Up early on a misty Saturday to help out at Southampton parkrun, scanning barcodes. Was very atmospheric seeing the runners appear through the mist. Met a few familiar and new faces along the way.

Five of us headed to Aldermoor Farm yesterday evening for a leafy challenge. The job was to clear up the leaves from the grassy area, load them into the wheelbarrow, and take them down to the chicken coops. We tipped the piles onto the muddy floor so they could soak up some of the mess and give the chickens something fun to scratch around in. We didn’t see the chickens—they were tucked up for the night—but we hope they woke up to a nice surprise this morning! There were a few laughs along the way, especially when Sarah got her hand stuck in the leaf grabbers (all good now!). Once the work was done, we admired the farm glowing with Christmas lights—a festive finish to a muddy but satisfying task.

After all the festivities at the Rose Road Association Christmas Fair it was time for a big tidy up! We set to work sorting out the bottle tombola, locating parts of elf costumes, tidying refreshments away and sorting through donations. We even started sorting things out that Santa might like to use for next year’s grotto presents. We had just enough time left over for a group shot with scary Santa. We won’t look forward to seeing him again next year!

Today I helped out the British Hen Welfare Trust to rehome nearly 300 ex free range farm hens. They were not sure if the rehoming day could take place with concerns over Avian Flu and the last day had to be cancelled. Fortunately the restrictions did not mean this one had to be postponed and with Defra Bio Security Guidelines in place it was agreed the day could go ahead. There were many jobs to help with including parking, disinfecting car tyres of rehomers, carrying crates, keeping an eye on chickens for any health issues, topping up food and water, and catching the chickens to put into boxes ready for their journey home. I was excited and nervous to start out as a “catcher” having had only a little experience of caring for chickens. Fortunately these chickens seemed very relaxed and were relatively easy to catch or at least at the beginning when there was nearly 300! They got a little more difficult to get as the numbers dwindled. There was one poorly hen we had to keep an eye on and a few hens with some superficial injuries and poo feet that needed to be given a spa! After catching hens for a while I moved to outside the barn and did carrying crates and disinfecting tyres for a while before going back in with the chickens. It wasn’t long before we were down to the last few hens who were taken by volunteers. We then had to get everything disinfected and scrubbed down. It was such a busy day, but so much fun and all the volunteers made sure to check everyone got a break and change of job when needed. What a special privilege to see so many lucky hens have a second chance and go to their new lives. I hope we’ll be able to help at the next rehoming day in the new year.

P.S. I made sure to get an extra bit of hen fitness in by completing HENley on Thames parkrun beforehand!

Despite the relentless rain, our team brought festive cheer to the Solent Mind Elf Run, supporting a fantastic cause for mental health. Helen and Wilson kept runners on track as route marshals, while Steph greeted and assisted participants at the start. We jingled bells, wore elf hats, and cheered runners around the course— soaked but smiling. The Grinch led the way and we managed to get a photo with him before he set off. Wilson helped pack down at the end. A wet and wonderful morning for a great charity!

We were very excited today to be invited to help the big man himself spreading cheer and giving out gifts to children and young people visiting the Rose Road Christmas Fair. We welcomed Barbara for their first task. Great to meet you Barbara - we can't promise we'll have such great outfits next time we see you! Derek was our lead money maker manning the grotto entrance while the rest of us were on greeting and present passing duties. It was lovely to see everyone having such a great time. Lucy was also tasked with keeping Santa jolly with cake and coffee. Next year we know we've got to get him the cake quicker! We all managed to have a wander round the stalls too and got quite lucky on the bottle tombola, but no luck on the raffle!