Yesterday, we ran 5km to the Preston Park Velodrome to support the Brighton Bike Hub — a brilliant volunteer-run community workshop. 🚲 They make cycling affordable by offering free tool access, DIY repair spaces, refurbished bike sales, and adult cycle training in and around Preston Park.

Our GoodGym group session mission? To tidy and paint their 20ft shipping container, transforming it into a clean white canvas for an upcoming mural artist!

The Bike Hub mission? Reducing carbon emissions, improving air quality and making our streets more people and planet-friendly, while getting around more cheerfully. They are also committed to enabling those on a low income to enjoy the benefits of cycling.

Did you know that nearly half of people in Britain spend more than 18 hours a week on the sofa – yet 70% say they want to be more active? Timely, today, British Cycling launched Sofa to Saddle to get the nation active – a free eight-week programme to help more people discover the joy of cycling. The benefits of getting started are significant. Research shows that people who cycle at least once a week are 37% more likely to feel good about themselves, while 79% say cycling helps clear their head and 58% feel calmer and more relaxed.

By making cycling more accessible and supporting people to take those first pedal strokes, Brighton Bike Hub contributes to Cycling UK mission to enable and inspire everybody to experience cycling's joys and benefits, and to British Cycling ambition to help one million more people get on their bikes by 2028, creating healthier, happier communities across Britain.

This GoodGym session and organisation are close to my heart. It felt rewarding to help others get a Good addition to their active travel journeys.

Book a training with BikeHub here: https://brightonbikehub.org/training-sessions/

Download Sofa to Saddle here: britishcyc.cc/sofatosaddle

Join GoodGym for another Good session!

Yesterday, we saw record GoodGym participation to help a new organisation: the MEP Multiculture English Project Garden Project. Since 2010, the project has taught gardening, horticulture, and English language skills to asylum seekers, providing a dedicated space to put this knowledge into action.

We welcomed back returning GoodGymers—Rob, Rachel, Rebecca, and Rosie — alongside tree brand-new members: Liz, Abdallah, Mohammed. They all took on the fitness challenge of running or cycling uphill for nearly 5km to reach Roedale Valley Allotments, located in a lush green valley near the top of Ditchling Road. Once there, Will welcomed the team with several tasks, including landscaping, weeding, turning compost, and wheelbarrowing mulch up and down the allotment slopes.

Another Workout for the Future!

Allotments are invaluable community assets that boost health and wellbeing, provide sustainable growing spaces, and create biodiverse green corridors. Beyond being a vital part of our city's heritage, they play a crucial role in our future. These sites act as critical urban wildlife havens, supporting plant, insect, and animal life by providing diverse microhabitats. In fact, these sanctuaries can support up to 50 times more pollinators than standard council-managed parks. Furthermore, the project's allotment sessions help participants learn new vocabulary, engage in physical activity, and adopt healthy lifestyles—massively benefiting their mental health, confidence, and self-esteem.

It was a thoroughly pleasant evening supporting a fantastic new initiative—definitely one to remember and return to!

Want to get involved? Check out what else is coming up HERE at GoodGym Brighton.