15 GoodGymers ran out to Valley View Gardens ready to get stuck into some gardening at the YMCA… but sometimes plans have other ideas. We’re pretty good at going with the flow (and the run).

First stop: a quick drop-off of rescued food from Olio—because sharing is caring and no good food should go to waste.

With our original task off the table, we didn’t leaf it there. Instead, we branched out to the nearby Round Hill Conservation Area. We were only there last week, but turns out the weeds didn’t take the hint. We tackled overgrown trees, gave the pavements a good de-weed, and helped make the area safer by clearing trip hazards.

Good to see familiar faces, Philippa and Michael, and returning, fair weather 🌞 GoodGymers, who keep powering our amazing Brighton Area with their Good will. Welcome back Amy and Cagdas.

Our donation of food, sandwiches and pastries, was a huge hit at the YMCA today. It was a tough day for many, expecially the residents and staff, and we’re happy we could help lift their spirits.

All in all, a tree-mendous effort from everyone—proof that even when plans change, GoodGymers always find a way to make a difference 🌱

We will be back here next week!

9 GoodGymmers walked, ran and cycled over to Round Hill to help the Round Hill Society keep the streets of the neighbourhood tidy. We welcomed local councillor Raf for his first mission as a GoodGym member and welcomed back 3 of our recent marathon runners (Rosie, Liam and double-champ "more marathons than a 1980s tuckshop" Ruth).

Upon arrival we got a quick pep talk from Dom and then went to pick-up brooms, shears and spades and set to work trimming back the hedges, cutting back bindweed and picking up litter. It was great to see the hedges still looking in a good condition after our visit last year and this time we didn't need to cut back anywhere near as much - although there was of course a healthy chunk of bindweed.

This mission was part of the Workout For The Future campaign recently launched by GoodGym to promote activities that help the environment, create a community connection and keep people healthy. Look out for more over the next few months! The task marked the 1 year anniversary of the creation of the Round Hill Community Pocket Park by the Society.

We made quick work of the topiary and after a snap with Dom we crept back home in the fading spring light.

*Report title must be sung to the tune of One Step Closer by Linkin Park

On a sunny but chilly Tuesday evening, 12 GoodGymmers made their way up (and up and up...) to St Luke's Primary School in Hanover, for our annual task of helping to get the props ready for the Children's Parade, which kicks off the Brighton Festival.

This year the parade is themed on the National Year of Reading, and the children of St Lukes chose the book "The Cave Baby" for inspiration - complete with a giant mammoth puppet. However, we kept our hands dry from papier-mache this time round, and were instead tasked with cutting out as many paper leaves as possible - to be used for the children's cave baby costumes.

We were given a blue-peter style demonstration by our host Lara, and after a hunt for left-handed scissors and some ingenious card-folding - we set about drawing and cutting.

We posed for a quick photo proudly holding our leaves (points to our lovely first timerDerek for creativity) and then headed to the park to share some delicious homemade Tiramisu to celebrate our own Stefania birthday!

Tonight’s GoodGym Brighton crew rolled up their sleeves for one of our favourite long-standing partnerships — a deep clean at the brilliant Brighton & Hove Food Partnership Community Kitchen. We love supporting BHFP’s mission around food waste, food poverty, healthy eating and community connection, and this session was the perfect blend of elbow grease and good vibes.

What we got up to

• With Jo welcoming us in, we split into teams and got straight to work:
• Ovens: scrubbed, polished and restored to their shiny best
• Cupboards: emptied, tidied, reorganised and generally shown some love
• Windows, tables and chairs: wiped down until they gleamed
• General chaos → calm: the whole kitchen got a refresh thanks to everyone’s effort

There’s something strangely satisfying about transforming a busy community space back into tip-top condition — and as always, the chat, teamwork and laughter made the time fly. Those who finished their tasks had the opportunity to do some “stickering” – which was essentially branding takeaway bags with BHFP stickers. It proved a good way to wind down. After we had finished, a huge number of us went to the Lord Nelson for the pub quiz and our monthly social. We hope to see the two newcomers, Lucy and Derek, who joined us this evening again real soon!

A little bonus knowledge

Jo reminded us that GoodGymers can get a discount on Community Kitchen classes — a great excuse to sharpen your cooking skills or try something new. If you’re curious, just ask Jo for details next time. And if you want to stay in the loop with BHFP projects, events and those coveted LatePlates last-minute class discounts, you can sign up to their newsletter here: https://bhfood.org.uk/get-involved/sign-up/

A big well done

Huge thanks to everyone who came along and helped make the Community Kitchen sparkle. It’s always a pleasure supporting BHFP, and we left knowing the space is ready for the next round of community cooking, learning and connection.

Until next time — great work team!