We were feeling very festive this evening as we got to help decorate Santa’s grotto. Some of the team counted out presents that Santa has had delivered early (well you know what the post is like come Christmas!). Others started off by assembling one of the Christmas trees which took a lot of fluffing! Abby was in charge of making sure we all kept to the aesthetic which was apparently red and gold. In the final moments though someone decided a purple bauble must also adorn the tree! We can’t wait for all the visitors to see the finished grotto soon. It’s Chrissssssssstmasssss!!

This evening we gave the hedge a good trim, sifted soil ready for seedlings and turned one of the compost bays 😊

The Fratton Together Lantern Parade brought the usual chaos, creativity and carnival vibes this year!

After attaching lights and sticks to the lanterns, we prepared ourselves for the tidal wave of local residents arriving to claim their makes for the parade. As usual, the best laid plans for lantern distribution went awry, but we were able to reunite most lanterns with their makers ahead of the parade.

We enjoyed the samba beats of batala as we paraded through Fratton. Dave found a creative way to get around his lantern not having a stick - check out the photos! Whilst carrying some larger lanterns, we were able to marshal the parade safely from start to finish. After enjoying our complimentary cups of tea, we did an extra bit of GoodGyming, carrying lanterns that were too big for cars and vans back to the Pantry.

We hit the bushes of Bevois Valley last night for a community litter pick. There were plenty of cans, bottles and plastic cups for us to pick. Sarah noticed lots of little glass bottles of Magnum Tonic Wine, this is a Jamaican alcoholic drink that claims to boost energy and, well… let’s just say vitality. Might explain why we found some other less savory items on our pick 😬

We filled 5 bin bags and got the thumbs up from a local taxi driver - it was a satisfying tidy up!