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.

Wickers Gymnastics Club

Tonight we headed to our local gymnastics club, Wickers, which has a lovely connection to our very own Social Secretary, Tamsin, and her daughter Jemmie, who trains there.

We had been asked to help paint the upstairs room, which has been kitted out as a wonderful dance studio. It was our first visit to Wickers, so it was fantastic to have such a good turnout.

We were delighted to welcome Barry, joining us for his very first GoodGym session. He received a very warm GoodGym welcome — and we were particularly grateful for his height later on in the task! 😄

It was also lovely to welcome Roxy back after a few months of being a very busy person, and it had been a while since we'd seen Stephane too, so it was great to have them both back with us. We were also very grateful to see Belinda and John (Mr & Mrs R), Gill and Ricky joining us tonight.

We entrusted Roxy with the important job of pouring the paint into the various receptacles, before we all chose our preferred roles. Gill, Roxy and Barry took to the rollers, while Belinda, Stephane and I tackled the cutting-in with paintbrushes.

There was plenty of painting, chatting and teamwork, and after just an hour we stood back and felt very proud of what we'd achieved. The room is already looking much fresher, although there is definitely more work to do.

We'll need to return to finish the job, but unfortunately that will have to wait until half term when we'll be able to gain access during the holidays.

A brilliant first visit to Wickers, made even better by such a lovely GoodGym turnout. Teamwork really does make the dream work!