It’s the C word time

No, not the C word that garden centres seem to be promoting already. Its Cutting Back time. The holly and the ivy that adorned the outer wall of the cemetery stood no chance against the might (and height) of Craig! Ably assisted by Stéphane and John the wall was cleared of the invading greenery and the pathway swept.

Raking up that old joke

Meanwhile Ryan, Sarah, Ricky and Paul raked their way around the cemetery. With Sue wheeling the fruits of their labour to the compost area as quickly as the raking progressed (there it is!) the graves and paths looked neat and definitely tidier than when we arrived.

Overgrowth, undergrowth

Meanwhile Gill headed into the overgrown area behind the no entry sign to lead the clear out party. With support from Roxy, El and Megan the unwanted growth stood little chance.

The Final Cut

For weeks John and Paul have been keen to release their chainsaws on a GoodGym task. The opportunity to cut down to size one of Craig’s larger conquests could not be resisted. Paul’s tool was out, and the branches trimmed, before you could say “group photo time”.

Squalls well that 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 😀

** 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!

Making a Final Push in Church Community Garden Transformation

After many months of dedication, persistence, and muddy boots, the GoodGym Worthing team returned once again to the Church Community Rooms garden — a space we’ve been battling with for quite some time. The weeds nearly won on more than one occasion, but our team’s resilience and determination proved stronger. Through every season and in all types of weather, we’ve shown up to transform this once-overgrown patch into a usable and welcoming garden space.

Finishing Touches With Val and Rik

This evening’s task saw us helping our longtime community partners, Val and Rik, with the final touches. On our last visit, we had begun the groundwork for laying membrane under paving slabs — a key step in reclaiming the garden from the weeds. Today’s mission was to complete that task and edge the slabs with recycled bricks for a neat and finished look.

A Team Effort

John, Ryan, and Craigrolled up their sleeves and tackled the heavy-duty job of positioning and bedding in the final slabs. Working with precision, they ensured the black membrane was neatly in place before setting each slab down securely.

Meanwhile, the precision team — Sarah, Gillybean and Megan took on the meticulous challenge of laying the recycled bricks along the edge of the path. This wasn’t a task for the just anyone ! Each brick took about five minutes to dig in and position perfectly, and their attention to detail made all the difference ( even if Sarah did keep shoving soil into where I was digging ! 😂

Ricky and I were on some solid groundwork, digging out and preparing the final areas with spades before the precision team moved in to finish the job.

Whilst all this was happening Belinda Belinda was a whirlwind of efficiency, busily weeding and hoeing the entire garden area with energy and flair. Her efforts gave the space an instant lift and left it looking tidy and well maintained. Craig also helped by transferring over from the slabs and raking over the freshly hoed area.

With some final massive slab action from John , Ryan and Craig together with Gills finishing touch of sweeping the slabs we called it an evening.

A Victory Over the Weeds

What once seemed like an overwhelming and never-ending battle with weeds has been transformed into a meaningful and beautiful community space. It’s been a long journey, but one defined by teamwork, consistency, and a shared belief in making a difference.

A huge well done to all involved — tonight and over the many months that came before. The garden stands as a testament to what can be achieved when good people turn up, again and again, rain or shine.