Brighton goodgymers walked, jogged and cycled to Manor Paddock to meet with task owner Luc who quickly put us to work.

As always, Luc was prepared for our help and had numerous seperate garden jobs already set up with kneeers, tools, gloves and bags.

We got to work pulling up weeds that were taking over the flower beds, as well as raking up cut grass and cutting back plants in various stages of wildness. The difference that many hands made in a short time was unbelieveable and all jobs were completed.

Luc, as always, was very grateful to have our help as they normally tend the garden alone and it becomes overwhelming very quickly.

As a bonus we also managed to dodge the promised rain, despite the ominous sounding thunder that was our evenings musical accompaniment!

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!

9 GoodGymmers walked, ran and cycled over to Round Hill to help the Round Hill Society keep the streets of the neighbourhood tidy. We welcomed local councillor Raf for his first mission as a GoodGym member and welcomed back 3 of our recent marathon runners (Rosie, Liam and double-champ "more marathons than a 1980s tuckshop" Ruth).

Upon arrival we got a quick pep talk from Dom and then went to pick-up brooms, shears and spades and set to work trimming back the hedges, cutting back bindweed and picking up litter. It was great to see the hedges still looking in a good condition after our visit last year and this time we didn't need to cut back anywhere near as much - although there was of course a healthy chunk of bindweed.

This mission was part of the Workout For The Future campaign recently launched by GoodGym to promote activities that help the environment, create a community connection and keep people healthy. Look out for more over the next few months! The task marked the 1 year anniversary of the creation of the Round Hill Community Pocket Park by the Society.

We made quick work of the topiary and after a snap with Dom we crept back home in the fading spring light.

*Report title must be sung to the tune of One Step Closer by Linkin Park

Tonight’s GoodGym Brighton crew rolled up their sleeves for one of our favourite long-standing partnerships — a deep clean at the brilliant Brighton & Hove Food Partnership Community Kitchen. We love supporting BHFP’s mission around food waste, food poverty, healthy eating and community connection, and this session was the perfect blend of elbow grease and good vibes.

What we got up to

• With Jo welcoming us in, we split into teams and got straight to work:
• Ovens: scrubbed, polished and restored to their shiny best
• Cupboards: emptied, tidied, reorganised and generally shown some love
• Windows, tables and chairs: wiped down until they gleamed
• General chaos → calm: the whole kitchen got a refresh thanks to everyone’s effort

There’s something strangely satisfying about transforming a busy community space back into tip-top condition — and as always, the chat, teamwork and laughter made the time fly. Those who finished their tasks had the opportunity to do some “stickering” – which was essentially branding takeaway bags with BHFP stickers. It proved a good way to wind down. After we had finished, a huge number of us went to the Lord Nelson for the pub quiz and our monthly social. We hope to see the two newcomers, Lucy and Derek, who joined us this evening again real soon!

A little bonus knowledge

Jo reminded us that GoodGymers can get a discount on Community Kitchen classes — a great excuse to sharpen your cooking skills or try something new. If you’re curious, just ask Jo for details next time. And if you want to stay in the loop with BHFP projects, events and those coveted LatePlates last-minute class discounts, you can sign up to their newsletter here: https://bhfood.org.uk/get-involved/sign-up/

A big well done

Huge thanks to everyone who came along and helped make the Community Kitchen sparkle. It’s always a pleasure supporting BHFP, and we left knowing the space is ready for the next round of community cooking, learning and connection.

Until next time — great work team!