Day 14 of the challenge! I am a neutral party in the Tyne and Wear Derby but the Stadium of Light lived up to the not so flattering Newcastle fans’ nickname for it (if you know, you know)…. A lot of litter to be had, so I filled a bag and deposited it in the nearby bin.

Feels great to be proactive and to do something to improve my local area.

Over to you, Richard!

I got my husband, Mike, involved today and we walked along the main road and bagged a bag full of, mostly, lozenge wrappers and tablet packets!

The cold didn’t stop us on our brisk walk, the sun was shining and a good deed done for the January Litter Pick Challenge - next up is….?

Bear with me, my fingers are still thawing….

Continuing in the January Litter Pick Challenge for GoodGym Newcastle, I went for a skate about near me to clear away some frost bitten litter with my frost bitten fingers!

The evening’s find was a very apt label… the only photo I could bear to risky fingers for!

Who’s up next? #GoTeam

Today, I went along with my work colleagues to the Newcastle Food Bank to spend some time volunteering.

This was my first time in a food bank where the parcels were made up and it was such an experience. The sheer scale of need and the amount of generosity in display both in terms of the food donations and the time that the other regular volunteers and team members dedicate so support those in need.

I was shelf stacker to support my colleagues on packing duty and it felt a bit like supermarket sweep at times. Mind you, we needed to be moving fast given how cold it was… felt like -7 and the +7 layers I was wearing did not cut the mustard!

Apparently the team packed 200 food parcels ready to go to families, couples and single people around Newcastle. Worth every bit of frostbite!

Today I braved the weather and carried on the January litter pick challenge. I went to an area near me which gets a lot of foot traffic and the bushes are always full of rubbish. I bagged a bag full and disposed of it in the nearby bin.

Needless to say there wasn’t much foot traffic while I was out picking and I’m sure those that were thought I was an oddball!

It’s a dirty job but someone’s gotta do it!

Now, back to my hoodie and slippers! Who’s up next?!