As Old Spike filled up with GoodGymer's, it signaled it was time to head out from the warmth and into the cold. There was just time for a reminder about the Christmas Party before we set off (11th December - 20:15 - Voodoo Rays)!

On arrival, the task was clear, we needed to clean all the toys to make sure they're clean for when they children play with them! Armed with the tools (soapy/dettol water and some clothes) the team set about cleaning every toy in sight. Even the sofas didn't escape a thorough clean, which is good because they needed a wipe down too!

A team of 4 went to sort the craft supplies, throwing out dried up pens, sharpening pencils and making sure everything was in a more organised order.

With not long to go and a lot of plastic balls still to clean and all the toys to get back into the cupboard, everyone stepped in to get the last bits done!

After a quick photoshoot and goodbye to task owner Valentina, it was time to head back to Old Spike which had the promise of Athletic Brewing beers.

Well done to everyone for tackling the 6km run with enthusiasm and also thanks to Daryl for leading us a much nicer route than I had planned!

A nice and quick session for GROAD.

We emptied out the new shed, where previous volunteers had sorted the clothes into categories, and moved the bags to the porch so that they’re ready to get picked up.

Andrada met up with Asad, Kat and Louis and Oliver early morning at the farm. The sky was sunny and clear, and everyone was eager to get to work. Pat met us at the gates and given us the task for the session.

During this session, farm enthusiasts Asad, Kat and Louis filled the new raised beds with manure and reused soil from tomatoes pots from the greenhouse.

Oliver and Andrada were busy digging and filling up the space next to the main path around the raised beds with woodchip to prevent the main path from flooding. This involved doing multiple trips with full wheelbarrows and using the freshly removed soil to level up the entrance to the donkeys’ field, which needed a bit of flood prevention measures as well.

It was a busy 90 minutes for all of us, but we got to unwind for 30 minutes at the end by picking up apples from the orchid and feeding them to the lovely Rollo, Pollo and their piglets.

We ended our visit by hanging out with the new baby calves on site 🐄 whose names are still debated by the farm’s staff. All we know is that they will carry names of biscuits!