Undoubtedly a great group session in mid-summer, this was! With an eco-bonus, and a surprise.

Last Saturday, Stanmer Organics opened doors to the public in the beautiful outdoor space in Stanmer Park, and yesterday to the passionate volunteers of @GoodGym Brighton.

The Centre of Eco-therapy is one of 20+ small orgs of Stanmer Organics with a mission at the heart: to provide nature-based therapies to whoever needs to overcome physical, mental or long-term health conditions. In this amazing healing environment, the guests do gardening, grow vegetables, drink tea, cook and eat around an open fire. All is composted, and a return to Mother Nature is encouraged. The basic essential facilities are compost toilets, so the users live a trueful permaculture experience, within its values and ethos. There is also a new sauna garden, did you know it?!

GoodGym was asked to help to dig a pit for building a new compost toilet, with a promise of an eco-therapy experience to thank the volunteers. A challenging call for the area activator, Stefania.

Brighton GoodGym-ers keep surprising all our beneficiaries (and me) for our unconditional good heart, always prepared to do everything – and get our hands dirty! Keep moving together in the outdoors fuels our heart and fulfils us with incredible satisfaction. Burning calories (or stress 😉) while moving, just helps – that’s for sure!

This call for GoodGym’s help was a great group mission, which was worthwhile opening to all, despite the long distance that is loved by some GoodGym-ers but not a cup of tea for everybody. We managed to get all moving, who by bike (or Beryl Bike) from our meet up in Brighton, in Victoria Gardens, who by run or walk at easy pace throughout the park to gather all together in good timing, and not getting lost in the woods 😊 – we didn’t. Thanks to Ben, who was already waiting us at the task and to Richard backing up my orienteering skills.

Surprise, surprise! Our inspiring charity founder, Ivo, and Darrel from Green Runners made us a surprising visit in Brighton. Both are runners and leaders by example, but also just simple people and passionate volunteers like everybody of us in Brighton GoodGym. We are all driven by sport passions and trueful values to do good and act green for our planet . In proper GoodGym style, I would say.

There was an good turn up of GoodGym-ers at this group session of middle summer, so well organised by Liz and Bella from the Eco-therapy Centre despite the demanding setting for such big group. Digging the hard soil was a bit challenging and crowded, at times, but the outcome of our work was fab – 2 deep dip holes were created and a new ramp constructed to help disable users to access the compost toilet. 😊 Meanwhile, Ivo and Dan, with a young adult got the fire ready🔥

Our host Liz offered us an eco-therapy experience and a bowl of soup, prepared with her garden vegs and with lots of her love – such a bonus, Grazie, dear Liz! The peaceful community-feeling made me forget all about the past stressful day(s), and the luggage still to pack up before my 6am flight the day after.

We enjoyed so much our evening that we lost track of the time, but we still returned home by cycling and running with a good light in the dusk. At the end of the day I was exausted, but happy and fully satisfied. All truly content, (or so I think).

First time GoodGym-er Liam quoted: “It was a great session for my first Goodgym in over a year. I really enjoyed digging (/pick-axing/tilling) the holes and the soup and hummus hanging out in the garden after was delicious”

What’s next? Follow us to see what’s on next Meanwhile, I begin to develop some ideas for a special GoodGym group session with the Green Runners and Sanctuary Runners-Brighton. Ready to pledge for sport for development and green action? I am, follow me!

This Tuesday, GoodGym Brighton has been Running Out Of Time, and we made a few pledges to act together as a community for climate and nature!

On this lovely warm evening, ten GoodGym-ers ran 2km to the beach where we picked up litter grabbers and Surfers Against Sewage's sacks to collect the litter. We spread out along the beach towards the iconic i360 and up on the path above the beach finding plastic bottles, cans and wrappers, but not too much litter this time, which was good to see. Some tourists gave us their rubbish and one asked an unusual question, ‘Can you fly a drone on the beach?’ It was explained we were not the council (!), and just volunteers so weren’t really sure.

After the task, we ran to the square near the i360 for some fitness exercises. Stefania divided us into four groups for two circuits of four different exercises: squats, tricep dips, step ups and press ups. Although it was tiring, it was also great exercise!

There was something for anybody at the Brighton Book Festival – Making the marginalised mainstream. This is a lively grassroots festival formed by two independent bookshops in Brighton with equity at its heart. A place where writers from underrepresented backgrounds are the main event, and where diverse audiences can see themselves reflected. A lively event where volunteers made a real difference by being the backbone workforce contributing to its success!

GoodGym Brighton was there setting up and helping to deliver the Family Day, fun packed with creative workshops – from painting sealife on big floor canvas, making crafts, to storytelling and open mic. And, at the end of the week, we helped to ease and speed up the event packing down.

A brilliant festival with inspirational outcomes, as hereafter quoted:

Stefania: "Passionate about food (saving and making 😊), I was inspired to attend ‘Around the Table’ session to explore food and culture with top cookery writers bringing not only their knowledge, but glorious food tasters for our enjoyment. I left inspired to read more and cook responsibly, and with a great free book in hands to begin with: ‘Revenous – how to get ourselves and our planet into shape’"

Juliet: "As a huge fan the late James Baldwin (American writer and civil rights activist) I was very excited to attend this black men's author and poet round table discussion celebrating his legacy. It didn't disappoint, it was a fascinating open discussion about race, gender and sexuality. The Brighton book festival was a brilliant inclusive and inspiring festival, where everyone was very friendly, and this was a great introduction. Next year I hope to attend more events."

We finally managed to return to help our friends from the The Bevy Pub – More Than a Pub! The Bevy is the first community run pub whose events and profits support the local community: from kids who need a square meal to seniors who want some company and everyone in between, The Bevy is there.

As well as being Brighton’s only community owned pub, is the Bevy Brighton’s first zero food waste pub? Every weekday lunchtime they serve up home cooked community lunches at affordable cost thanks to their link with Fareshare Sussex who redistribute surplus food, feeding bellies not bins. Any food waste is then put in their new hot composter, to produce gold standard compost that is then used in the edible pub garden. They’ve been adding 400 litres of mixed waste per week. For every 3 parts they put in, they get 1 part of top-quality compost - and the punters and fruit, veg and flower garden all love it!

Yesterday, GoodGym Brighton welcomed new member Euan and helped Dave, Shirley and Warren to enrich the soil with Bevy-Made compost, planted pumpkins, harvested rhubarb and cleared the Rubus Fruticosus, also called brambles, from invasive weeds – in a few words, we got the edible pub garden ready for the summer season, when we will come back to look out for the juicy berries to make the most of this place favourite.

The Bevy struggles to make money from food, but ironically it is their community approach to food that is a shining example of how this untypical pub on an ordinary estate working with a host of different organisations, is helping to achieve extraordinary things. Nowdays the Bevy’s work is more important than ever, with economic pressures on the rise. Let’s help our friends to realise their current plans and crowdfunding ambitions! Please Donate and Share