We were very excited today to be invited to help the big man himself spreading cheer and giving out gifts to children and young people visiting the Rose Road Christmas Fair. We welcomed Barbara for their first task. Great to meet you Barbara - we can't promise we'll have such great outfits next time we see you! Derek was our lead money maker manning the grotto entrance while the rest of us were on greeting and present passing duties. It was lovely to see everyone having such a great time. Lucy was also tasked with keeping Santa jolly with cake and coffee. Next year we know we've got to get him the cake quicker! We all managed to have a wander round the stalls too and got quite lucky on the bottle tombola, but no luck on the raffle!

I had a great time helping out at the local infant school Christmas Fete - I got to run the cake stall! But really i wanted to join in as so many great games and prizes to be won. I wanted to guess the name and win the mahoosive CapyBara. I helped to pack away after too - shifting boxes and packing away.

Wilson and I joined a gang of volunteers at a task organised by Final Straw and Portsmouth Uni as part of a project to reintroduce native oysters to the Solent.

Over 3 days, volunteers scrubbed 10,000 oysters to remove bio-hazards and pollutants, before the oysters will be introduced to the sea at Eastney to grow and reproduce.

We made new chums while scrubbing and learned new facts about how vital oysters are to marine health.

A novel and fun way to spend the day!

We had a bit of an unusual session this week, stretching our creative muscles rather than our physical ones. I think this was very much appreciated in the sudden cold snap - great numbers tonight!

Dave and Sinéad kept to Gym in GoodGym for us, with a couple of laps of the churchyard before joining us in the community centre to get creating.

We had beautiful table pieces, wreaths, orange peel tree hangings, hand-decorated garlands and some very intricate and mathematical giant baubles. Wilson showed true determination, and with the help of Maxine and baby Margaux completed their challenge! Katie and Vicki were another dream team, producing another masterpiece.

Special thanks to Judy for her creativity, resources and epic foraging skills for providing us with such a lovely task this evening. It was truly wonderful!

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