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.

Helping Out at Heene Cemetery

Tonight, the GoodGym team gathered for a special mission at the beautifully atmospheric Heene Cemetery, a closed graveyard and conservation area designated as one of outstanding natural beauty. Our hosts for the evening were the ever-dedicated Sue, who helps maintain the cemetery grounds, and Dora a passionate fox guardian currently caring for Elf and his adorable family of cubs who reside among the gravestones.

Our tasks for the evening were clear (and nicely ambitious!):

Removing ivy from the ancient Sussex stone wall Clearing grass strimmings from the graves Tidying space around the flourishing apple trees. General Tidying and Pruning

The team quickly got stuck in with their usual energy and good spirits. John, Belinda, and Anne led the charge against the ivy, carefully pulling back years of creeping growth from the stonework. This was quite some feat and pretty epic. With what John pulled away from the wall , it clearly that all the strength training with me is paying off!

Meanwhile, Pauland Stéphane turned their attention to the orchard area, clearing under the apple trees to allow them more room to breathe.

On grave-duty, Ryan , Mel and Sarah tackled the freshly strimmed grass, lifting the cuttings off graves and pathways to leave the cemetery looking neat and respected.

Elsewhere, El and Gillybean showcased their multitasking prowess by pruning and tidying across multiple areas, all under the curious gaze of Elf the fox.

In true GoodGym style, there was a touch of mischief too, John had sneakily buried a fake skeleton hand under the grass strimmings for Sarah to discover giving her a good laugh once the trick was revealed. But the spooky vibes didn’t stop there — not long after, a real bird foot and leg mysteriously fell from the sky, landing right in front of me . Whether it was a strange coincidence or a little message from the cemetery’s resident spirits, we will never know. Personally I blame John 🤷

After a full hour of productive work, we wrapped up the evening with a lovely surprise: Sue kindly shared some of her birthday cake with us all — a nice end to a great (and slightly eerie!) evening.

Thank you to everyone who came out, and to Sue and Dora for their work and hospitality. We’ll be back in early October to help keep this special place looking its best.

Have a great week !

Julia xx

🌞 GoodGym Worthing, 30th June

On the last day of June, Worthing was basking in glorious sunshine as we returned to a halfway house supporting homeless residents. We were tasked with a front and back garden tidy-up – having previously given the back garden a full makeover on our last visit, this time we turned our attention to the front while still giving the back some finishing touches. The heat didn’t deter our dedicated team, who rolled up their sleeves and got stuck in to transform the space for six grateful residents – one of whom, Adrian, enthusiastically joined us, proving to be a great help on the day.

⚡ Power tools and teamwork

Ryan took on the electric hedge cutter like a pro, tackling the overgrown bushes with gusto and precision. Meanwhile, Pauland Elwere on strimming duties , trimming back the wilder under growth and restoring order to the unruly greenery. Paul later turned his attention to a more challenging task – removing ivy from a tree that was suffocating with it.

✂️ Precision pruning and mighty mowing

Gillybean took the lead on pruning in the front garden and side passage, carefully shaping plants and shrubs to bring out their best in the summer sun. Belinda andMel also tackled the front garden, pulling out multiple debris piles from the flowerbeds and giving the area a much-needed refresh.

Over in the back garden, John gave the lawn a tidy mow doingthe best he could in such dry conditions. He subsequently joined Paul who had turned his attention to dealing with a large, stubborn branch on the evergreen tree out front – what a team effort!

🧹 The tidy-up crew

Megan and Mel were absolute troopers throughout the session, constantly on the move, tidying and clearing the growing piles of garden waste. Mel, ever the step-count champion, kept a keen eye on her fitness goals while making a big difference to the space.

By the end of the evening, the gardens were looking alot tidier, brighter, and far more welcoming for the residents who call this place home. The sun was still shining, and there was a shared sense of pride in what we’d achieved together.

We'll be back again next month to continue the good work.

Next week we will be celebrating Barbara's milestone Birthday as well as a cheeky summer social BBQ - please bring your own food and drink to enjoy.