On Monday the 16th of December we took part in a very special session.

Nicola, Edward, Doug, Sarah and Annette (on her first session) helped the Choir with No Name.

We firstly helped Nostos unload the food and set up the tables for the choir’s meal. Then serving their meal in the renovated Corn Exchange before they performed their annual Big Christmas Singalong to a sold out Brighton Dome!

The Choir was set up for people who have experience of homelessness and or social exclusion. It is a community initiative creating a supportive, empowering community in Brighton and other major cities around the country. Stefania our Area Activator also volunteers with the choir alongside the many other things she does for the community. After the choir had eaten their fill, we also were offered a tasty meal. The amazing food was provided by Greek Restaurant Nostos in Holland Road, Hove.

A group of 10 GoodGym-ers then watched the uplifting performance. It was truly moving and guaranteed to get you in the Christmas Spirit.

It was moving in more ways than one as we had to jump up and do a different action for the 12 days of Christmas! Those with January birthdays had an especially good workout!

Choir members told the audience what the choir meant to them and how it gave them a sense of community and joy.

We were delighted to have a shout out at the end.

“On the first day of Christmas my true love sent to me….GOODGYM!”

The MincePie10 Miles run is really what is all talked about; a lovely trail run organised by the Seaford Striders in full Christmas spirit. Not surprisingly it grabbed the interest of a Good bunch of Brighton GoodGym-ers, despite the wet and muddy conditions of the trail course on the day. We had a great fun, really.

We also joint efforts with The Green Runners on a mission to keep running without the footprint 👣 🌍. A volunteer-led group of passionate runners accelerating the Race to Change! 💚 So, Richard and I helped at the PairsUP Swap Clothes's stand to facilitate the relocation of pre-loved running clothes and repaired trainers.

A Good day, I enjoyed the run and left with a few pre-loved garments as a Green Chrimbo Gift! Thank Liam for organising our Sunday roast lunch.

The time to act is NOW 🌍💚

This past weekend, Brighton GoodGym-ers have been running or volunteering while engaging their heart with their friends Susan and Joel in Mind.

We are big fans of Parkrun and are always keen to lend a hand.

Bevendean Down is known for its amazing views and challenging climbs. It is a smaller Parkrun but with a loyal following.

Myself, Stefania and new member Lucia helped out the other volunteers.

We all enjoyed cheering on the runners including Doug another Goodgym friend. Stefania and Lucia joined forces to do the important role of timing the run and the runners. While I scanned barcodes. We had stunning views of menacing clouds and a rain shower which just missed us.

We headed to Bevy Community Pub for a well earned breakfast. There we chatted to other runners and browsed the community stalls.

GoodGym sessions, parkruns and races like the Brighton Half are not just great ways to challenge ourselves and support our fitness goals, but also provide an opportunity to come together and remember friends like Susan and Joel, GoodGym-ers who sadly lost their lives.

Massive thank you to everyone who supported the fundraiser for Mind.

We’re fundraising for Mind because their work supports people like Susan and Joel, providing mental health information, advocacy, and peer support. Since the pandemic, the demand for mental health services has been increasingly overwhelming, and charities like Mind are doing essential work to help keep up.

If you’d like to donate, you can still do so here: https://www.justgiving.com/page/brightongoodgym-halfmarathon2024?utm_term=MqPB5rDjy

Apple Harvest Day is one of the biggest events in the social calendar of Stanmer Park, organised and run by volunteers from the Brighton Permaculture Trust (https://brightonpermaculture.org.uk). This year, as many before it, fresh apple juice, properly scrumped cider and a fruit crumble ‘extravaganza’ were dished out to the autumnal hoards. All to a soundtrack of live bands, while storytellers held the younger punters in rapt attention in the magical orchard space.

The evening sun shone, as GoodGym assisted in the clean-up and pack down following the main event. Ben, Carla, Caroline (honorary GoodGym member), Doug and Tabi shifted juice, lifted and packed crates, scrubbed and power washed all the apple pressing kit and generally helped the team get things back in order ready for more autumnal apple goodness to come.

On the same day, Michelle, Nicky and (I think) Frannie run a 10K for Rise and Carla, Sarah, Pippa and Mike did a trail run on Devils Dike.

A special thought goes to Joel who could not make this community mission.