Early birds and new coastal defence enthusiasts Rosie, Ben and Ruth made their way to King Alfred's in Hove this morning, to take part in the community litter-pick organised by the Leave No Trace Brighton team. The event was in partnership with Mackley and Van Oord - the people behind the Brighton Marina to River Adur Coastal Defence Scheme which has seen lots of activity on the Hove seafront over the summer; with diggers and dredgers dumping and maneuvering tens of thousands of tons of shingle.

There was a prize for whoever found the 'weirdest' item along the newly expanded beach, but sadly for our GoodGym cohort it was just the usual array of plastic debris. After handing in our haul, we enjoyed a leisurely sunny stroll along the prom to begin our working days.

Leave No Trace are a group of local beach lovers that are campaigning to raise awareness and action to protect our beaches and green spaces. Their aim is to educate, encourage, and empower individuals, communities, and businesses to reduce, recycle or properly dispose of rubbish - so that our beaches, green spaces and seas can be clean and tidy for everyone to enjoy.

Nine GoodGymers headed up to Whitehawk: four cyclists, three runners, and two walkers, taking on some of Brighton's most beastly hills to reach the Whitehawk Community Food Project. Thie project is a community allotment focussed on growing organic fruit, vegetables, and herbs, while giving people the opportunity to learn practical food-growing and land skills, and spend time connecting with nature.

We were there to help create some new no-dig beds for planting broad beans and garlic, as well as clearing the surrounding pathways to make them more accessible. The no-dig gardening method avoids breaking up, lifting, or turning over the soil. Instead, beds are prepared by layering organic matter, like garden compost, directly onto the ground before planting into it.

We got to work shifting and spreading alternate layers of woodchip (which smelt amazing) and manure (which did not smell amazing), gradually transforming the beds. Our hosts, Kerry, Poppy, and Ben, looked after us brilliantly, keeping everyone busy and making sure we knew what we were doing. And it seems our efforts were appreciated. They said:

*"Thanks so much for the GoodGym session at WCFP last night. It was great to meet you all. Your bright energy and hard work was very much appreciated. It really made a difference for us."

We were also rewarded with a beautiful Brighton sunset, and kindly treated to something sweet: matcha KitKats from Sarah, who's swiftly approaching her 50th GoodGym task! A wonderful welcome to Irene and Phil attending for the first time!

Beastly hills, manure, sunsets, and KitKats. Just another GoodGym evening.

What next? HERE's our scheduled GoodGym sessions across Brighton & Hove.