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.

We took to the foodbank for our monthly winter cleaning session last night. This time we cleaned fridges & sorted food waste in the kitchen. In the main hall it was the turn of the toiletries, pet food and baby supplies to get moved and the whole area cleaned. As nominated tallest person in attendance, Max even climbed a very tall ladder to clean the huge arched windows.

Well done team - as ever, many hands make light work of this big task!

Good to meet you Laura - welcome to GoodGym!

We know the redecorating task pretty well at OXSRAD now, with several sessions under our belts this autumn. Between us, centre staff, and a few other volunteers, we've managed to get at least 1 coat of paint on nearly every wall, and it's already looking much smarter around the place. This week we had less blue to do, and mostly focused on white paint. Christmas decorations were up, so we also had to make sure not to splatter the tinsel - although maybe the odd splash of white paint on the Christmas tree would serve as a snow sprinkle?! With tea and cake at the end (thank you Alice), this was a great task for a cold and icy evening.

Maybe we'll be back to finish up in 2025, who can tell?!