We met by the Peace Statue and unanimously agreed on one thing before we’d even set off: how is it still this incredibly hot?! Nevertheless, we got ourselves moving and made our way through the warm Brighton evening to our task.

On arrival we met Tom, who welcomed us, showed us the tools and pointed out the areas of the garden most in need of some attention. And there was certainly plenty to get stuck into!

We set to work clearing a huge amount of weeds, with bindweed making a particularly determined bid for garden domination. Many handfuls, armfuls and bags later, we’d brought some much-needed order back to the space, opening it up for residents to enjoy again and hopefully giving them the chance to develop their own green fingers.

As ever, the conversation flowed as quickly as the weeds disappeared. Tom kept us entertained with some fascinating stories, while our very own Jane treated us to a potted history of Arundel Castle and England's Dukedom. We also learnt from Tom about Father Mark and the history of how 58 Cromwell Road came to be.

More importantly, Tom reminded us why places like this matter and of the real difference a welcoming, cared-for space can make to people’s lives. It was lovely to be reminded that, although pulling weeds might seem like a small thing, lending a few pairs of willing hands can contribute to something much bigger.

With a rather less jungly garden behind us, we said our goodbyes and ran off into the still-light, and still very warm, summer evening.

We had a great turnout of runners, with 10 of us meeting at the Peace Statue and running to the task. Two others cycled to the site, and three more met us directly there, making a fantastic group of 14 ready to get to work. We welcomed new member Susie, and Charli returning for her second session, to the team.

We were helping out at St Thomas Fund, a residential rehabilitation service in Brighton & Hove run by the charity Change Grow Live. They offer a safe space for adults on their journey to becoming free of drugs and alcohol. Sean, who welcomed us, gave a fantastic introduction to the organisation, the site and their mission, explaining that our task was to transform a bindweed-covered area into a usable space for yoga and meditation.

The area was completely carpeted in weeds. We even found a rake that the tenacious bindweed had tried to consume! We had a laugh wondering how long you'd have to sunbathe before it took you over, too. But the team, including Sean, with tools and gloves provided by St Thomas Fund, made short work of it.

Nicola and Sarah did a particularly fantastic job of rescuing a fig tree from the grip of the bindweed. By the end of the session, the whole area looked transformed. You could see the soil in the beds again, and we filled somewhere between 10 and 20 bags with weeds and rubbish.

Sean seemed to be really happy with what we achieved, emphasizing how the collective effort of so many volunteers can make a huge difference in a short amount of time. It was a great feeling to see the space ready for residents to use for peaceful activities. A big thank you to Sean and St Thomas Fund for having us.