In 2 hours we chopped enough onions and carrots and cabbage for a venison stew to feed 50-70 people tomorrow. We also mixed 30 eggs with 2kg of butter, 1.5kg of sugar, and 1.5kg of flour for a massive sponge cake. Not only that, but we efficiently composted the peelings, fried the veg in massive pots and cleaned up to leave it tidy afterwards! The stew was left stewing in the capable hands of master chef John. Thanks for all who helped!

For this week's task, the unique group that is GoodGym Brighton congregated at One Church Florence Road, a place of worship and one-stop shop community venue, for a cleaning mission in their community kitchen. From this kitchen on every third Sunday a meal is prepared for those who are homeless, vulnerably housed or at risk of isolation, which members of GoodGym Brighton are often on hand to support.

The team were welcomed by Stefan who outlined the scale of the task when he revealed that the kitchen hadn't had a single deep clean since the New Year. A wide range of activities were divvied up and the GoodGym squad tackled them all in typical no-nonsense route one fashion: washing/ drying up, rationalising shelves/ pans/ utensils, cleaning ovens/ surfaces/ floors and confronting the fridge-freezer. Hefty items had to be removed from the kitchen and then returned post-clean, including blenders, large bottles of oil and 25kg bags of flour, which provided additional weight training for some. Among the one-off finds in the kitchen was a tupperware tub of lentils used in pastry baking to avert a soggy bottom, familiar to many attempting long runs/ walks in the recent inclement weather.

Capturing the latest one-off moment in the GoodGym Brighton story, the gang posed for the post-task group photo in an adjacent hall often used for a variety of educational purposes, which hosted a collection of xylophones, a paper mache Where the Wild Things Are-esque monster, and an emotions colour wheel tacked to the wall. With Stefan delighted that the kitchen was left in such a sparkling condition the group headed home deserving of a spectrum of happy-coloured emotions including successful, valued and inspired.

In a burst of inspiration, GoodGymer Sam penned this lovely poem. Enjoy the rhymes:

Feeling Complete

Rubber gloves slip snug on my hands, A toilet brush waits for careful plans. Where others groan, I bend with glee, Scrubbing the bowl till it shines for me. The swirl of water, the steady sweep, A rhythm of work both calm and deep. Graffiti cleared, floors bright and true, A quiet craft I can take pride in, too. The scent of cleaner, sharp yet sweet, A fragrance that makes the task complete. Each motion steady, circles tight, Turns hidden corners clean and bright. Some wrinkle noses, some retreat, But here I find the work complete. A task that others choose to flee Brings pride and stillness home to me. So let the gloves embrace my hands, And brushes trace the path I planned. For in this work, both strange and sweet, I find myself, and feel complete.

This report was co-written with contributions from GoodGymers Ben and Sam.

Another GoodGym community mission complete! What next at GoodGym Brighton?

This was my first Goodgym Brighton session, and I was chuffed to be joined by Samantha and Christine, who were at their first Goodgym session ever! Welcome both, it was lovely to meet you! Stefan was also there on arrival, as an old hand at the task.

We were there to help chef John prepare a Lancashire hotpot for about 60 guests tomorrow afternoon.

The three of us established that none of us are gifted in the kitchen, but with John as our leader we were soon up to speed peeling and chopping veg, browning off meat, stirring and even helping bake an almond cake. We were rewarded with pastries from the farmer's market to help fuel the hard work.

The time flew as we chatted away, and when we headed off everything was ship shape and ready for the feast tomorrow.

Today, I showed up a little late to One Church on Florence Road, where preparations were already underway for Sunday’s meal that will be shared with people facing homelessness. By the time I arrived, Steph was already busy peeling the cardamom, Sonam had taken charge of marinating the chicken, and Dan was keeping everything in order with cleaning and dishes.

Wanting to be useful, I joined in by helping to ground some seeds, taking photos to capture the wonderful spirit of the moment, and doing my part to keep the team motivated. Together, we worked for about 2–3 hours — chatting, exchanging stories, laughing, and soaking up the incredible knowledge and wisdom of Chef John, who guided us through the process with his experience and generosity.

By the end, we all felt lighter and better for having contributed, even in small ways, toward tomorrow’s meal. With smiles and gratitude, we said our goodbyes and headed off in different directions, carrying with us the warmth of community and service.

This week, 12 GoodGymmers made their way to One Church on Florence road, to help them clear space for a community compost to be installed. One Church Brighton is a broad and inclusive church, who do lots of different activities in and around Brighton, from worship to running community cafes, and putting on events.

6 of us braved the run up Ditchling Road, while others made their own way via bike or walking - all of us arriving to a warm welcome from out host (and very own GoodGymmer!) Michael, and Danny from local skincare company My Skin Feels - whose generous donations are funding the new composting site, which will be used by the local community.

After collecting some rather serious looking tools, we all got stuck in clearing an old flower bed and leveling the soil. Although our enthusiasm quickly waned as we discovered just how difficult removing a tree from the root is 😄. Liam, Euan and Frances did a fantastic job digging and sawing until eventually the bulk of the tree root gave way.

Whilst some of us were busy playing lumberjacks, others set about clearing the church walls and flowerbeds from weeds and litter, ensuring the space looked it's very best for the community who uses it.

A big welcome this week to two first timers to Brighton GoodGym, Jorge and Tristian. We hope you had fun and that we'll see you at another task soon :)

This evening, Doug, Amanda and I headed over to One Church to lend a hand with preparations for tomorrow’s lunch for people experiencing homelessness.

We were welcomed by Stephan, who was incredibly organised and had everything ready for us. Our task list was clear: chopping carrots, potatoes, apples and pumpkins – plenty to keep our hands busy while the conversation flowed.

And what conversations they were! The four of us covered so much ground – from travels to Japan, to memories of the Covid days, volunteering, the realities of homelessness and the weight it places on someone’s life, to workplace bullying and ways to tackle it, the rise of AI and how it’s shaping our daily lives – and plenty more in between.

Two hours slipped by quickly, filled with chopping, chatting, and laughter. As we wrapped up and said our goodbyes, we all left feeling just that little bit better than when we walked in.