This week it is the forth in the run for the GoodGym January Challenge! From the 1st to the 31st of January, across the country, we are going to walk, run and cycle to complete as many good deeds as we can.

Yesterday was a really a good fun session for GoodGym Brighton! This is always guaranteed when our friend Garry, the founder of Brighton Community Workshop, opens the Tools Library’s doors to us! The dreadful weather decimated the number of participants at the last minute, but it did not compromise the fun factor of what means for GoodGym to be volunteering at the Tool Library, in the heart of Kemptown in Brighton.

Five hard-core GoodGyme-rs took over the session’s game, and we managed to show off our best DIY capabilities while dismantling and re-mounting some cabinets, which will hold more tidily the DIY tools that Brighton Community Workshop’s members can borrow and/or buy for life. This is one of the circular economy projects across Brighton & Hove City that I (personally) like the most!

I had a demanding day yesterday, on multiple facets. Yesterday's GoodGym session and the power of women recharged my batteries and revamped my joyful spirit, as I often have or I hope to always keep for my GoodGym-ers ;-) GoodGym not only empowers me to feel part of a community, but always gives me the motivation to keep calm, and to carry on pursuing my charitable missions!

As an area activator and run leader of yesterday session, my only regret is that I didn't manage to convince Garry to join our fitness balance and stretching exercises at the end. LoL! 😊

Are you a member or want to join Brighton Community Workshop membership?

You are invited to their next week’s Annual General Meeting, on Tuesday 30th January at 19:30 with guest speaker, Cat Fletcher, founder of Freegle 😊 I believe it will be a fun and informative evening, and I will go there after our next week GoodGym group session at the Brighton Community Tennis Club.

On a cold (but dry!) December evening, 14 GoodGymers made their way to the tool library in Kemptown. Once there they were greeted by a cheery Gary and approximately a hundred crates of random tools in various states of rust.

The team soon got to work sorting the various items into boxes, and slowly but surely the room was transformed from a junk shop into a workshop.

Stefania then led us in a few rounds of squats/lunges etc., and then we went off into the night - some to the pub for taskforce strategising, others to a well-earned dinner.

Welcome new member Claudio!

What a way to banish the January blues! On a wet and windy night we had a great turn out, including some new faces!

Welcome to Goodgym newbie Jack, new Brightonian Vicky and Goodgym tourist JC who will be in Brighton for the next few weeks. Thank you for joining us!

We set of through colourful Kemptown to The Brighton Community Workshop where we were greeted by Garry. The Workshop has recently acquired the Kemptown location and are in the process of setting up a creative space, a place to learn and a Tool Library.

We doned gloves and hardcore cleaner to shine up a variety of tools such as drills, sanders and jigsaws as well as hand tools. Our resident hands on hero Jason managed to free a mallet from its worn handle.

Even through we were using a lot of elbow grease there was no let up with an arm workout to help propel us forward when sprinting to the finish line at Parkrun. To further work our arms, some Goodgymers headed to the local for some weight (a pint to be exact) lifting and quizing!

The rest of us tackled the wind and rain towards the centre and on home.

12 awl-mighty runners cleaned for Brighton Tool Library.

The group covered 3km plus an exercise session.

Grateful the earlier storm had passed, we gathered at Victoria statue in anticipation of cleaning tools ahead. A group run to Kemp Town saw us grind up a favoured Brighton hill.

Arriving we found the task was well organised, with a workstation prepared for each runner and a mix of cloths, scourers, brushes and wipes. Or white spirit and WD-40 for the more stubborn dirt. We learned the goals of the project, to provide low-cost access to tools and avoid waste, and how infrequently the average DIY tool is (not) used in its lifetime.

Then all that was needed was a whirlwind of Good Gym elbow grease to scrub and polish 18 power tools to a shine, from Jigsaws to Planers, Sanders to Angle Grinders, Heat Guns to Hammer Drills, Staple Guns and Snips.

Outside Tara led the group exercise, the group nailed several sets of high kicks and squats, before retracing their route(r) to the start with Frannie as back-marker and the percussion of legs hammering on the pavement.