GoodGym Worthing: Rooting for Change at the School Garden

On a sun-drenched breezy evening in Worthing, a cheerful team of GoodGym volunteers gathered at a local school, sleeves rolled up and spades at the ready. The mission? To tackle a set of stubborn, root-bound flowerbeds and get the school garden ready for planting butterfly friendly plants.

Amongst the team, El brought a bit of ergonomic brilliance to the task—adopting a smart corkscrew technique with her fork that made clearing roots easier on the back and surprisingly effective. It didn’t take long for others to take notice!

John wasted no time in getting stuck in with practiced determination. He was soon joined by Roxy whose energy and laughter kept spirits high as she wrestled with a particularly knotted section of roots.For the 2nd week running she unearthed a relic, this time of the canine variety in the shape of a jaw bone and teeth most likely belonging to the fox skull we dug up during our last visit.

Nearby, Ryan focused on systematically breaking up compacted soil and roots with plenty of sweat and toil but always a smile on his face :)

MeganPaula and Ricky teamed up to dig over a corner bed where roots had nearly taken over completely and where Ricky was particularly determined dislodging a stubborn tree root.

Stéphane brought a calm and steady energy, methodically working through one of the trickier beds and tree roots . His determination to get the job done was evident when he and John tackled another extremely persistent large root. Stephane always has a few good natured jokes up his sleeve to keep us all smiling!

Meanwhile, Anne , Belinda, Sarah, and Gillybean were tackling two overgrown flowerbeds bordering the classrooms. Armed with forks, trowels, and serious focus, they cleared thick weeds and undergrowth to reveal planting space ready for action. In very little time, both beds were transformed — clean, clear, and ready for planting.

The heavy work was softened by camaraderie, determination, and the a final victorious cheer as the last stubborn root gave way.

By the end of the session, the flowerbeds stood 90% cleared and turned and almost ready for fresh planting. Head Teacher, Helen came along to admire the transformation - Don't worry we will be back again soon to finish them.

Time to celebrate - Sarah wears her wings

The group headed to the pub, where there was no shortage of reasons to raise a glass. Roxy was marking her 50th GoodGym task and her birthday last week. She was surprised with a framed collage of photo memories ,each image representing one of her good deeds, a heartfelt tribute from the team. Sarah celebrated her impressive 100th GoodGym task and received a beautiful hand-crafted needlework portrait of herself in 'action'— beautifully stitched by John, capturing her perfectly. She was also modelling her much sought after GG 100 angel wings tee shirt which she did perfectly in her natural stylish way :)

Ricky was also in the spotlight, toasting both his 150th GoodGym and 200th parkrun milestones. He came well prepared for the occasion—bringing along two delicious cakes to share with the crew.

There was a slight delay in the celebrations for El, Anne, Megan, and myself as we had stopped to assist Stephane who had unfortunately taken a tumble on his bike en route to the pub. Though bruised and a bit shaken, Stephane was in good spirits and, after being checked out at A&E, was thankfully given the all-clear. The group, as always, pulled together—proving once again that GoodGym is more than just a running group; it's a community that looks after its own. Special mention to El for her speedy bandaging skills and to Anne for wheeling the bike home.

It was the perfect end to a memorable evening—filled with digging, laughter, surprises, and the kind of camaraderie that makes GoodGym Worthing truly special.

Until next week ..........

Julia xx

With Sarah achieving her Century last weekend, today Roxy discovered a Centaur(ie) of her own. Which will turn out to be more valuable, the coveted "wings" shirt, or the undergrowth find?

Christmas! Already!

As we arrived Belinda declared "Noel". It turned out she wasn't really seasonally muddled, but wondering aloud who was signed up for the task. Just as she clarified our puzzlement, who should turn up - El.

Always prepared

As usual Val had the task board prepared. With heavy, medium and light tasks available everyone got quickly stuck in. Stumps were removed, crumbling walls protected, weeds expunged, and more of those stinking irises extracted from the ground.

Worthing's most overplayed pun

"Is there a rake?" asked Ryan. "lf there was we'd make more progress", Sarah promptly declared. Not every GoodGym session is like a school day, but we certainly learn stuff!

