Pier Pressure & Petal Power 🌊🌼

A small but mighty group gathered for what turned out to be a wonderfully chilled and cheerful evening by the seaside. It was especially lovely to see Megan again who has been very busy working lately. Plus, with Paul, John and Ricky it turned out a perfectly sized group for the task tonight.

We started off by taking a relaxed social stroll around the pier. With the sea breeze doing its usual chilly thing and the sound of the waves , it was the a great opportunity for a good catch-up, a few laughs and a gentle warm-up for the task ahead. Sometimes the best runs are the ones where nobody’s actually running!

After our scenic wander, it was time to roll up sleeves, and get stuck into a quick winter tidy-up of our seafront flowerbed along the promenade. The bed definitely needed some attention and armed with a few small tools we got to work clearing out the old, taming the unruly and generally giving the space a well-earned refresh.

There was plenty of chat, teamwork and those deeply satisfying moments where you step back and realise, “Oh wow… that actually looks alot better.” The flowerbed is now looking neat, cared for and ready to brave whatever the rest of winter throws at it. Hopefully we may see some spring flowers coming up soon.

All in all, a blooming lovely evening — relaxed, productive and full of good company. Turns out a little seaside stroll and some flowerbed TLC is a great way to tide ourselves over 😄😍

P.S It turns out that my perfect one shot wonderful photo on the pier didn't come out !! 😅 Next time I won't be so confident 😄

Goring Gap Gets the GoodGym Glow-Up!

Our 3rd Sunday litter pick at Goring Gap brought out some absolute legends. Huge shoutout to stalwarts John, Belinda and Ricky, who have now achieved a perfect 3/3 attendance record – talk about rubbish commitment… in the best possible way!

It was also a delightful surprise to welcome Tamsin and Jemima back to GoodGym – we’ve missed you! We were equally thrilled to be joined by parents-to-be Sarah and Ryan, who proved that teamwork really does start early.

In just under an hour, the team tackled the area with gusto. We climbed in and out of ditches, navigated grassy verges, and patrolled the roadside where litter had been carelessly strewn across this beautiful natural spot. Armed with litter pickers, bags, and plenty of determination, the group made a noticeable difference – proving once again that many hands make light work… and lighter litter loads.

All that hard work deserved a proper reward, so the session finished with frothy hot chocolates, tea, coffee, and a selection of sweet treats back at mine. We rounded things off with a lovely, relaxed chat covering a whole range of topics, giving everyone a chance to catch up and unwind after our environmental efforts.

Same time next month? Let’s keep refuse-ing to let rubbish spoil this gorgeous part of the world!

This time of year is great for collecting used postage stamps thanks to all the Christmas cards we send.

A quick local collection has produced a good pile to help the RNIB.

The RNIB raise £20 for every kilogramme of stamps they receive, much needed funds to help people living with sight loss.

Every day, 250 people in the UK start to lose their sight. Many people won't get any practical or emotional support when they need it most. The RNIB want to change that.

£20 allows someone with sight loss to get helpful, personalised and friendly advice about a key aspect of daily living from an RNIB Sight Loss Adviser.