It was a calm, dull September evening as the GoodGym gang gathered for a litter pick along Windsor Gardens, the lawns stretching out beside the sea.

Tonight’s clean-up crew was Belinda and John, Barbara, Stephane, Julia, Roxy and her four-legged companion Mali the Malinois.

Although there was a slight hitch before we even got started, when I managed to go to the wrong meeting place. 🤦‍♀️

After a bit of backtracking and a gentle reminder that the task leader really ought to know where the task is, we eventually all converged in the right place and got cracking.

Armed with litter pickers and bags, we worked our way along the lawns, clearing up the usual assortment of rubbish that somehow finds its way onto the grass. We certainly weren’t going to let the litter get the better of us but Southern Water has beaten us to the majority of the rubbish having done an extensive clear up yesterday ( Sunday )

Meanwhile, Mali was doing her own thorough investigation of the area, although we're not entirely sure whether she was helping with the litter or simply supervising playing stick chasing with the humans.

And talking of impressive performances…

Roxy had run an absolutely AMAZING 3:36 marathon just TWO DAYS earlier! 🏃‍♀️👏

So while the rest of us were feeling pretty pleased with ourselves for a brisk evening litter pick, Roxy was recovering from 26.2 miles at a pace that most of us would struggle to maintain on an electric bike!

With the lawns looking considerably tidier, the bags filled and the pickers finally put away, it was time to move on to the evening's real highlight…

The Autumn Social!

Belinda and John very kindly welcomed us back to their house for some wonderful hospitality, where we could relax, chat and enjoy some well-earned drinks and a wonderful selection of savoury and sweet snacks.

And, of course, there was the all-important inspection of the new kitchen! It received the full GoodGym seal of approval — beautiful, stylish and definitely worth having a good nose around. We continued our nosing in Johns iconic Dr Who room ( has to be seen to be believed ! )

A lovely way to round off a peaceful September evening: a little litter lifted, plenty of steps clocked up, an extraordinary marathon achievement celebrated, and excellent hospitality enjoyed.

Four GoodGymers arrived at one of our regular tasks. Another of our favourites, where we can always see the difference our hour there makes. One ‘El of a difference, you could say.

Julia quickly made sure everyone knew what tasks they were on - El on wall painting, Belinda on notice board clearing, and John on general lugging, heaving and holding - before setting off to the other Worthing task taking place this evening.

ELementary my dear……

El was in her ELement, making an excELlent job of the painting, ELevating expectations beyond bELief. The vELocity at which she worked left us rELieved that despite being small in number we could still make one “EL of a difference!”

Heartless

No, not Belinda, the noticeboard. Belinda meticulously removed children’s coloured hearts from the notice board. The heart removal was a delicate operation, keeping them all in pristine condition for them to be rehung so they could flutter once more was achieved with a steady hand and a blunt blade. (Health and safety to the fore as always.)

But weren’t there three?

Ah yes, that would be me. Well, I lugged, heaved and held as instructed. Still finding time to lean against the wall, arms folded surveying the success of the others.

A final sELfie

And we were off home.

Another lovely autumn evening found us back at St Botolph’s Church Garden with our hosts, Val and Rik, who had a rather prickly job lined up for us.

The mission? Some serious pruning of the Laurel bushes along the perimeter of the church wall. They’d clearly been enjoying their freedom and were beginning to take over!

With El in charge of the photographic evidence, Barbara, John, Roxy and Ricky got stuck into the cutting, while I took on the glamorous role of wheelbarrow shuttle driver, ferrying load after load of leafy casualties over to the compost heap.

And finally, after what seems like a good few years of GoodGym intervention, we’re beginning to feel that we might actually be gaining control of this beautiful — but wonderfully wild — garden!

Slowly but surely, we’re getting it into shape… one bush at a time. Although judging by the amount of Laurel we removed tonight, the garden may have other ideas!

Another lovely autumn evening, great teamwork and plenty of fresh air.

Today we headed back to the allotment at the Turning Tides hostel, where our mission was to tackle the weeds and give the area a much-needed strim.

A huge thank you to John and Belinda, who kindly brought along their battery-operated power tools. This meant we could crack straight on without having to bother any of the residents to find somewhere to plug in!

It was particularly lovely to see Barry back for his second GoodGym task, proudly sporting his brand-new GoodGym red T-shirt! ❤️ And it was equally great to welcome Anne and El back too — it’s always brilliant to see familiar faces returning.

There was plenty of hard work happening across the allotment. John got stuck into some serious strimming, transforming the overgrown areas, while Anne and Belinda got busy re-digging the potato trenches ready for the next stage of growing.

Meanwhile, Barry, El and I concentrated on clearing the weeds and generally getting the beds back under control. El was particularly talented at finding a selection of children's toys ( possibly stolen by the playful foxes who live in the allotment )

There was a great team effort all round, and by the time we packed up, the whole area looked so much better for our visit. Another job well done by the GoodGym crew! 💪🌱❤️