After what felt like a very long winter break, tonight marked our triumphant return to the Heene Church Rooms garden that we last visited way back at the end of October. And oh, how it had missed us… or perhaps more accurately, how the weeds had thrived without us!

Thanks to an exceptionally wet winter paired with surprisingly mild temperatures, the garden had turned into a full-on jungle. Tonight’s mission? Nothing short of a major weed-busting operation.

The good news: the evenings are officially on our side again! It was still light at 6pm when we arrived, and stayed that way right through to our 7pm finish — a sure sign that spring (and GoodGym gardening season) is well and truly back.

Our brilliant team tonight brought both energy and excellent chat. Soon-to-be parents Sarah and Ryan were on top form, with Sarah proudly showcasing her impressive 6-month baby bump whilst Barbara turned heads with a stunnnew hairstyle, adding a touch of glam to the gardening gloves.

Fresh from soaking up the sun in Gran Canaria, Belinda and John arrived glowing , proof, if ever needed, that a bit of winter sun does wonders. It was also fantastic to welcome Gill, who cycled in like an absolute hero, and Ricky, who kept us all guessing with hints of his upcoming top secret holiday.

Between the catching up, laughter, and a bit of gentle speculation about Ricky’s mysterious getaway, we somehow managed to make a serious dent in the wilderness. Beds were cleared, weeds were banished, and order was (partially!) restored.

A joyful return, a cracking team effort, and lighter evenings ahead — what more could we want? 🌱

Today was centred on supporting the school’s development of outdoor learning opportunities, though thankfully most of the work took place indoors.

And they’re off

First task was to remove doors from two playground sheds. These shed doors are to be colour coded according to what is being stored there. Once removed the gym hall floor was used as an “easy clean” area for painting. With some creative use of a very minimal amount of sheeting the painting began.

Blending in to stand out

In the gym the shed doors were transformed with bright colours - Pansy Purple and Bluebell Blue. Pigments of positivity! Away from the gym a noticeboard was attached in its new location and yellow stripes on the wall were painted out and blended in.

All in the balance

With doors carefully balanced - we hope - the team gathered for the group photo before heading off satisfied in a job well done.

Written by John

Thank you 😊 🙏

Today, three GoodGymers played crucial roles: Belinda as Run Director, John on set-up and Paul keeping time.

Here in Worthing, we always look forward to our GoodGym parkrun volunteering sessions! We aim to organise one each month to support the parkrun community and proudly promote GoodGym. Given the expected parkrun cancellations in the first half of the year, we are determined to maintain this important GoodGym connection.

They can definitely hear—even if they aren’t all actually listening

With the new (ish) speakers (thank you to our friends at South Downs Leisure), there was no excuse for anyone saying they couldn’t hear the briefing. It wasn’t just Belinda enjoying the sound of her own voice today; everyone could! And that was important. Besides the usual health and safety checks, there was important information to share about the imminent parkrun cancellations due to promenade works.

The applause clause

As well as the safety information being clear, the milestone shout-outs were also heard. We love celebrating individual achievements and milestones at a parkrun. Today, we celebrated our very own superstar Paul as he was cheered on his fiftieth time volunteering. Check out the photos for the unofficial merchandise awarded to mark the occasion.

And they’re off

And don’t forget, so will Worthing parkrun be intermittently over the next few months. Keep an eye on the upcoming volunteer sessions so you can join us in promoting GoodGym while supporting what is surely the biggest, regular, mass participation fitness event on the south coast.