Today the GoodGym gang ran 7 km to Wellsbourne Community Garden and back.

We welcomed new members Paul, Paul and Paul.

Stalwart member Rosie was running her 50th session!

We met Lucy, our task owner, at the Wellsbourne Healthcare Centre. She explained they had a volunteer gardening day tomorrow. Our task was to dig holes to plant wild flowers and plants to attract pollinators. We readied our destructive green fingers and shovels and got to work. Others made swift work of tidying and weeding the garden.

Stefania did a fitness exercise session to work on all those muscles we had neglected while running and digging.

To thank us, lovely Lucy kindly gave us cooking herbs from the garden and chocolate. How nice 🙂!

6 Goodgymers made their way 7km to Moulsecoomb hall to assist in their volunteers day on Tuesday 9th April 2024.

We were provided with white paint for the walls and doors of the lobby of the building to help refresh the space and give it a bright welcome for visitors. The hall provides a much needed space for the local community to hire at affordable prices for weddings and parties but also for regular classes etc. We painted the foyer before a new carpet will be laid in a few days time.

We were then given pizza which we devoured before making our way back home. A warm welcome to “new” Pippa too.

This week GoodGym participates in the Food Bank Run initiative in different Areas across the country to the benefit of local food banks.

Many people are worried about having enough money to buy food, and likely there are several foodbanks across Brighton & Hove city. On this occasion, GoodGym Brighton helped Brighton Foodbank, the first and independent Christian food bank, established in Brighton and Hove in 2000. Since the pandemic, they record an increase of 30% in households needing their help, from 1 to 30+ households a week. In 2021, they gave out over 5 000 boxes of food, helping 1 223 people.

I have been always particularly keen to help local organisations, like Brighton FoodBank, to tackle food poverty, and I was very intrigued to contribute to the running of the daily operations of the Brighton FoodBank together with Nicky. So, together, we enthusiastically prepared several boxed of food, ready to be collected by the foodbank’s clients – which is open to the public Monday to Wednesday from 10am to 4pm.

And, last but not least, after hours of slightly frustrating waiting, the delivery of food purchased weekly finally arrived at 4pm – just on time to prove the benefit of GoodGym superpower in handling loading and downloading a cargo! GoodGym-ers contributed also by delivering donations of food, especially of tinned food plus something to make the foodbank clients smile – which is indeed always welcome!