Wilson and I joined a gang of volunteers at a task organised by Final Straw and Portsmouth Uni as part of a project to reintroduce native oysters to the Solent.

Over 3 days, volunteers scrubbed 10,000 oysters to remove bio-hazards and pollutants, before the oysters will be introduced to the sea at Eastney to grow and reproduce.

We made new chums while scrubbing and learned new facts about how vital oysters are to marine health.

A novel and fun way to spend the day!

We had a bit of an unusual session this week, stretching our creative muscles rather than our physical ones. I think this was very much appreciated in the sudden cold snap - great numbers tonight!

Dave and Sinéad kept to Gym in GoodGym for us, with a couple of laps of the churchyard before joining us in the community centre to get creating.

We had beautiful table pieces, wreaths, orange peel tree hangings, hand-decorated garlands and some very intricate and mathematical giant baubles. Wilson showed true determination, and with the help of Maxine and baby Margaux completed their challenge! Katie and Vicki were another dream team, producing another masterpiece.

Special thanks to Judy for her creativity, resources and epic foraging skills for providing us with such a lovely task this evening. It was truly wonderful!