Another mild evening greeted nine GoodGym Brighton runners as they returned to action. This time, we visited the Change Grow Live (CGL) Brighton and Hove Recovery Service at Richmond House, which offers a safe, non-judgemental space for drug and alcohol recovery. Our host, Rita, has been instrumental in creating a green oasis here, and GoodGym was ready to lend a helping hand.

This Tuesday’s mission was to tackle the overgrown bushes in the front parking area. Armed with loppers and GoodGym-hand pruners 😊, we got to work cutting down top branches and pruning them back. To speed things up, we formed an efficient GoodGym "human chain," passing the green garden waste down the line. We were even illuminated by professional studio LED lights—usually used by CGL for video and photography—making it look like a live-streamed production of doing good and getting fit!

After sweeping up the final leaves, Rita invited us to the opening of the "Three Frames" (Object. Person. Place.) photography exhibition. Organized by CGL as part of Photo Fringe 2026, it runs every Saturday in October at Richmond House. The exhibition showcases powerful work produced entirely by service users exploring their personal recovery stories.

Want to get involved? Join GoodGym for another session!

During a mild late-September evening, a core group of five GoodGymers laced up their trainers and ran out to join Round Hill Society committee member Dominic—a true force of nature in the local neighbourhood.

The Autumn Community Clear-up is now officially done (Ehm, almost)! The team tackled the Cats’ Creep first, clearing away the worst of the overhanging branches to keep the pathway clear. From there, we channelled our best energy into scraping weeds along Round Hill Crescent, successfully clearing an impressive 80 metres of pavement.

Usually, a massive surge of weeds often strikes after the late summer rains (!) throughout August and September. Scraping during this specific autumn window is crucial, as it targets winter annuals and perennials right before they go dormant. Fortunately, GoodGym never goes dormant! We had a fantastic session, and I reckon we will be back for similar action very soon.

Shout-out to GoodGymer Sarah on hitting the big 50 on the Heroes Leaderboard! 🏃‍♀️✨

Driven by community spirit, GoodGym fuses fitness and volunteering by connecting GoodGymers with local partners and volunteers through a "one workforce approach." I borrow that brilliant term 😉 from yesterday’s Active Sussex Conference, which showcased the innovative Stronger for Life programme. This award-winning initiative improves strength and balance, prevents falls, and combats muscle loss from inactivity among older adults and stroke recovery patients.

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A dedicated team of GoodGym volunteers headed to One Church this Sunday to help out in the kitchen for their weekly community gathering. Our mission? To prep a massive, comforting feast of vegetable and beef stew to feed the local community.

The shift started as a trio, with the three of us arriving sleeves rolled up. Because the head chef was arriving a little later, we had to make a few quick executive decisions just to get things moving and prep stations set up! Once the chef arrived, the cooking officially kicked off, and our trio officially upgraded to a four-man band. From there, the quartet got straight to work at the chopping stations.

There was an absolute mountain of fresh produce waiting for us, but we sliced, diced, and chopped our way through bags of carrots, potatoes, onions, and seasonal veggies. With the vegetables prepped and the beef ready, everything went into the giant simmering pots, quickly filling the kitchen with the rich, mouth-watering aroma of a hearty Sunday stew. It was a fantastic, high-energy session filled with great conversation and brilliant teamwork.

A good day for a GoodGym session.