.

Our group took the longer run to St. Andrew's to help the volunteers maintaining the Church grounds. Jay took charge of the mowing and did great job covering a good portion of the whole grounds in no time. The rest of us got to work on some tough weeds around the Rose beds and the path to neaten the entrance. After tidying away the debris and saying our goodbyes to the very grateful Vicar we hot footed it back to Palmeira Square ready to take on Tara's Olympic themed fitness session.

The fitness session consisted of 10 different sports all translated into different body weight exercises. From Skateboarding to archery and cycling we all attempted to get into athlete mode. But I think most of drew the line at attempting the gymnastic moves, apart from Jay who impressively took on the cartwheel with a not bad attempt! After recovering from our Olympic effort we all dispersed off into the sunset for a well earned rest.

On a Thursday evening, GoodGym took to one of our usual sites to take on a not so usual task. While we'd normally be knee deep in garden soil, this time, task leader Kim sent us on a tour of the residential blocks across the Ingram Crescent community to refresh their notice boards. With fresh information up, Ingram residents will be kept in the know about what's happening in their community. We also took a tour through the lovely garden, and surveyed the wildflower meadow which we helped to prep last winter. There were no board GoodGymers on this task! Jacob, Tara and Tabitha also had the pleasure of welcoming back Angela who has recently completed a graduate degree. Congratulations Angela, and welcome back to GoodGym!