This week, three caring GoodGymers — Barbara Roxy, and Paula headed to Beehive Care Home in Ferring to lend a hand to Margaret, a resident with a true passion for gardening.

Margaret had found it difficult to settle into her new home, having left behind the beautiful garden she’d lovingly tended for many years. But rather than give up her green-fingered ways, she took it upon herself to transform the communal garden at Beehive into something both pretty and purposeful — a place residents can enjoy and connect with nature.

With secateurs in hand and smiles on their faces, the GoodGym trio joined Margaret to help prune and tidy the garden, giving the plants space to thrive and restoring some order to the borders. Margaret’s joy was clear to see — a little teamwork went a long way in helping her feel supported and proud of her growing garden project.

It was a small but powerful act of kindness, showing how community and connection can help things — and people — bloom.

-Thank you to Barbara, Roxy, and Paula for helping out tonight and a big shoutout to Margaret for her inspiring dedication to bringing beauty and life to her new home. 🌸**

Helping Out at Heene Cemetery

Tonight, the GoodGym team gathered for a special mission at the beautifully atmospheric Heene Cemetery, a closed graveyard and conservation area designated as one of outstanding natural beauty. Our hosts for the evening were the ever-dedicated Sue, who helps maintain the cemetery grounds, and Dora a passionate fox guardian currently caring for Elf and his adorable family of cubs who reside among the gravestones.

Our tasks for the evening were clear (and nicely ambitious!):

Removing ivy from the ancient Sussex stone wall Clearing grass strimmings from the graves Tidying space around the flourishing apple trees. General Tidying and Pruning

The team quickly got stuck in with their usual energy and good spirits. John, Belinda, and Anne led the charge against the ivy, carefully pulling back years of creeping growth from the stonework. This was quite some feat and pretty epic. With what John pulled away from the wall , it clearly that all the strength training with me is paying off!

Meanwhile, Pauland Stéphane turned their attention to the orchard area, clearing under the apple trees to allow them more room to breathe.

On grave-duty, Ryan , Mel and Sarah tackled the freshly strimmed grass, lifting the cuttings off graves and pathways to leave the cemetery looking neat and respected.

Elsewhere, El and Gillybean showcased their multitasking prowess by pruning and tidying across multiple areas, all under the curious gaze of Elf the fox.

In true GoodGym style, there was a touch of mischief too, John had sneakily buried a fake skeleton hand under the grass strimmings for Sarah to discover giving her a good laugh once the trick was revealed. But the spooky vibes didn’t stop there — not long after, a real bird foot and leg mysteriously fell from the sky, landing right in front of me . Whether it was a strange coincidence or a little message from the cemetery’s resident spirits, we will never know. Personally I blame John 🤷

After a full hour of productive work, we wrapped up the evening with a lovely surprise: Sue kindly shared some of her birthday cake with us all — a nice end to a great (and slightly eerie!) evening.

Thank you to everyone who came out, and to Sue and Dora for their work and hospitality. We’ll be back in early October to help keep this special place looking its best.

Have a great week !

Julia xx

GoodGym Volunteers Brave the Heatwave to Support Care for Veterans Fair Clean-Up

In the midst of July’s intense heatwave, a dedicated team of GoodGym volunteers came together to provide much-needed support to the Care for Veterans residential home, helping to clear away a successful community summer fair.

A heartfelt thank you goes out to the amazing team who turned up despite soaring temperatures. Barbara, along with her sister Jacqui and son Matt, brought great energy and team spirit. Special thanks also to Paul, who, after leading his cadets through the afternoon’s fair activities, generously stayed on to lend a hand with the clean-up.

Joining the effort were Roxy, Ricky, El, and Stephane—each one rolling up their sleeves and getting stuck in with good humour and determination. And a big shoutout to Sue, who came straight from a sea swim and still had the strength to help pack down!

Between us, we dismantled the entire fair: tables, chairs, stalls, gazebos, bric-a-brac, drinks (both soft and otherwise!), and all the many extras that come with a well-loved community event. It was a big job in hot conditions, but one that the team tackled with fantastic teamwork and resilience.

Thanks to everyone’s hard work, the site was left spotless and all equipment safely packed away. It was a fantastic job all round for a truly wonderful cause.

Well done team—Care for Veterans and the whole community applaud you!

Barbara’s 70th Birthday & Summer Social

What a fantastic evening at Goring Gap — a true celebration of community, good deeds, and a very special milestone!

This week’s GoodGym task brought us to one of Worthing’s local beauty spots for a litter pick, but this was no ordinary mission. We also had the joy of celebrating a 70th birthday and hosting our summer social — and it was all rolled into one unforgettable event.

