We had a great turnout of runners, with 10 of us meeting at the Peace Statue and running to the task. Two others cycled to the site, and three more met us directly there, making a fantastic group of 14 ready to get to work. We welcomed new member Susie, and Charli returning for her second session, to the team.

We were helping out at St Thomas Fund, a residential rehabilitation service in Brighton & Hove run by the charity Change Grow Live. They offer a safe space for adults on their journey to becoming free of drugs and alcohol. Sean, who welcomed us, gave a fantastic introduction to the organisation, the site and their mission, explaining that our task was to transform a bindweed-covered area into a usable space for yoga and meditation.

The area was completely carpeted in weeds. We even found a rake that the tenacious bindweed had tried to consume! We had a laugh wondering how long you'd have to sunbathe before it took you over, too. But the team, including Sean, with tools and gloves provided by St Thomas Fund, made short work of it.

Nicola and Sarah did a particularly fantastic job of rescuing a fig tree from the grip of the bindweed. By the end of the session, the whole area looked transformed. You could see the soil in the beds again, and we filled somewhere between 10 and 20 bags with weeds and rubbish.

Sean seemed to be really happy with what we achieved, emphasizing how the collective effort of so many volunteers can make a huge difference in a short amount of time. It was a great feeling to see the space ready for residents to use for peaceful activities. A big thank you to Sean and St Thomas Fund for having us.

A beautiful 13km trail run across the downs from Lewes to Brighton ending with a dip in the sea.

I marshaled in what seems to be my usual spot and cheered and clapped for the walkers, joggers and runners at Hove Park Parkrun 😊

This evening, Doug, Amanda and I headed over to One Church to lend a hand with preparations for tomorrow’s lunch for people experiencing homelessness.

We were welcomed by Stephan, who was incredibly organised and had everything ready for us. Our task list was clear: chopping carrots, potatoes, apples and pumpkins – plenty to keep our hands busy while the conversation flowed.

And what conversations they were! The four of us covered so much ground – from travels to Japan, to memories of the Covid days, volunteering, the realities of homelessness and the weight it places on someone’s life, to workplace bullying and ways to tackle it, the rise of AI and how it’s shaping our daily lives – and plenty more in between.

Two hours slipped by quickly, filled with chopping, chatting, and laughter. As we wrapped up and said our goodbyes, we all left feeling just that little bit better than when we walked in.

On an evening where a sea fret had drifted in to take the edge off a scorching day, half a dozen GoodGymers coasted up Lewes Road to the FareShare warehouse in Moulsecoomb, the Sussex branch of the national organisation tackling food waste.

The team was welcomed by Steven, Partnerships Coordinator at FareShare Sussex & Surrey, who gave an outline of the organisation's breadth of activity and engagement in the region (it works with around 250 charities and community groups) and a thorough briefing on the assignment of sorting donated items into crates to give to those homes most in need of support. He explained that the current summer school holidays (along with Christmas) was one of the main pinch points of the year for those households experiencing food insecurity. Steven was already familiar to some, having completed this year's Brighton Marathon weekend 10k in 1hr 20 by dancing the route in a gold onesie, and he shared experiences as a choreographer and dancer including 15 years with Ballet Rambert.

Steven masterfully choreographed the GoodGym team, who all donned hi-vis jackets and steel capped boots, as they sorted a variety of long-lasting tinned and dry food items evenly between crates, including a lot of pasta, cereals and rice, and many cans of fruit, vegetables, curries, meatballs, ham and fish. Food had to be inspected to ensure it was still in date; the record out-of-date discovery was a Loyd Grossman bolognese sauce jar with a 'best before' in 2016.

Steven applauded the flurry of activity that saw the team complete 70 filled crates of food (a total 700kg) to be delivered to help some of the local struggling households; 28,000 people at risk of food poverty access food every week from FareShare in the region. With an estimated 1 in 7 households in the UK experiencing food insecurity (1) against the backdrop of the UK having the sixth highest GDP in the world, the need for more fairness and more sharing is high. FareShare are reliant on different streams of volunteer support, and GoodGym Brighton vowed to return soon to support this essential local organisation.

(1) https://foodfoundation.org.uk/initiatives/food-insecurity-tracking#tabs/Round-16

I had a great time marshaling in my fave spot clapping and cheering the walkers/joggers and runners on this summer morning at Hove Park.