Nothing focuses the mind on how hard it must be to be homeless like freezing temperatures. And so, in the bitter chill, we did our first January group session distributing leaflets around North Oxford for The Porch day centre's fundraising appeal.

The appeal has raised £30,000 so far, which is about 1/10 of what they need to keep the doors open all year. The Porch provide help towards gaining employment, laundry, hot showers, mental health support, and warm food.

Spotted while leafleting:
* Blue Plaque
* "The Cat is Irrational" door sticker
* Keys left in front door (posted back through the letterbox)
* Beautiful stained glass doors and windows
* Tapestry making
* Ice galore
* Christmas lights

Happy New Year everyone!

• To the tune of Jingle Bells...*

Dashing through the streets,
on a chilly winter's day,
Around the roads we go,
Laughing all the way.
Leaflets for The Porch,
Funds are very tight,
Oh what fun it is to do,
A Good Deed task tonight.

Letter flaps, Christmas lights,
Chatting all the way,
Oh what fun it is to help
The Porch this December day.

Last night we delivered flyers around the streets of Cowley, raising awareness of The Porch centre's Winter Fundraiser.

The Porch Day Centre provide day-long support for homeless and vulnerably housed people wanting to move forward in their lives, away from street-life. They focus on housing, health, wellbeing, education and employment, providing healthy food, practical help, companionship, learning skills, work related skills and opportunities for development.

During Christmas 2023, inspired by two CAMHS volunteer elves, Christmas for CAHMS ran a paper chain making project. It went down so well in CAMHS units (CAMHS stands for Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services) that they’re going to do it again in 2024, and this time we got involved!

The paper chains are a team effort - they will be started by members of the public (like us), and then the young people will connect them together when they arrive in the CAMHS units. Each paper chain will have a cheesy cracker joke written on the inside to add an extra bit of fun during assembly.

We all gathered at City Hall and set up in the reception area. Drinks (some more fortifying than others.......) were provided by Markand we set to work.

After an hour of trimming, writing and chatting we managed to produce 138 slips and a packet of blank ones for other elves to use.

A lovely wholesome, and WARM, task!

For a handful of years we have had regular sessions throughout autumn and winter doing a deep clean of the Oxford Mutual Aid food bank in Cowley. The day-to-day operations of food bank leave little time for the kind of thorough clean which involves moving shelving and crates, so we try to lighten the load for their regular volunteers by taking on this task.

We tackle a section of the main hall each month (where toiletries, baby supplies and ambient food are stored), and make sure that the whole kitchen gets a clean every month (which is where the fresh fruit and veg is stored). It's an "all hands on deck" operation, involving moving stock, shifting shelves and crates, sweeping, mopping, dusting, and bleaching.

Session one of AW 2024/5 now complete!

Welcome to GoodGym Sasha and Max!