No M & S 'ing around at St Michaels cemetery

11 Goodgymers helped their local community in Worthing
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Worthing

Monday 7th August 2017

Report written by JULIA GLEESON

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*The sun shines on GoodGym Worthing

On a sunny and breezy evening we all convened at Splashpoint for a pre run chat and catch up . It was especially nice to welcome some familiar faces back in the shape of Elisa ,Roisin and Duncan together with 3 new ones, Sue ,Alex and Martin . A special mention to my top regular duo Belinda and Gill who were unavoidably detained at the last minute . You were both missed . A huge GG cheer is coming to all of you good people :)

*Dying to get there

Wowser ! After a warm up round through the town the group arrived promptly and eagerly awaiting our first visit to Heene Cemetery in St Michael's road. We were given a warm welcome from Sue and Peter who are organisers of the friends of Heene cemetery and also from our trusty park ranger , Duncan.

*There was a lot of soul searching and 'raking the dead ( grass)'

There were plenty of tasks and plenty of people this evening which was a joy for me to be part of. We set about raking the recently strimmed grass with plenty of wheelbarrow shuttles to dispose of the grass. This was combined with chopping up previous pruning activity as well as sieving soil for back filling of the graves which have subsided in time.

*Everyone, including the locals entered into the spirit of the task

There was the usual warm glow from everyone this evening and absolutely no grave talk whatsoever :) Beth was up to her usual antics climbing in to a wheelbarrow for a ride with Nick encouraging her!

After a busy and fruitful 35 mins we finished with some group photos , applause and thanks before setting off for a run back along the seafront culminating in a fitness session in Beach house gardens.

  • Stars in the making

The fitness session was short but sharp this evening with a series of lamppost and tree sprints together with some slippery mountain climbers , star jumps , squats and plank work with some dodgy hip mobility moves thrown in for fun.

Many thanks to all my team this evening ! Another wonderful GG experience .

You all make my Mondays ! Looking forward to the next one already and I hope to see you all there.

Julia

:) :) :)


Session Leader
Worthing
Area activator
This task supported
Heene Cemetery
A disused cemetry that still needs local community care and assistance

Light conservation work is carried out which includes wildflower management, coppicing and tree planting. The Cemetery, having been open since 1873, was closed for burials by an Act of Parliament after having been open for more than a hundred years. There are many clerics buried here, including the Bishop of Borneo, and there are four graves tended by the War Graves Commission. Designated a Sussex Site of Nature Conservation Importance, the graveyard is an oasis for wildlife in the Town Centre. An abundance of grasses and herbs more usually associated with unimproved old meadows can be seen during the summer. A complete botanical survey is carried out through the summer months, and visits are made to record bird and invertebrate species.

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Attendees
Roisin Vafaee
Belinda Robinson
Beth Nelson
Duncan Anderson
Elisa
Martin Carolan
Sue
JULIA GLEESON
Nick Gleeson
Gillybean
Alex Nelson
Join us on our next session

Worthing

English Martyrs School
🗓Monday 20th May 6:00pm

Smartening up the fence !

JULIA GLEESONDaisyPaula Marten
3 GoodGymers are going

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