I moved from serving teas and coffees to helping with the lunch service - chef Andrew had made a delicious bolognese pasta bake. There was a vegetarian option and both were served with salad. Dessert was fruit crumble and custard. Andrew got lots of compliments including from me as I sampled a portion - and got the recipe from him! There was a constant flow of clients joining us for lunch so the kitchen crew were kept busy. It was nice to get lots of ‘welcome back’ from the regular clients and makes me realise how much I enjoy volunteering at ESK.

It was great to be back at ESK this morning after a long break - I started the day at the tea and coffee station. There was a great demand for cereal today - Rice Krispies were especially popular. The cold weather meant that the guests needed warming up with hot drinks and we refilled the tea and coffee pots several times.

It was a glorious sunny morning in Pitshanger Park - but very cold. I marshalled at junior parkrun and cheered on 72 youngsters around the course. Parts of it were very muddy and there were a lot of puddles. It’s great seeing all the runners pass especially the really young ones. What a great way to start a Sunday morning

I was on finish token support at Pitshanger Junior parkrun this morning. 51 youngsters came through the finish funnel - judging by the state of their clothes they had a lot of fun running round a very muddy park!

I thought this morning’s tea session was busy and it carried on over lunchtime! The clients enjoyed pumpkin and lentil soup with bread, chicken casserole with pasta and vegetables or vegetarian option. Followed by apple strudel and custard. I was helping to serve and it was pretty rushed for the first hour. The clients loved the meal and there were lots of compliments to the chef. I really enjoy being in the dining area, chatting to the regular clients and meeting the new ones.

It was very busy at this morning’s tea/coffee station. A lot of the clients were happy to be in a warm space with a hot cup of tea or coffee - and cake or biscuits. It seemed we were constantly running to the kitchen for refills. But things quietened down eventually - just before lunchtime!
Afshin joined Doreen and the clothes team to help set up the clothes donations and was also kept busy this morning.