On a very warm Tuesday evening 9 GoodGymmers braved the long uphill jog to Manor Paddock - a lovely communal garden in sheltered housing that we visit regularly to help them keep the space tidy and accessible for residents.

On arrival we met some more GoodGymmers and our host Luc, who put us to task with a list of jobs for the session.

The main task for the evening was digging out two large Lavender bushes which had become quite unruly, and replacing them with some smaller plants for the summer season. It was tough going, but at least it smelled great!

The rest of us got our hands dirty helping with other jobs in the garden; collecting dried grass for mulching, cutting back conifer bushes and weeding in the raised beds.

Once we were done (and had made friends with resident Doggo Max!) most of us made our way back to our meeting point - enjoying the cooler temperatures and downhill elevation.

And a big welcome to first timer Jenny , we hope you enjoyed your first session with us :)

Finally, the Sun Gods were shining on ‘Spring in the Patch.’ Six Good Gymers helped support the volunteers from Friends of William Clarke park in the neighbourhood of Hanover and Elm Grove with the set up of this much-loved local community festival, bringing friends, neighbours and families together. On arrival, Sherman, Michael and Amro were tasked with helping to set up the beer tent, tea tent, reflexology tent and a tent over the stage which all took some time. Later Michael was given a particularly satisfying task of chopping wood. Then Liam and Natasha helped set up the fire to roast potatoes and popcorn. Thanks to all the help from the Good Gymers, the site was set up in no time, and several committee members commented how thankful they were for the help and support. The event was very successful, partly due to the weather and the good promotion, with a wide variety of attractions which means with the funds raised, the Patch community festivals will be able to continue. Several of us stayed for the event to enjoy the music, beer, dancing and soak up the great atmosphere of people coming together.

10 of us met for our monthly social Park Run - this month at Preston Park. We also welcomed down first-timer Natasha from Tower Hamlets! It was beautiful running conditions.

After a post-run warmdown we headed for a special refuel. A favourite bakery of Pippa , Cielo, were opening a new branch at 10am only minutes away from Preston Park. We arrived there just before 10 in time to join the queue for the grand opening. After recovering with huge brownies, dookies (apparently a thing) and coffees we went off on our ways.

On Earth day, GoodGym Brighton had a creative group session planned on our calendar: helping the Primary School S. Luke in the big build for the Brighton Festival Children Parade.

Groups of local schools have been exploring the theme 'New Dawn' as a way to think about our future. What do we want to change, what do we want to cherish, and what do we want to chuck.

Do Listen Our Voice: We Want to “chuck out stereotypes”!

Our Michelle invited us to push our creativity and see the world differently - inspired by Drew Daywalt’s children book: “The Days the Crayons Quit”.

We did a great job mashing paper sheets with glue on what will represent a box of crayons. They are Duncan’s crayons who quit their given roles to stand up for a better world with a wider diversity of colours.

Before running back, we could not resist to play our way and we turned into kids mode to do some fitness exercises. It was such a fun session and we enjoyed a lot ourselves while climbing like spidermen, hanging like monkeys, and jumping like kangaroos in the school’s playground.

Welcome back Amro to play with us all. Well done all, you all got a “well done sticker“!

WHAT's ON NEXT at GoodGym Brighton?
Plenty to amuse you to join us soon.

EVERYBODY is welcome!

Starting the Saturday morning with a marshalling at Hove Park. It's always a good session cheering on the runners/joggers and walkers of Hove Park and I had some company courtesy of my wife!

Following a brief but comprehensive deluge hitting the coast, this week's task - a slice of green community action as part of WWF x GoodGym’s Workout for Nature - saw an impressive fifteen GoodGymers descend on Round Hill Conservation Area to paint over graffiti tags gathered on the local Cat's Creep stairway and hoe stubborn weeds on the nearby Wakefield Road.

After GoodGym's visit, Cat's Creep, famous for its wavering apostrophe (depending on whether you think one or more cats are involved), 116 steep steps and resident toads and newts, was lined once again with freshly painted magnolia walls. Meanwhile, finely honed hoeing skills from the recent GoodGym Palmeira Square challenge meant that the flint wall on Wakefield Road was similarly smartened up.

Through its collective endeavours in the Round Hill, the GoodGym Brighton team are hopeful of another appearance in the local Round Hill Reporter (published since 2000) following previous articles in recent editions. The Reporter is the printed newsletter of the Round Hill Society and is evidence of a lively local community with regular events including an annual water fight.

The mission drew to an energised end with the packing up of tools, swiftly darkening skies and GoodGym area activator/ Round Hill resident Stefania handing out ciabatta and luminous doughnuts sourced via the Olio app, which helps prevent good food from going to waste.

With thanks to volunteers from the Round Hill Society, including Dominic and local councillor Raphael.

Executive summary haiku

Fifteen GoodGymers

paint and hoe. Local acclaim.

Toads enjoy the rain.