On a breezy late summers evening in not so sunny Worthing 7 runners set off for a warm up run to and around the pier before arriving just opposite Anchor Gardens for a ground force style garden makeover in double quick time.

Weeding around the bush

In a digging weeding and pruning frenzy of activity we found a plethora of hidden rocks, gems, gnomes and other buried treasure .It always amazes me just how much work a small and committed GoodGym team can achieve in a such a short amount of time and tonight was no exception.

Makeover makes perfect

Duncan got stuck into the digging describing his Go Ape adventure over the weekend but there was no monkeying around this evening !

Michelle applied some brute force on some stubborn remains of a tree as well as hands and knees weeding with our host Chrystabell .

Flowerbeds transformed from weed ridden to freshly dug over soft earth. Nick did some fine pruning on the evergreen bush known as 'Lemon Cypress Wilma' and even managed to provide Belinda with a shower of green highlights to compliment her recent haircut ( She almost got an extra trim ! )

Gill didn't need to make a besom ( broom ) this week so instead attacked the ivy with the same energy as she does bindweed with an impressive few bags of results.

Beth seemed to be keeping a low 'rafael ' this evening with intricate weeding thinly disguising some mobile tennis action :) However her GG superpowers are steadily growing.....

Efforts make us fitter

With some very happy faces and humble thanks we waved goodbye and headed off on another shortish run to Homefield Park for the fitness session centered around the outdoor gym.

This proved fast and fun with tag teams alternating with sprints around the park and circuits on the equipment. As the efforts on the running got harder I did observe that the seated options on the machines appeared to be particularly popular.

Some chin up strength work completed the fitness element before the group split into 2 for the run back to base and stretches.

Fun times ahead

We finished off with some planning for a GoodGym social. Watch this space for more details coming soon .

Thanks so much for your hard work and dedication team . Tonight was the complete essence of a good deed.

Julia :)

A warm welcome to GoodGym Worthing

It was a delight to welcome you all to GoodGym tonight . Special mention goes to our new recruit Anna who joined us for her first ever GG task and group run.I was also really pleased to see Sue return for week 2 together with our trusty regulars Gill, Belinda Roisin, Beth, Michelle , Duncan and Nick. Please look out for a big GG cheer coming your way.

Pier pressure

Nick led the warm up to the pier and round it ! Check out your strava and see how you walked / ran on water tonight. Gill and Nick also paused to stop and have a photo oppportunity in the new stain glassed window on the pier.

Anchors away

We had a warm and incredibly happy welcome from the friends of Anchor Gardens Frieda , Jillie and Steve together with park ranger Keith , who , between the 4 of them organised the 'where and whens' of the task. We split the group into 3 groups of

• Weed prune and define the shrubs (Gill , Sue, Roisin and Anna )
• Shingle shovelers from the lorry (Nick and Belinda)
  
• Shingle shuttles in the wheelbarrow (Michelle , Duncan ,Beth )

Between them, my trusty group shifted and raked 1 ton of shingle . An epic achievement to feel very proud to be a part of.

Water and a wave

With a few photos ,some much appreciated water provided by Gillie and many expressions of thanks from the Friends of Anchor Gardens the group waved goodbye and headed off towards Brooklands . It was an out and back along the prom ,around the lake and finishing in Beach House grounds.

Buddy burpees

We finished the session with a fitness session comprising of some sprints together with a buddy pyramid circuit which included a combination of cardio and strength exercises. Duncan and Nick managed to win by the skin of their teeth . Enjoy the glory as they may not be so lucky next time :)

GoodGym bulletin board - dates for your diary

Saturday 19th August GG Worthing mission. Monday 21st August Mencap - Buddys cafe . Pruning a large hedge followed by a fitness session led by Beth! Bank holiday Monday 28th August - Kamelia Kidz front garden tidy up Sunday 3rd September 4pm Possible Good Gym 6 month shin dig / parrtty ( doodle poll to follow in the weekly fitness email )

I hope that you enjoy reading the report and looking at the photo memories. Please remember that if you view the photos on a phone they are likely to appear chopped off !

Have a great week everyone, Lovely buzz in the group tonight admidst a hive of activity.

Much GoodGym love to you all

Julia :)

[*This evening was another epic GoodGym Monday for many reasons *]

We set off from Splashpoint for our longest run to date west along a sun drenched promenade soaking up the beautiful warmth and not even a breath of wind to slow us down. We arrived at Kamelia Kids day nursery where we were warmly welcomed by cheif exec Dottie and set to work on tidying up their front garden !

We set to work pruning and weeding with the help of a set of tools kindly supplied by Peter at Adur - Worthing Council . True to GG form we achieved a great make over in just 30 minutes.

We then set off for the 5k run back to Splashpoint waving goodbye to Elisa and Karina en route and timely interval sessions along the way.

Some true highlights that made tonight epic

• Welcome to Sam on his first GG run ! A huge Worthing welcome and GG cheer to you Sam
• Amazeballs running from Belinda covering the furthest that she has run for 20 YEARS ! 3 big cheers to you Belinda! You are one amazing lady.
• Stupendous performance from Elisa smashing her fitness goal by running further than she has done in 4 years
• Our first task for Kamelia Kids , Worthing
• Energetic endurance and fitness sprints from Gill, Beth ,Duncan and also Sam, our new member who got put through his his paces and arrive back with a big smile.
• Well done to Karina who is continuing her fitness outside of GG all week to work towards her goals. Big cheer for your dedication and smile !
• Another task completed by our mini GG Worthing participant , Fernando.
• Fantastic photos from Paul Mansfield ,our volunteer photographer- Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

What more can I say.....

We came ,we ran ,we gardened ,we ran home and we conquered tonight

Massive congratulations and GG love to you all !