Helping to create a range of healthy, colourful salad dishes for the members of the Choir With No Name and their volunteers. (About 40 people in total.) Mostly washing, peeling and chopping vegetables and chatting with the other "Kitchen Ninjas"! Full menu - 3 bean salad with new potatoes, grated raw beetroot and tomatoes and cucumber

Yesterday, we ran 5km to the Preston Park Velodrome to support the Brighton Bike Hub — a brilliant volunteer-run community workshop. 🚲 They make cycling affordable by offering free tool access, DIY repair spaces, refurbished bike sales, and adult cycle training in and around Preston Park.

Our GoodGym group session mission? To tidy and paint their 20ft shipping container, transforming it into a clean white canvas for an upcoming mural artist!

The Bike Hub mission? Reducing carbon emissions, improving air quality and making our streets more people and planet-friendly, while getting around more cheerfully. They are also committed to enabling those on a low income to enjoy the benefits of cycling.

Did you know that nearly half of people in Britain spend more than 18 hours a week on the sofa – yet 70% say they want to be more active? Timely, today, British Cycling launched Sofa to Saddle to get the nation active – a free eight-week programme to help more people discover the joy of cycling. The benefits of getting started are significant. Research shows that people who cycle at least once a week are 37% more likely to feel good about themselves, while 79% say cycling helps clear their head and 58% feel calmer and more relaxed.

By making cycling more accessible and supporting people to take those first pedal strokes, Brighton Bike Hub contributes to Cycling UK mission to enable and inspire everybody to experience cycling's joys and benefits, and to British Cycling ambition to help one million more people get on their bikes by 2028, creating healthier, happier communities across Britain.

This GoodGym session and organisation are close to my heart. It felt rewarding to help others get a Good addition to their active travel journeys.

Book a training with BikeHub here: https://brightonbikehub.org/training-sessions/

Download Sofa to Saddle here: britishcyc.cc/sofatosaddle

Join GoodGym for another Good session!

Another bright Sunday morning at Queen's Park Junior parkrun, and despite England keeping plenty of people up the night before, there was still a fantastic turnout of eager young runners ready to tackle the course.

This week I took on marshalling duties, stationed out on the course to cheer everyone along. From encouraging the front-runners chasing PBs to giving an extra boost to those digging deep further back, it was great to see so many smiling faces enjoying their Sunday morning.

The sunny weather certainly helped create a brilliant atmosphere, and with plenty of enthusiastic volunteers making the event happen, every runner received a well-deserved cheer as they passed.

A lovely way to start the day—supporting the local community, helping junior parkrun run smoothly, and proving that a little encouragement can go a long way. Looking forward to doing it all again next week!

Goodgymers were put to task chopping onions, spices, and peppers for a Tandoori curry, but they were so efficient that they did the washing up, sorted the shelves and tidied the kitchen as well! The hosts were very appreciative for the above-and-beyond help which means the community meal can provide for many guests who are in need of a free meal

This Tuesday, a group of runners, walkers and cyclists arrived at Stanmer Organics to lend a hand to the Centre of Ecotherapy CIC, the home of a brilliant community sauna and a healthy dose of eco-therapy. We welcomed new GoodGymer Rib, Rebecca.

We split into two teams on arrival. One tackled levelling and compacting a patch of ground for a future yoga and meditation tent, plus some enthusiastic branch-lobbing. The other went full nettle-ninja, clearing paths ahead of a kids' visit so no one will come away stung.

Liz, who runs the site, was clear on the house rules: nothing gets chopped back more than it has to. Nature's in charge, the odd branch to the face will just keep us humble.

In between tasks, there were rake-dropping reaction tests, grasshoppers landing on hands, and marjoram identified (delicious smell!).

Task complete, we had a very generous feast of cold courgette and broccoli soup (Liz went to lots of effort to cool it down in this heatwave, thankfully), bread, hummus, hot cross buns, cake, and watermelon. We finished by launching the watermelon rinds into a compost bucket from a distance. In GoodGym fashion, only slightly competitive.

Stamner are throwing open the gates for a public open day of lots of their projects on 25th July. Worth a look! https://stanmerorganics.com/2026/06/23/stanmer-organics-open-day-2/

It was a return mission to Ms K's increasingly wild garden for the intrepid duo, Sherman and Roy. Both arrived fully equipped for the midday heat, complete with caps, sunglasses, water bottles and gardening gloves.

Sherman wasted no time getting to grips with Ms K's new battery-powered saw, while Roy opted for a pair of long-handled shears. Undeterred by the blazing sunshine, the pair set to work on the overgrown bushes lining the driveway.

The brambles, however, were not ready to surrender without a struggle. They resisted and scratched at every turn, but were ultimately no match for the determination of these two seasoned garden warriors.

After a hard-fought battle, the overhanging branches were vanquished, weeds were uprooted from the patio, and order was restored to the garden. With another successful mission completed, Sherman and Roy departed victorious, ready for the next horticultural challenge.