Yesterday was our third appointment in a row with a very uncertain weather calling the greatest GoodGym motivation to get out to help St Andrew Church in Hove, for our weekly group session.

We BELIEVED in it, and all worked out very well – apart the fact that I punctured my bike 😊.
Those dull dark clouds and weather warning of risk of heavy rain did not even touch us - just!

St Andrew Church is a busy city community church with a visionary plan to change their asset to create an open and inclusive space more adaptable to all, from small to grown up audiences. It is a community building, building for the community, where everybody is always most welcome!

In front of the church, their Friday’s meetings in the sanctuary have been lacking space due to invading weeds, promptly now removed by GoodGym-ers. And, indoor, you can now smell the fresh fragrance of botanic scent and of wax (a bit less botanic 😉) because of additional GoodGym-ers’ cleaning action!

Our eyes are already shining of excitement for what will potentially turn to be a GoodGym indoor refurbishment workout! For now, we support the great expectations of Rev. Dan, John, and of the whole community.

A nice group session for Jasmin, a visiting GoodGym-er from London. Follow us to see what’s on next

Yesterday was a return to the Brighton Hove Food Partnership’s Clubhouse on the Downs at Wilding Waterhall. A return to re-wilding for some running GoodGym-ers and a discovery of a relatively new community project for new-er GoodGym-ers, who adventured the ascent to the hill (and descent even more 😉) on their bike!

Formerly a golf course, this rewilding area now boasts diverse flora & fauna, stunning views, wild horses, and ample space for hire. Since our visit last year, this clubhouse has become a well-used space for several wellbeing projects, immerse in the nature to generate a multitude of good emotions to its beneficiaries. The continuing improvement and maintenance of the assets requires multiple contributions, often in kind, from construction builders, renewable energy developers, rangers of the city green spaces … and indeed the always most welcome help of GoodGym Brighton. We were tasked to clear the pavements surrounding the clubhouse from weeds to make the structure more easily accessible by all.

Did you like it, GoodGym-ers? In Harrison’s words: “I would just say that it's been a motivation and an inspiration to be a part of the GoodGym. I felt completely welcome from the very first moment and everyone is so nice and friendly - who would have guessed? I've enjoyed all the activities so far, getting outside and helping the place look nice! It's very heart warming to hear and feel the genuine thanks from the people we help and the public that witness us doing it, it really feels like we are putting something positive out there, so thank you!”

Making the most of the of the evening sun we headed to the Bevy. We welcomed back Kitty!

The Bevy Pub– More Than a Pub! The Bevy is the only community run pub on an estate sited in Moulsecoomb at the margins of Brighton & Hove city. As well as pouring a good pint they run events for the whole community including a Kids Club, Disability Disco and Seniors Club. They are struggling for funds but still providing support and activities for the local community, thanks to the support of everyone for More than a Good cause! 😉

We had a longer run of approx 7k with a sting in the tail with a hill at the end!

We were helping master gardener Dave, a very much-loved member of The Bevy community, with the community garden where the produce grown is used for feeding the Seniors Club. The GoodGym Brighton’s group got busy weeding the bushes of berries, under great coordination from Frances, Nicola, Jane and Stefania for tools provision and time keeping! Some of us dug out compost to use as mulch to renjuvinate the soil all around those well managed bushes that are still gifting The Bevy’s chef with succulent little fruits to make apple & berries crumbles. While others prepared soil beds with recycled cardboards and carried out buckets of green waste compost up the sloping garden to improve the fertility and health of the soil, so reducing weed growth in the future. A smaller team, including Pippa, Liam and Ben watered the upper flowery allotment and picked up the grown veg, including beans and squashes that I remember GoodGym volunteers planted here last spring.

In a short time, we made a bit difference to Dave’s garden and left him with a big indulged smile on his face. You, Dave, Warren and all The Bevy’s community volunteers are greatly contributing to the future resilience of such a Good pub!

The Bevy Pub– More Than a Pub! An engaged community of friends and volunteers believing in a shared social good purpose. GoodGym Brighton is proud to befriend you, and we will be happy to return in winter for some painting!

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Brighton Pride is an un-miss able event in our city, to be proud of! This year we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the first ‘Brighton Gay Pride March’ organised by the Sussex Gay Liberation Front (SGLF) in July 1973. Proud to contribute to the city-wide “Pride at 50 Campaign”, we run around Brighton city centre to spot as many posters as possible on the lampposts and tag the photos of the first Sussex Gay Liberation Front's ‘Brighton Gay Pride March'. The campaign is meant to remember and uplift some of the trailblazers whose actions ignited, and continue to build, the Pride movement.
GoodGym certainly contributed with (physical) movement 😊!

We also did some litter picking to tidy up and clean our seafront preparing to host the wave of visitors this Pride weekend. This was a warmup for our GoodGym community mission organised on Sunday morning together with Brighton &Hove Tidy Up Team. Balance fitness exercises up and down the stairs on the lower seafront was our cool down.

Welcome Daniela and Ebrah

Join us this weekend to be proud to celebrate Brighton Pride!

Here are the details of the foyer exhibition “Pride at 50” celebrating the Sussex Gay Liberation Front.

#pridemonth #lgbtq🌈 #WeStandTogether #LoveProtestUnity #PrideAt50