A gaggle of goodgymmers ran and cycled all the way up to Waterhall to help Brighton Food Partnership (BFP) keep the clubhouse in good order. BFP have a lease on the clubhouse and rent it out for private parties, events and weddings to raise much needed funds for their efforts to use food to bring people in the community together. Rachel had heard that an Adder* had recently bitten a dog nearby so we were on high alert!

On the hottest May day ever recorded in the UK, we were greeted by Rob with delicious cold drinks and given an overview of the tasks. We split into two groups, one to clean the huge windows looking out over the South Downs and the other to weed the pathway from the carpark to the clubhouse to make it wheelchair accessible. Luckily the temperature had cooled slightly and it was very pleasant in the shade. Rob provided a huge array of tools to help us on our way.

It was tough conditions to work in but we made sterling progress in clearing the path and sheening up the window. Job done we ran, cycled and bussed back home to try and somehow stay cool.

*Adders can grow upto 80cm and are the UK's only poisonous snake species (1). They are heavily protected and bites are unlikely to be a problem for humans - the last recorded death was a 5 year old boy in 1975 (2).

(1) https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/trees-woods-and-wildlife/animals/reptiles-and-amphibians/adder/

(2) https://www.surrey-arg.org.uk/SARG/07000-Publications/Guides/Langham%20-%20Fatalities%20attributed%20to%20adder%20bite%20in%20Britain%20.pdf

Yesterday, GoodGym Brighton supported a community task at the Brighthelm Centre, a well-established community venue in the heart of Brighton that provides spaces for meetings, events, conferences, and community activity. The task was framed as a local “green clean action” session at Brighthelm Centre, together with other volunteers encouraged to bring gloves and turn up ready to help.

Led by Brighthelm Centre’s gardeners, we cleared weeds from the pavements, cut back encroaching greenery, litter-picked, and tidied the entire outdoor space. It was lovely to meet lead gardener John and work alongside him. We may have missed the window cleaning task, but I’m sure we’ll be back on another occasion.

Next, our Task Force met to plan future GoodGym sessions and support the GoodGym WorkOut for the Future campaign. A social gathering for our birthday in July was also on the agenda.

Happy GoodGym-ing!