Sheila K and Karen attended the Baby Bank today on the regular Friday slot. They helped unload some donations from cars and sort donations of Christmas gift bags containing new pyjamas, a book and a selection box which will be given out to needy children next month. Sheila helped take the bags of unwanted clothes down to a van for recycling before joining Karen doing the second checks of donated clothing.

Karen and Sheila were delighted to be joined at Braywick Heath Nurseries by Bejay who was doing a spot of GoodGym touristing all the way from Ruislip. Our task today was all about moving plants around - putting the best ones on display for sale, particularly those for the authmn/winter season. We all got loads of steps in, moving the plants from the glasshouses to the outside sales area to tempt the customers. It was great to meet Bejay - do come and join us again!

Carol, Karen, Jane and Sheila all volunteered at the Baby Bank this morning. After settling into our normal routine of checking clothes and filling up the referral boxes from the overflow bags, the recycling van arrived to collect all of the textiles that had not passed the quality check. Fun was had forming a human chain to move the bin bags from upstairs, rolling them down the stairs and into the van. Sheila left the others to it, to join another volunteer to collect donations from a collection point in the shopping centre in Slough. What was supposed to be donated second hand uniform turned out to be a huge bin full of any old rubbish that people felt like putting on there - including dirty and damaged clothing, old curtains, a frying pan, household bills, drinks cans and even a bag of wet nappies. Yuk! We recovered very little that we could use, and an estate car full of bags for the tip and the textiles recyclers. Live and learn!