On the first evening of astronomical autumn, we said goodbye to the warmth and sunshine by helping out at the Vineyard. Last time we were there was to put up Christmas decorations - so much has changed since!

The Vineyard Community Centre is dedicated to helping vulnerable individuals overcome personal crises, and the community at large build stronger bonds. They help a huge range of people in various ways, including a drop-in centre that can provide food, clothing and help with shelter. They also provide support for struggles with mental health, loneliness and addiction.

Due to COVID-19 their drop-in sessions and café have sadly not been running in recent months. Instead, they have been operating a food bank which has now been moved to All Saints. They hope to re-start many of the usual activities soon, and in preparation for this their floors were recently sanded down by builders. This left a covering of dust everywhere - that's where we come in!

Six of us turned up to clean the dusty residue off their furniture - mostly tables and chairs - and help to move it back to the normal layout. Armed with buckets of warm water, surface sprays and cloths, we made quick work of it all. Everything was sparkling clean and neatly re-organised within an hour. Head of Operations Sue expressed that they were extremely grateful for our help.

It feels great to make a difference to such an important community project and we look forward to being back at the Vineyard whenever they need any more help.