It’s the C word time

No, not the C word that garden centres seem to be promoting already. Its Cutting Back time. The holly and the ivy that adorned the outer wall of the cemetery stood no chance against the might (and height) of Craig! Ably assisted by Stéphane and John the wall was cleared of the invading greenery and the pathway swept.

Raking up that old joke

Meanwhile Ryan, Sarah, Ricky and Paul raked their way around the cemetery. With Sue wheeling the fruits of their labour to the compost area as quickly as the raking progressed (there it is!) the graves and paths looked neat and definitely tidier than when we arrived.

Overgrowth, undergrowth

Meanwhile Gill headed into the overgrown area behind the no entry sign to lead the clear out party. With support from Roxy, El and Megan the unwanted growth stood little chance.

The Final Cut

For weeks John and Paul have been keen to release their chainsaws on a GoodGym task. The opportunity to cut down to size one of Craig’s larger conquests could not be resisted. Paul’s tool was out, and the branches trimmed, before you could say “group photo time”.

With a visit from the Bishop imminent the GoodGym faithful gathered under the Bells of St Botolph’s to assist Rik and Val in ensuring she could see church grounds looking their best.

Dressed to impress

After achieving 50 Good Deeds status last week, Ryan arrived excitedly in his new shirt. Check out the photos to see how good he looks in black! Imagination required, perhaps!

All welcome here, except….

Except Iris! We’ve done our best over the years to give Iris a clear “not welcome ‘ere message”. It’s fallen on deaf ears. Today Ricky got stuck in to battling with that Stinking Iris, discarding every clump encountered. We will not be defeated!

Oh, Ivy isn’t welcome either….

Most of the team got stuck into the eviction of that constantly creeping ivy. Tendrils clinging to branch, trunk and wall were no match for the determined band. All welcome, unless you’re not, was the battle cry of the evening.

Taking it to the edge

John looked for the easy job - Sarah arrived late, so it wasn’t already taken! With brush in hand, and definitely no hoedown the edge of the bed was rediscovered. Nap time anyone….

Cleared that up then

A final flurry of clearing left the area suitably presentable for any visiting dignitaries to see what a well cared for church St Botolph’s is.

A lively crew gathered this evening at the house supported by Turning Tides Homelessness charity for a front-and-back-garden spruce-up—and two big celebrations!

🎉 Ryan’s Fantastic 50! Ryan marked his 50th good deed in classic style, confidently wielding a power tool to give the shrubs a stylish trim. Ricky followed close behind with rake in hand, sweeping up every last bit of debris.

🎂 Happy Birthday, John! Birthday boy John spent the evening on his knees weeding the front beds—joined for a cheerful catch-up by Sarah and a quick hello from Tamsin.

🌱 Welcome Back Team! After a busy summer away, Mel and Paul returned with energy . Mel tackled the clearing, while Paul focused on precision pruning, transforming the front garden’s look in no time.

🚴‍♀️ Barbara’s Back from Kenya! Fresh from an epic cycle trek in Kenya 🇰🇪, Barbara rejoined the group, sharing a teaser of her adventures (we can’t wait to hear more!).

💪 Resident Power! House resident Adrian grabbed the strimmer and made quick, efficient work of the back garden—what a star!

To round off the evening, we headed to the pub to raise a well-earned glass to John’s birthday and present Ryan with his 50-task memory frame. Cheers to community, milestones, and gardens that look as good as we all felt! 🌿🍻

** Final Push in the Community Garden**

After months of battling the weeds and weeks of returning to transform the space, tonight we reached a huge milestone in the church-run community garden.

Our mission has been twofold: to reclaim the beds from the relentless weeds and to create a central path lined with bricks to give the garden structure and accessibility. Bit by bit, week by week, the path has grown longer and the beds have become clearer — and tonight the team came together for one last big push to get it finished.

Armed with gloves, tools, and buckets of energy, the group cracked on straight away. Bricks were carefully laid in, weeds pulled out by the roots, and soil turned over ready for planting. Everyone mucked in, swapping jobs, sharing tools, and keeping the momentum high. By the end of the session, we stood back and admired a fully laid path right down the middle of the garden, with flower beds either side weed-free and ready for the next stage of planting.

Huge thanks to the brilliant team tonight: Paul,Roxy , John, Gillybean, Sarah, Ryan,Belinda , Megan, El and Ricky. Your teamwork and determination have completely transformed the space.

And of course, a very Happy Birthday to El — thank you for bringing delicious cake to keep us fuelled and make the evening extra special.

A big well done, everyone — what a fantastic way to celebrate all the hard work that’s gone into this project!

