Pier Pressure & Petal Power 🌊🌼

A small but mighty group gathered for what turned out to be a wonderfully chilled and cheerful evening by the seaside. It was especially lovely to see Megan again who has been very busy working lately. Plus, with Paul, John and Ricky it turned out a perfectly sized group for the task tonight.

We started off by taking a relaxed social stroll around the pier. With the sea breeze doing its usual chilly thing and the sound of the waves , it was the a great opportunity for a good catch-up, a few laughs and a gentle warm-up for the task ahead. Sometimes the best runs are the ones where nobody’s actually running!

After our scenic wander, it was time to roll up sleeves, and get stuck into a quick winter tidy-up of our seafront flowerbed along the promenade. The bed definitely needed some attention and armed with a few small tools we got to work clearing out the old, taming the unruly and generally giving the space a well-earned refresh.

There was plenty of chat, teamwork and those deeply satisfying moments where you step back and realise, “Oh wow… that actually looks alot better.” The flowerbed is now looking neat, cared for and ready to brave whatever the rest of winter throws at it. Hopefully we may see some spring flowers coming up soon.

All in all, a blooming lovely evening — relaxed, productive and full of good company. Turns out a little seaside stroll and some flowerbed TLC is a great way to tide ourselves over 😄😍

P.S It turns out that my perfect one shot wonderful photo on the pier didn't come out !! 😅 Next time I won't be so confident 😄

Another evening, another chance to make a splash as we returned to our Winter painting project at English Martyrs First School. Tonight we doubled up on tasks, tackling both the staff room and the Head Teacher’s office in one productive, paint-powered session. Safe to say, the team really rose to the occasion and proved once again that many hands make light… decoration work.

A big GoodGym welcome to our newest recruit Samantha who made a fantastic first impression. She did a sterling job cutting in around the tricky edges in the staff room, showing a steady hand and serious attention to detail. She clearly didn’t gloss over the fiddly bits and showed she’s already got the right finish to be part of the team.

Taking things to new heights, Stephane bravely mounted the scaffolding tower and got stuck into the upper reaches, showing he’s not afraid to ladder up when duty calls.

Meanwhile, Gill showcased her trademark gymnastics routine — expertly climbing onto tables to reach all those stubborn spots that refused to stay out of reach. She once again proved she’s always ready to stretch herself for the task and never brushes off a challenge.

Meanwhile, over in the Head Teacher’s office, Paul, El and Sue worked their magic and delivered a transformation that looked polished, professional, and top of the class. The room has been completely re-vamped and is now looking head and shoulders above its previous look.

As ever, the conversation in both rooms was as lively and entertaining as the painting itself, with plenty of laughs helping the time fly by and keeping team spirits nicely coated in good humour.

Another brilliant session done, and the project is really starting to show its true colours. We’re all primed and ready for the next visit, where we’ll no doubt continue to paint the school proud.

Staff Room With a View (…of Fresh Paint!) 🎨

It was back to our regular haunt at English Martyrs School this evening as we continued the painting mission around the building – and tonight’s VIP location was the all-important staffroom. With a task this crucial, it was only right that The A Team were deployed on rollers. Huge props to Roxy, Gill and Mel, who powered through the walls at impressive speed, turning the room around in no time at all.

Check out the photo of Gill and Richard the Premises Manager doing painting acrobatics!

Meanwhile, Paul took on the glamour job, carefully glossing the skirting boards and door frame like a true professional.

Barbara and I were on cutting-in duty, edging neatly around the tricky bits and keeping an eagle eye out for any rogue paint splodges that needed cleaning up. John, sensibly positioning himself out of splash range, was in charge of moving notice boards and photos – a vital role that definitely reduced the risk of accidental abstract art

The whole evening had a real party atmosphere – lots of laughs, great teamwork, and that satisfying feeling of making a visible difference together. Another fun, productive task ticked off, and one very refreshed staffroom well on its way to completion. Can’t wait to be back for the next splash of GoodGym magic! 🖌️✨

A Milestone Morning at the Goring Gap 🧤🎉

On a crisp January Sunday morning, our Walk & Talk took us to the beautiful Goring Gap – though sadly, beauty wasn’t the first thing to catch our eye. Today’s session doubled as a very special celebration, marking GillGillybean incredible 300th Good Deed with GoodGym**! 🎉

Turning out to celebrate (and get stuck in) were Belinda, John, Mel, Paul M, Paul W and Pepper the dog , Barbara, Ricky and myself , making it a proper community affair.

As we strolled and chatted, we quickly realised there was plenty of work to do. Rubbish was everywhere – strewn along the grass verges and scattered across the roads at this much-loved local spot. Gloves on and bags at the ready, we got to work, filling our bags to the brim and giving the Goring Gap the care it deserves. It was one of those satisfying clean-ups where teamwork really shines, even if the amount of litter was a bit disheartening.

With the last bag tied and we headed back to my housd for a well-earned warm-up. Hot drinks and sweet treats awaited us, with Nick expertly in charge of the coffee ☕🍰 – the perfect way to round off a cold but cheerful morning. Whilst drinking coffee we presented Gill with an engraved glass to mark her milestone achievement. Cheers to all the good times and Congratulations!

Thanks to everyone for making this a meaningful, muddy-booted, heart-warming GoodGym Sunday. 💛💪

After a challenging morning last week it was great to have GoodGym back out supporting a rather less stressful parkrun.

We covered the event from start to finish, and in between with Belinda as Run Director, John on turnaround, Paul funnel managing, and Gill on finish tokens.