It was the final weekend shopping chance before Christmas and people were flocking to Kingston - which created the perfect opportunity for Kingston Samaritans to raise some funds to keep their vital helpline and drop-in services going.

We had each selected our shifts and, when checking the list teice, Samia was very pleased to see that Karen and Jenny had also signed up to lend a hand. Jenny kicked off proceedings with the first shift for those early morning shoppers probably hoping to escape the crowds. Having trekked all the way from Barnet, we were very grateful to have your help Jenny and hope you enjoyed your first fundraising community mission and some post-mission moseying around the Christmas markets.

Jenny passed the baton (in the form of the bucket and fetching green tabard) onto Samia, who was pleased to see that the first shift must have gone well based on the weight of the bucket. Set with the contactless payment reader in one hand and the bucket in the other, at least the weight-lifting was equal for both arms.

And then along came Karen after an epic trip to Kingston, braving the hills of Richmond Park, the confusion of Which Gate is Which and, most threatening of all, the rage of car drivers (with the confusing cycling "system" of Kingston which I could offer a lot of empathy about). Poor Karen's muddy clothes told the story themselves and as if that hadn't been epic enough, there were tales of yesterday's flooded towpath to be told. Thinking that Karen would have turned back after a waist-high tide on her bike, the decision to CYCLE THROUGH IT definitely earned her the title of The Hardy Scot. Double kudos!

It seemed that the cycling trauma must be the trick for fundraising, as Karen told me about some very generous donations when I returned. Perhaps the muddy look is a lucky charm?

The Samaritans have assured me that they'll drop me an email with the fundraising total - so watch this space!