Squalls well today ends well

The first Monday of September brought us a blustery evening, with squally showers sweeping through during the day. By the time we gathered, the sun had broken through, but the wind was still whipping around and there was a definite autumnal chill in the air.

That didn’t stop my brilliant crew of Paul,Ryan , Gillybean, John, Roxy and Meganfrom teaming up for tonight’s task. Armed with litter pickers, bags, and plenty of determination, we all set off along the beach towards the pier.

The wind had clearly left its mark. The wind whipped across the promenade and litter had been blown into awkward corners. Underneath the pier was especially bad, but between us we got as much done in the time we had. By the end, it was satisfying to see the whole area cleared and looking so much better.

On the way back we took a moment to admire our GoodGym flowerbed which is looking extremely healthy and still not reached its best yet ! It may need a few more weeks before it will be a contender to win the community competition 😀

A huge thank you to everyone who came out in less-than-ideal weather to make a real difference for our community and our coastline.

💪 Great work team – windy or not, you smashed it!

Have a good week.

Julia 😀

With Littlehampton 10k enticing many of the regular volunteers away to run, John and Belinda headed to the leisure centre to help. Belinda directed proceedings, and John made his usual token gesture.

** 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 👌😍

Litter Pick at Goring Gap: A Community Effort to Protect a Local Beauty Spot

On a warm August evening, a small but determined group of volunteers gathered at our local Goring Gap to tackle the ever-growing problem of litter.John, Belinda, Gillybean ,Ricky , Stéphane, andRoxy — along with Mali, her spirited 5-month-old Malinois — spent an hour collecting bags full of rubbish strewn across the grass verges of this popular green space.

Despite having carried out a litter pick here only a few weeks ago, the team was disheartened to find the area once again in need of attention. It's truly heartbreaking to witness how quickly this natural haven can be spoiled by careless behaviour.

Equipped with litter pickers, bin bags, and a strong sense of purpose, the group combed through the area, restoring some of its beauty and reminding all who visit how important it is to respect and protect our shared environment. A passer by pitched in to give a had too which was helpful and unexpected!

The teams efforts serve as a reminder that it takes just a few dedicated individuals to make a positive difference — but also highlight the urgent need for greater awareness and responsibility when enjoying public green spaces. Some well placed bins may help too !

Special mention to El who couldnt make the task but who was doing her own litter pick this evening.

See you all next week for my 400th task !