Heene Community Gardens has been a long-term project for Worthing GoodGym – and tonight, we hit another major milestone in this journey .Over the past couple of years, we've fought the battle against weeds, uneven ground, and wild overgrowth... and it finally feels like we're winning!

We were warmly greeted this evening by Rik and Val, the tireless volunteers from St Botolph’s Church who have supported the garden’s development from the very beginning. Val’s long-held vision for the garden was visibly closer to reality tonight – and she couldn’t have been more grateful

The evening's mission was to lay paving stones along the garden path leading to the notice board, on top of a weed-suppressing black membrane. A precise, physical task – but nothing this team couldn’t handle.

Paul , John and Rickygot straight to work preparing the ground, as best they could , ensuring it was as level and firm as possible before the slabs went down.

They were soon joined by El and Roxy who set about weeding and tidying.

In just one hour, the transformation was complete: a smart, clean path guiding visitors to the notice board, with surrounding areas freshly weeded and looking their best.

Val was delighted. We were proud. The garden is starting to become the beautiful, welcoming community space she always imagined.

👏 Huge well done to Paul, John, Ricky, El, and Roxy – each of you brought something different tonight, and together it made a real impact.

Thank you all :)

Julia xx