The ladies at Lavender Hope were happy to see us (and one is even tempted to join!) They had plenty for us to do ahead of a private hire booking this weekend. We started with weeding the garden, although the tools were being elusive, so we worked with gloved hands and some kitchen knives to get between the paving stone gaps! Just as the tools were found we were switching to the next task - cleaning all the chairs stacked inside. We sprayed and wiped in the recently painted hall (courtesy of GoodGym), which looked great, until all the chairs were done. Given there was only three of us, the task of moving the very large fridge is something for another day…

Count down to open day is ticking down! This week we had all sorts of jobs - assembling flat pack furniture, painting the loo floors, weeding, scraping moss, another coat of paint for the kitchen and a good clean of the entrance.

We had ELEVEN folks from Goodgym join this morning. And every last person got stuck in, under the supreme direction of Kim and Lyndsey.

Matt was seriously under pressure, with a malfunctioning, temperamental water pressure hose contraption. Those walls in the courtyard garden are begging for a pressure wash. And by jove I believe Matt fixed it!

Thanks Lavender Hope - we’ll be back!

We did a paint job, a few paint jobs, for Lavender Hope. And we’re nearing the final paint job as they have their grand opening planned for 21st and 22nd May!

Following on from our paint job, we had a bit of a job to scrape off any paint that had gone awry. Just a little, here, there, everywhere, every sink, every light switch. We spruced it up really nicely though with our scrapers, white spirit and general elbow grease. Ready for nice new bathroom floors to match the great new floors in the common room.

A quick tea break, and we settled to come back next week. Final push to get the garden and the communal spaces ready for the opening. To which we are all invited! Details to follow in our WhatsApp group!

Three of us popped into Lavendar Hope at lunchtime to continue painting the walls ready for when the community hall opens. Kimberley took charge of a very small room but made a big difference. Me and Emily ended up doing a second coat in the women's toilets managing to socially distance while cutting in and manoeuvring a ladder around.

I'm not sure any of us got away paint-free, but we were assured by the folk there that the paint would wash out. Fingers crossed!

A lovely little gang on a Wednesday afternoon, slapping some paint on the walls (and a bit on the floor...).

We met Thandi, who works with Lavender Hope, an organisation that provide after school activities for kids as well as computers for adults to use for job hunting etc. - it's great.

They're doing a massive refurb so we were there to paint one of the toilets.

We were using white paint (having debated how problematic and vintage magnolia is) and did a couple of layers with some good, some sketchy rollers, as well as some brushes for the edges.

We managed a solid 2 coats but decided it needed to dry before applying a third. Maybe next time.

Nice one Tom and Lenka - hopefully see you soon 👍

🎵 🥁 🎸 🎷 It's a long way to the top (of the wall), if you wanna paint and roll (without a ladder). Of which we conveniently had two. Great. 🎶 🎤 🎹 🆘

Lavender Hope is nestled in Deronda Estate in Tulse Hill, and its stellar volunteers are putting it on the MAP as the local community yoga, coffee party, tea dance, job hunt, homework club CLUBHOUSE. It will be a brilliant asset with their enthusiasm and passion poured in. But first, we had bucket loads of paint to POUR onto those walls. 🕺🏻 💃

Drum roll please for new runners Oliver and Diane who, for first timers, hit the wall, ran the metaphorical distance, and just kept rolling rolling rolling on. 🔛

We all came out completely splatter free. Impressive. A nod perhaps to the fact that keeping things (be it peoples' faces, or paint rollers) at a good arms length (2 metre rule, no?), is pretty effective at evading splatter. Samantha said we jinxed it by revelling in our impressiveness - not true!

🎶 🎤 Smells like white spirit, 🎶 🎤 it did not. Because it was water based paint so we didn't need any, Oliver informed us.

We'll be back next Wednesday with trainer Mark, for 'Paint and Roll, Part 2', as there is lots more to do to help get the hall ready for guests. 👋 🤘