Steph and Ariane enjoyed a bit of winter sun as we headed back to lovely Mrs N's for another round of garden clearance! You can finally see the lovely design of the rockery and walkway now the nettles and grass have been banished.

Mrs N unfortunately had a driver hit her garden wall and speed away some time ago, so the priority for the day was to get the weeds around the fallen brick work clear so hopefully some repair works can be booked in. Some very satisfying root pulling and tree pruning later, and the area is looking very smart.

Our energy levels were kept topped up by Mrs N very kindly bringing us each a banana "for the potassium", before we finished with a bit of creative rake usage to clear the grass out of the paving slabs.

We were delighted to make an extra new friend that day: its now tradition that Steph and Ariane will find a frog hidden away on every mission 🐸💚

Mrs N was very gateful and said she thinks it will help her relationship with her neighbors. Hopefully we'll be back early next year to make a start in the back garden!

Steph Ducat) and Harvey headed off to Earls Court on London derby matchday. No, not for Chelsea/Arsenal, but for a spot of leaf clearing and weeding. Our host showed us into her garden and supplied the appropriate bagging. Four hands and four work gloves made light work of this mission, up and down, side to side, in a well kept spot. Before long the garden was once again spic and span (our photos show before and after).

Reunited with our host, this very generous woman insisted she give us £30 for our trouble. When we insisted in return that we are volunteers and she should donate the cash, she insisted back! After a few more ‘insistances’ on both sides, she pushed the cash at Harvey and hurriedly shut her door! Even the best signing our team could muster through the glass door would not change her mind.

Our intrepid duo had no option but to head back round to the main building entrance and ask for help! Luckily, a member of staff was on hand and our boys gained access back to the building in order to feed the funds back through our host’s letterbox. Phew, awkward moment dodged!

What an afternoon! 😄 Today’s pack-down session at St Matthew’s Church Foodbank was the perfect mix of teamwork, community spirit, and just a little heavy lifting… okay, maybe a lot! 💪📦

As soon as I arrived, I was introduced to Sian, who runs the Friday session with warmth and total pro-level organisation. She walked me through how the foodbank works—from the friendly welcome guests receive, to the 1-2-1 conversations offered for all Foodbank visitors to offer them extra support. ❤️

Then came the tour of the good stuff 👀🍞—fresh produce and baked delights generously donated by Gail’s, Bread Ahead, and loads of other brilliant local food spots. Honestly, it took all of my willpower not to “accidentally” drop a croissant.

I was joined by Thomas, who arrived straight after teaching at a nearby school (what a hero). Together, we were swiftly put to work—no easing in, no warm-up, just full send! 😆

🧹 The Pack-Down Mission

First task: clearing the tables! We boxed up leftover food, folded down tables like event pros, and set out chairs ready for the church service. It was a flurry of movement and mild confusion—exactly what you’d expect from two enthusiastic volunteers trying to look like they know what they’re doing.

Then came Diana, our stacking guru and patience-of-a-saint supervisor. She showed us how to pack food and personal care products into the smallest cupboard known to humanity. This was not stacking. This was Tetris on expert mode. 🎮

Me and Tom? Let’s just say… we tried. 😅 Around 50 boxes later, back muscles screaming and pride slightly wounded, we finally understood: this is an art form. Big respect to the weekly volunteers who do this like it’s nothing!

💛 Final Thoughts

Despite the sore arms and questionable stacking skills, it was an absolutely lovely afternoon. This foodbank has such a warm, buzzing community—everyone helping everyone, all powered by generosity and genuine care.

Thank you for having us! 🙌 Can’t wait to come back… and maybe improve my cupboard-stacking score. 😄

Steph Ducat arrived a bit early at the church and then started to help out when the Foodbank team arrived. Straight forward : move tables, set them up in the different areas, move crates from the storage to the tables, then setup tables with table clothes and chairs in the main hall ready for customers to be able to sit down later with a hot beverage and biscuits.Then it was time to unload the van and move the crates into the church for the other volunteers to lay them out on the tables. Once van emptied, had to relaod woth oaa the empty crates, plastic containers and cardboard boxes. Fin-tastic job : alot of fish tins mainly tuna delivered on top of the milk, juices, soup, vegetables, ready meals etc.. The team did a fin-tastic job today and were ready to welcome customers in the church.

🎉 Just got back from an epic volunteering session at Traid HQ! 🌟 It was so great to be back with the amazing Traid team! 🙌

We had a blast helping them prep for the end of the sale - literally! 😂 We spent the evening carefully unhanging all the clothes from the rails and packing them up into big boxes. It was a bit of a task, but it was super satisfying to see everything get tidied up and ready for the new stock coming in tomorrow! 📦

Massive thanks to the Traid team for having me, and to everyone who lent a hand - you guys are the best! 💖 Can't wait to do it again soon!

First mission by Tim so a merry welcome!

Many lands make light work as the saying goes, and it was a pleasure to help move all the food in preparation for the food bank opening!