What a glorious evening for one of our favourite summer traditions – a beach litter pick followed by a well-earned picnic social on the green.

With the sun shining and barely a breath of wind (a rare treat so close to the sea!), we gathered on the prom before splitting into three teams. One group headed east towards Anchor Gardens, another swept west around the beach by the pier, while I took on watering duties for our much-loved seafront flower bed, making sure our blooms stay as blooming as possible in this drought !

Forty-five minutes later we reunited, blue bags in hand. Happily, they weren't bursting at the seams this time. Compared with previous visits, there was a reassuringly small amount of rubbish collected, leaving us wondering whether beachgoers are becoming better at taking their litter home, or whether another litter-picking hero had beaten us to it. Either way, we'll happily take that as a win!

With the hard work done, it was time to claim a sunny spot on the grass, unpack the picnics and enjoy an evening of good food, great company and plenty of laughter.

We were also delighted to welcome some very special visitors as Sarah and Ryan stopped by with their beautiful newborn son, Diago. It was lovely to meet the newest (and definitely youngest!) member of the extended GoodGym family.

The celebrations didn't stop there. A huge congratulations to Ricky, who had not one but several incredible milestones to celebrate. Alongside completing his 200th GoodGym task, he's also achieved the astonishing feat of running 250 parkruns at 200 different venues. That's some serious tourism powered entirely by trainers!

As the sun slowly drifted lower and conversations carried on , it was a lovely reminder that GoodGym isn't just about doing good—it's about the friendships, the community and the moments we share along the way.

Another cracking evening where we left the beach a little cleaner, watered the flowers, celebrated a remarkable achievement and made some wonderful summer memories. You could say it was litter-ally the perfect way to spend a warm summer evening!

We even got a fleeting guest appearance by Mr John Robinson and Mr Nick Gleeson 😳

Tonight was all about milestones, memories and moments worth celebrating — proof that at GoodGym we’re not just growing gardens, we’re growing friendships too.

Before the festivities began, seven of us headed over to English Martyrs School to lend a hand with some very much-needed outdoor weeding. A huge special welcome also goes to our first-timer,Charlie It was lovely to meet you and we really hope this was the first of many good deeds with us.

The task itself required a delicate touch rather than brute force. Armed with determination (and slightly creaky knees by the end!), we settled down around the outside play area, carefully teasing out tiny clumps of grassy weeds from the bark and liner. Intricate work, yes — but as always with GoodGym, the conversation flowed so easily that the task flew by.

During the session El and I took a few moments to admire some of our previous handiwork at the school. We revisited the pond area and the large flowerbed we'd previously rescued from a jungle of brambles and weeds. It’s always satisfying seeing the difference our collective efforts make and remembering that little jobs steadily grow into big transformations.

Then it was time to swap gardening for glasses at the Brew House as we moved on to the evening's celebrations — and there was plenty to celebrate!

First up was El reaching an impressive 50 good deeds. It genuinely feels as though El has always been part of the group; she fitted in from day one and has brought positivity, warmth and enthusiasm to every task. Fifty acts of kindness is a brilliant achievement and here's to the next fifty (which, knowing El, will probably arrive before we know it!).

Paul reached his incredible 250 good deeds today. A Quarter of a thousand acts of kindness is no small achievement and represents years of showing up, mucking in and giving back to our community. Whether it's tackling tasks with his usual good humour or simply being one of those dependable people you know you can count on, Paul has made a huge contribution along the way. Two hundred and fifty good deeds is something really special — and we’re delighted to celebrate this milestone with him

The milestones keep on coming because then we celebrated the unstoppable Barbara and her extraordinary 400 good deeds. Four hundred! That's hundreds of hours given, countless tasks completed and an enormous impact made on our community. Barbara really is one of the cornerstones of our group — a true GoodGym legend.

And finally, huge congratulations went to Sarah and Ryan on their recent wedding! It was such a joy to celebrate this exciting chapter with them both. While GoodGym often brings people together through shared tasks, this may be our finest example yet of teamwork becoming a lifelong partnership ❤️

With gifts presented, glasses raised and plenty of laughter shared, the evening reminded us that while the tasks themselves matter, it's the people that make GoodGym so special.