You know - I heard it on the radio - I couldn't believe it...

Said my colleague - my colleague on the other side of the office - this morning amidst a scurry of fellow colleagues and their eager ears

...that's right - this morning - on the radio - I couldn't believe it...

My expectant colleagues lent their ears closer - and I - on my quiet side of the office - leaned towards them as well

...they said it - this morning - on the radio... it'd be the coldest UK evening for 15 years!

My breathless colleagues gasped, losing more breath as they did. And I followed. Because tonight. This cold and sharp night. We were litter picking.

Not that this did or could deter the wonderful Jackie and John, who stood waiting for me (warm and smiling, as ever) as I rushed over a touch late this evening.

We got quickly to it - picking our pickers and donning our head torches - before taking our tour of the roads and estates just north of the British Library.

Jackie quickly proved her capabilities as a litter-pick-hawk-eye, pointing us towards green spaces and roads that, upon closer inspection, housed umpteen cartons, bottles, wrappers, and more.

Within minutes, we nearly had a full bag, upon which Jackie also spotted two strewn and discarded Christmas trees.

This, my friends, was a delicate moment for the three of us. The three of us who, just two weeks ago, had been part of our group wandering Camden's streets for left-behind trees... to be rewarded with... just a single spruce! And here - without even looking for it - were two!!

We picked them up and took them with us - keeping them company as we continued our cold cleaning efforts for the next 45 minutes.

With the cold deepening, we ended up at Goldington Crescent Gardens where we parked our trees for recycling and dropped our two bags of litter for disposing.

Thanks so much, John and Jackie, we made a tangible and visible difference this evening, and it was lovely to chat and laugh together as we did it!