From high to low

We've discovered a variety of interesting items over the years supporting St Botolph's. How exciting might Roxy's find today turn out to be? A pendant depicting a Centaur heading into battle, bow and arrow in hand. How old might it be? Is it a hidden treasure from time long ago? Will Roxy be wealthy beyond her dreams? Or will Sarah ask her dad about it and he'll say it came from Claire's Accessories circa 2022!

Celebrate Good Times! come on..... Next week we are gathering for Milestone and Birthday celebrations after the task. Will we get a record turnout - we do like to party together. Roxy has a target to meet before next Monday. Will she make it? Come along and find out........

Powering through the undergrowth

16 dedicated members of my GoodGym team came together to transform an overgrown and unmanageable garden at a residential property supported by Turning Tides, a local charity working to end homelessness. The house currently provides shelter and support to six individuals on their journey toward independent living and stability.

The garden, previously neglected and overrun with brambles, weeds, and overgrown trees , had become a barrier to enjoyment and use for the residents. Our team set out with the goal of creating a welcoming, safe, and usable outdoor space where residents could relax, socialise, and reconnect with nature.

Huge thank you to John who brought a selection of battery operated power tools. If it wasn't for them and Nicks strimmer that I brought along, we wouldn't have achieved nearly as much in the time that we had.

Throughout the hour that we were there, the team completed the following tasks:

Clearing: The team worked quickly to remove thick overgrowth, brambles, ivy and invasive weeds from flower beds and borders. Many thanks to you all that clambered all over and behind the flower beds to achieve this.Sue , fresh back from Krakov was particularly good at this :) Sarah showed off her multi tasking skills by entertaining Mali the puppy together with helping with the clearing !

Special mention to Belinda who delayed her work trip away to come along tonight -this meant a 5.30am start the next day instead.

Lawn Recovery: El and Ryan did a brilliant job strimming whilst John mowed . The combined effort gave the area a much-needed refresh.

Trimming and Pruning: Paul used the power hedging tool and literally ripped through the bush ( not sure of its name ! ) Between him and John they also sawed through overhanging tree branches to improve light and access.Stéphane helped with a bit of branch hanging too!

Another two mentions to Megan and Paula for doing great work and being extremely good company to be around too.

Birthday girl Gillybean did a fantastic job unearthing a concrete path removing weeds and grass and creating space for residents to sit and soak up some sunlight.

Weed did it

The transformation was immediate and impactful. What was once an inaccessible, overgrown plot is now a clean, inviting, and functional garden space. A Resident leaned out of the window and expressed her heartfelt thanks which meant alot to us all. This project not only improved the physical environment but also strengthened community ties, boosted morale among residents, and gave my team a chance to make a tangible difference locally.

To the pub

Some of us headed to the pub for celebratory drinks and cake that Roxy had kindly made. Together with Gills Birthday we had several other personal achievements to celebrate. Huge congratulations to the following

Anne on her 50 Mile run across the downs. Barbara Patagonia Trek Roxy 2 marathons at Brighton and London Mel Cycling adventure up North ( solo and team events)

We are super proud of you all.

Thank you to you all for a fantastic turnout

Have a great week all of you :)

Julia xx

Rake Progress

After another Bank Holiday Monday, we moved our session to Wednesday again. We headed back to English Martyrs School where we are meet the head teacher, Helen.

Thank you to my team tonight - It was great to see Ryan and Sarah after their Worthing 10k at the weekend. It was lovely to welcome back Megan after some very busy weeks of work for her. Thank you also to John and El who had both marshalled at the RUN Fest on Sunday.

Completing this evening's team was Ricky and Roxy along with puppy Mali in a cat carrier 😻😅.

Helen asked us to continue with the clearing of the large beds that we had started last week. The school are planning to plant a butterfly garden and we are more than happy to assist with this :)

Although the progress didn't look so dramatic this week we worked equally as hard. Thank goodness we had John's electric saw that he was able to cut through the stubborn tree roots. We hope we haven't broken it !

As well as the sawing there was a lot of brute digging activity going by Ryan,Ricky and Megan, together with some very fine raking by Sarah and El. Roxy was got right down to the task pulling out roots and weeding the area she was working on too. . I was in charge of getting the debris to the compost heap. With the help of John's gauntlet gloves this definitely pushed my step count up for the day!

Another very worthwhile and impactful task ! Thank you all and see you all next week.

Have a lovely weekend in the warm weather.

Julia xx