A Birthday Good Deed

It’s a real credit toBarbara generous spirit that she chose to spend her birthday giving back, joining us for the litter pick on her special day. The Birthday Girl was met with a lovely surprise — a visit fromLucy ! It was so good to see you, Lucy, and your timing couldn’t have been better.

Barbara was joined by a strong GoodGym turnout:Mel andPaul , Stéphane](/v3/profile/stephane-forrer) (who’s almost fully recovered from his recent bike accident — though a reminder to avoid shaking his still-broken hand!), and the always-enthusiastic Anne,Paul , Roxy Daisy, andCraig . This dream team made short work of the litter, filling multiple bags and even heading back for more. A great effort from everyone!

Food, Fun, and Festivities

With Goring Gap sparkling once again, we made our way to the greensward where the second part of the evening kicked off.

,John , El and Gillybean had set up a brilliant BBQ area and were busy cooking up a feast with food kindly brought by John. Everyone chipped in with a spread of nibbles, cakes, and drinks, turning the evening into a true celebration. Gill was brilliant with all the cooking and tidying up too.

We were joined by Barbara's son Matthew - it was lovely to see him on his Mums special evening. Nick also made a guest appearance. It was also lovely to see Tamsin and Jemmie who brought along the game Corn Hole This was great fun and was also was enjoyed by a handful of us John was victorious despite Jemima trying her absolute best to beat him !

We wrapped up with a perfect moment — presenting Barbara with a beautifully framed collection of memories to honour her birthday and her incredible commitment to volunteering. It was smiles all around as we captured the moment with some great group photos.

Thank you Barbara for being such an inspiration, and thank you to everyone who came and made this such a special GoodGym evening. Here’s to many more good deeds, good food, and great company!

🌞 GoodGym Worthing, 30th June

On the last day of June, Worthing was basking in glorious sunshine as we returned to a halfway house supporting homeless residents. We were tasked with a front and back garden tidy-up – having previously given the back garden a full makeover on our last visit, this time we turned our attention to the front while still giving the back some finishing touches. The heat didn’t deter our dedicated team, who rolled up their sleeves and got stuck in to transform the space for six grateful residents – one of whom, Adrian, enthusiastically joined us, proving to be a great help on the day.

⚡ Power tools and teamwork

Ryan took on the electric hedge cutter like a pro, tackling the overgrown bushes with gusto and precision. Meanwhile, Pauland Elwere on strimming duties , trimming back the wilder under growth and restoring order to the unruly greenery. Paul later turned his attention to a more challenging task – removing ivy from a tree that was suffocating with it.

✂️ Precision pruning and mighty mowing

Gillybean took the lead on pruning in the front garden and side passage, carefully shaping plants and shrubs to bring out their best in the summer sun. Belinda andMel also tackled the front garden, pulling out multiple debris piles from the flowerbeds and giving the area a much-needed refresh.

Over in the back garden, John gave the lawn a tidy mow doingthe best he could in such dry conditions. He subsequently joined Paul who had turned his attention to dealing with a large, stubborn branch on the evergreen tree out front – what a team effort!

🧹 The tidy-up crew

Megan and Mel were absolute troopers throughout the session, constantly on the move, tidying and clearing the growing piles of garden waste. Mel, ever the step-count champion, kept a keen eye on her fitness goals while making a big difference to the space.

By the end of the evening, the gardens were looking alot tidier, brighter, and far more welcoming for the residents who call this place home. The sun was still shining, and there was a shared sense of pride in what we’d achieved together.

We'll be back again next month to continue the good work.

Next week we will be celebrating Barbara's milestone Birthday as well as a cheeky summer social BBQ - please bring your own food and drink to enjoy.

The Return of the Weeds: A Garden Showdown at the Community Rooms

It was another sunny session at the Community Rooms garden, and our team of GoodGym volunteers turned up ready to do battle with a familiar foe: the relentless, ever-returning weeds! We were greeted by our task hosts Val and Rik.

Val's vision was clear - to create a pathway through the overgrowth in preparation for laying paving stones down the middle of the garden. The weeds had clearly not taken a break since our last visit, but neither had our determination.

It was lovely to see Daisy back again, joining Barbara in tackling the thickets of stubborn weeds with impressive speed and stamina. Roxy and Ricky were on weed-duty too, digging deep to loosen some particularly entrenched roots.

Meanwhile, Paula was on paving slab patrol — shifting heavy stones like a pro to clear space for the path. Paul and Craigproved to be absolute machines, digging out vast amounts of weeds and making light work of some truly overgrown sections.

As always, the teamwork and shared sense of purpose made even the toughest bits feel manageable. With the path almost ready for its new paving stones, we’re well on our way to transforming this community garden into a more accessible and welcoming space for everyone.

Until next time, weeds — we’ll be back!

Check out all the good stuff that's happening in the next month or so !

Have a great week 😄

Julia xx