Windsor was bustling in the sunshine this morning as Sara and Amy met on Peascod Street outside the Thames Hospice shop. Fresh from a trip to Sardinia, Sara was rocking a holiday vibe in her lovely skirt and flip flops, and Amy also felt like she was on holiday - she had waved all 4 of her children off for full days at school/pre-school (for the first time ever!) and had a blissfully peaceful morning cycling the Thames Path from Maidenhead.

Thames Hospice provide expert care and support to patients living with life limiting illnesses and to their families. They run a number of shops to raise funds and the double boutique in Peascod Street is your destination not only for quality second hand fashion, but also for vintage treasures.

Thames Hospice' current campaign is to Raise the Roof for their new Hospice overlooking Bray Lake. Trudie reported this morning that trade has recently been strong, which bodes well for the campaign, but busy trade means busy stock rooms and lots to do!

Sara has helped at the shop before, so she hit the ground running, helping Trudie sort bags of donated clothes in the modern side of the operation. She sorted the wheat from the chaff, hung the clothes in the correct fashion, and added size cubes and labels. By the time she finished there was significantly more floor space and significantly less rail space than when we arrived.

Meanwhile Amy joined Sally circa 1960, helping with a weird and wonderful array of jobs - hoovering a vintage velvet-lined sewing chest and 'dressing' it for display, polishing a bundle of walking sticks, and unpacking boxes including everything from china and dolls to a boxed set of cutlery specifically for eating grapefruits.

This was a really interesting and rewarding community mission. Trudie and Sally were so welcoming and the shop was a fascinating place to work. We hope to be back soon.