Here's Lucy report of our group session with the Friends of Vale Park. Welcome!

"It was only my second time at GoodGym Brighton and yet I already feel very much a part of this wonderful group.

This week we battled the high winds and ran or cycled from Brighton/Hove up to Vale Park in Portslade, which was a lovely way to shake off the cobwebs from the working day.

When we arrived, we were met with stunning rose bushes lining one side of the park filling the space with bright red, pink, orange and white colours. They needed de-weeding so local residents could continue to enjoy them – and that’s where we came in!

So we donned our gardening gloves, picked up our shears and joined the Friends of Vale Park to pull up the weeds in the flower beds. Everyone did a great job - the before and after shots are quite something!

I don’t get much of a chance to do gardening myself, but I absolutely loved it, and it was an excellent way to take part in the Great Big Green Week. Getting away from screens and out in the fresh air just does something to you! And it’s even better when you’re doing it with other people and you know the work you’re doing is having a positive impact.

We finished up with some delicious Pret pastries in the sun which Stefania kindly brought for us.

Safe to say, I really loved the session, and I can’t wait to be a regular at GoodGym Brighton."

This week GoodGym's Workout for the Future falls during The Big Green Week 2026 and showcases another inclusive and organised "green deed" benefiting the green spaces near us.

From GoodGym Environmental Statement:

GoodGym increases biodiversity in cities.

Yesterday, GoodGym Brighton supported the sustainability of the pollinator-friendly rose oasis at Vale Park, Portslade. 🌹🐝 To protect a thriving ecosystem of bees, butterflies, birds, and beneficial insects, GoodGym targeted approach to weeding is essential. Removing aggressive, invasive weeds stops them from dominating the landscape. By selectively clearing green spaces, GoodGym gives native plants the light, space, and nutrients they need to grow. This simple act restores the natural habitats and food sources our local wildlife depends on! 🌿✨

Brighton goodgymers walked, jogged and cycled to Manor Paddock to meet with task owner Luc who quickly put us to work.

As always, Luc was prepared for our help and had numerous seperate garden jobs already set up with kneeers, tools, gloves and bags.

We got to work pulling up weeds that were taking over the flower beds, as well as raking up cut grass and cutting back plants in various stages of wildness. The difference that many hands made in a short time was unbelieveable and all jobs were completed.

Luc, as always, was very grateful to have our help as they normally tend the garden alone and it becomes overwhelming very quickly.

As a bonus we also managed to dodge the promised rain, despite the ominous sounding thunder that was our evenings musical accompaniment!

Yesterday, GoodGym Brighton supported a community task at the Brighthelm Centre, a well-established community venue in the heart of Brighton that provides spaces for meetings, events, conferences, and community activity. The task was framed as a local “green clean action” session at Brighthelm Centre, together with other volunteers encouraged to bring gloves and turn up ready to help.

Led by Brighthelm Centre’s gardeners, we cleared weeds from the pavements, cut back encroaching greenery, litter-picked, and tidied the entire outdoor space. It was lovely to meet lead gardener John and work alongside him. We may have missed the window cleaning task, but I’m sure we’ll be back on another occasion.

Next, our Task Force met to plan future GoodGym sessions and support the GoodGym WorkOut for the Future campaign. A social gathering for our birthday in July was also on the agenda.

Happy GoodGym-ing!