We all set off very excited for our first evening of toad patrol on Hensting Lane. All day we hoped for rainy, mild weather and we were lucky the rain set in as we were setting off. The first stretch of the lane Mike showed us the ponds to release the toads into and told us lots of information about the toads including how to identify male and female toads. Our first find was actually a newt! On the walk back up the lane all the toads had started to make their way to the road. In total 14 male toads, 5 females and 3 newts were helped to safety. Sadly two toads got run over so it goes to show how important the patrols are as it could have been a lot more without our helping hands. Now we just have to hope for some more mild and rainy evenings in February and March so we can go help again!

This evening was a baby slug hunt! Teeny tiny sluggies... hopefully catching them now will reduce the damage they do as adults. Abby shared her slug knowledge ans was able to name the different species, very impressive.

We also welcomed Joana, her first task was possibly the slimeiest!

Great work team, not easy in the cold 😊

Today, following Defra guidelines, we helped with the rehoming of over 260 chickens including some extra “luckies”. What a busy day it was from counting out the hens after their arrival, welfare checks, disinfecting car tyres, catching hens to put in their various carriers for their journey to their forever homes, and cleaning down at the end of the day. We are all pooped…and thanks to our suits and gloves not covered in poop! Well done everyone on a very satisfying day sending lots of hens to their new lives.

Thank you to everyone who made my 39th birthday extra special by making donations to their local food bank and restocking Southampton City Farms period products. Only a year for the big 4 0 so we'll have to get planning a very very good task for 2027!