Today we are back here for our third visit to this Turning Tides accommodation. It was another warm evening, but sweat, minimal blood (you must take more care Paul!) and no tears saw us continue the transformation from unkempt and dishevelled to neat and tidy. There is still a way to go, but progress is definitely being made

There's no business like grow business

Cutting back and removing waste material seems to be a staple for us, but our GoodGym group is certainly growing. It was great to welcomeSarah to her first group session today. Her raking around the undergrowth and clearing of Ryanstrimmings followed by hedge trimming at the front showed how willing she is to throw herself fully and enthusiastically into the task. Hopefully this will be the first of many for Sarah.

Keeping up appearances

On arrival we were asked if we could tackle the hedge at the front of the property where the overhanging bush and trailing ivy encroached on the pavement. When it comes to cutting things back, you don’t have to ask Worthing GoodGym twice. Secateurs and lopers in hand Paul and Paul attacked to overgrowth with gusto.

The side hustle

Not to be outdone Sarah (old Sarah? Rain averse Sarah? Accessory Sarah - dear reader, if such exists, please edit in your head as you read to get the Sarah you recognise) and Mel attacked the bushes along the side of the parking area with the same enthusiasm. The piles of cuttings grew quicker than any plant could.

Sweeping up appearances

The rest of the team swept, gathered, and carried so we could leave the premises at least as tidy as when we arrived, but certainly much trimmer, both back and front.

Celebrate good times, come on……

Today we were in celebratory mood at Worthing GoodGym. No “Bah Humbug” here; we’re more “Bar? I’ll have a beer…..”.

Achieved a marathon

On Saturday, whilst most GoodGymers settle for a 5K parkrun, our very special RoxyPRoxy (if you know you know, if not you’ve just missed Worthing GoodGym pun of the year!) ran her 3rd marathon. Only ran for 3 hours 50 minutes though. Well done that one!

A marathon achievement

Our main celebration though is focussed onJulia : Worthing GoodGym area activator. Today it was Good Deed 400 for Julia. Amazing! That represents 400 plus hours of time given to support our local community. That’s the equivalent of 10 weeks full time work!

More, much more than that

As area activator for Worthing since it’s launch in March 2017, Julia has been responsible for enabling over 2800 hours of support in the community, building positive relationships with many local organisations. That’s the equivalent of more than 70 working weeks given to improve our local area and the lives of many who need support and care in order to thrive.

FITting in so much more

Julia’s knowledge and expertise has been put to good use over the years, putting GoodGymers through their paces. Burpees became a staple topic of discussion, regular monthly challenges kept us pushing ourselves. Now Julia is training to compete in a European HYROX event how long will it be before we are introduced to some new monthly fitness challenges?

From Julia

Many thanks to John for writing this report and generally organising all my treats tonight - without him GoodGym Worthing wouldn't be aw amazing as it is 👌😍

Making a Final Push in Church Community Garden Transformation

After many months of dedication, persistence, and muddy boots, the GoodGym Worthing team returned once again to the Church Community Rooms garden — a space we’ve been battling with for quite some time. The weeds nearly won on more than one occasion, but our team’s resilience and determination proved stronger. Through every season and in all types of weather, we’ve shown up to transform this once-overgrown patch into a usable and welcoming garden space.

Finishing Touches With Val and Rik

This evening’s task saw us helping our longtime community partners, Val and Rik, with the final touches. On our last visit, we had begun the groundwork for laying membrane under paving slabs — a key step in reclaiming the garden from the weeds. Today’s mission was to complete that task and edge the slabs with recycled bricks for a neat and finished look.

A Team Effort

John, Ryan, and Craigrolled up their sleeves and tackled the heavy-duty job of positioning and bedding in the final slabs. Working with precision, they ensured the black membrane was neatly in place before setting each slab down securely.

Meanwhile, the precision team — Sarah, Gillybean and Megan took on the meticulous challenge of laying the recycled bricks along the edge of the path. This wasn’t a task for the just anyone ! Each brick took about five minutes to dig in and position perfectly, and their attention to detail made all the difference ( even if Sarah did keep shoving soil into where I was digging ! 😂

Ricky and I were on some solid groundwork, digging out and preparing the final areas with spades before the precision team moved in to finish the job.

Whilst all this was happening Belinda Belinda was a whirlwind of efficiency, busily weeding and hoeing the entire garden area with energy and flair. Her efforts gave the space an instant lift and left it looking tidy and well maintained. Craig also helped by transferring over from the slabs and raking over the freshly hoed area.

With some final massive slab action from John , Ryan and Craig together with Gills finishing touch of sweeping the slabs we called it an evening.

A Victory Over the Weeds

What once seemed like an overwhelming and never-ending battle with weeds has been transformed into a meaningful and beautiful community space. It’s been a long journey, but one defined by teamwork, consistency, and a shared belief in making a difference.

A huge well done to all involved — tonight and over the many months that came before. The garden stands as a testament to what can be achieved when good people turn up, again and again, rain or shine.