Ah, evening guys.
Look how dark it is.
Crazy isn't it?
I hate this weather when it goes dark like this.
I really don't like it.
I wish it would be light.
Manifest it would be light till 10 o'clock at night.
Because now I've got to work my flood light now.
Um, yeah, so we've dropped off some of the pumpkins at some farm.
So don't interfere.
If you see them by a farm gate, leave them there.
The farmers know they're there.
The people who own the animals know they're there.
We've conversed with them.
They will deal with them.
Um, we've had to refuse the school children pumpkins because we had the first lunch break down and the first couple grabbed them and started smashing them up.
Which is completely know what we want.
Um, so they have been cleaned up.
Um, but we've refused any school children or any children, anybody under 18, a pumpkin.
For obvious reasons now.
So if you want, if your child wants them, can you message me direct?
And I know which child to give it to.
Um, tomorrow.
Because we've still got some left.
Still some down Risca.
Um, and...
Or they need to come with an adult to pick them up, okay?
We've had every excuse under the sun.
Like this is my uncle.
He just looks young for his age.
Or I'm a really grown up individual.
Or I'll put it straight in my rucksack.
Um, bigger than their heads.
Um, we've had quite a few ingenious ideas about how to get pumpkins off us.
Um, but we can't give them unless you've got a parent there.
Because we can't have them smashing them up.
Now they, they, wildlife will eat them.
It's not a problem, is it?
But that's not why we did it.
Yeah, we did it to feed people first.
And that's what we want to do.
So can you explain to the children why we've rescued them to feed families first?
Okay, and if there's anything out the front of the shops for free, not to touch it.
Unless it's out there for free and then just say, am I okay to take this for free?
That's what we tend to do.
That's why we do it as an adult.
I say, I know this is the free box, but can I have this?
Um...
So all the toys in the trolleys out the front are going to be free tomorrow.
Okay, free filler bag.
Um, so pop down.
Again, you know, we can't have people chucking them about.
Uh, so pop down shopping bag, I'm not bothered.
Now, we've had quite a lot of donations in off our business partners and our charity partners.
Um, so Sammy is going to be going through them tomorrow in Pontypool shop.
Things like toys and household items and vases.
And she's just going to be putting 50p and a pound on them.
Okay, we, they got to go.
We got so much and we want to maintain our business contract.
So if you're looking for a bargain tomorrow, come down and Sammy will give you a deal.
Okay, um, now on the porch of one of the shops is the boxes that the pumpkins came in.
Please leave them there unless you want a couple of boxes and you're welcome to take them tonight.
Um, because I have a fruit and veg shop coming to pick up the boxes tomorrow.
Okay, they don't want all of them, but they're going to have some of them.
So obviously we had to, I was going to leave them out in the rain and let them sort of get wet.
And then I can put them into my recycling bags for the council to pick up.
However, people have asked for the boxes.
So I've put them on the porch so they're dry.
Please tell everybody now, don't pull them out.
Leave them where they are unless you want a couple of the boxes and you're welcome to take them.
Uh, and they're going to be collected around seven in the morning, something like that.
Uh, and then whatever's left, we'll recycle the boxes if we don't use them ourselves.
Because they do stack quite well.
So massive thank you for the pumpkins and everything today.
That's the most we've ever recycled, about 300.
Um, we've had a few casualties as I've said, but you know, they will go to animal, animals will eat them.
So it's not a major problem, but it does look amazing.
So please explain to the children not to take pumpkins and definitely don't smash them up.
Uh, because that's defeating the object of us trying to save and to feed families that are struggling.
Lots of families have taken them.
Uh, they've taken quite a few today.
People have taken some bikini pegs.
Um, so, you know, all good.
It's all good, guys.
Uh, so yeah, yeah, we've had a good day, but they're going to be doing deals tomorrow.
I'm not sure if Caerphilly's going to be open.
Uh, or Risca.
Because we've had a lot of donations dropped to the Risca shop.
We've had a lot dropped to Pontypool.
So it might be Pontypool and Risca, so I don't know.
I might go to Caerphilly just to have a break.
Um, because obviously there's less income here, the more there is in these two.
Uh, but I don't know.
So can I just let you know in the morning?
The other thing is, guys, I've had a few people saying, Oh, your shop's never open, or I've been up there a couple of times.
Check the page in the morning.
We always write in the morning if the shops have got to be shut.
If we've got to shut it early, or if somebody's got to go off and do, you know, go to do a school run, or somebody's sick and they've had to go.
We always put it on Facebook in the morning.
So check in the morning because we're all volunteers.
And we rely on volunteers to open up the shops for us.
I'll let you know if there's any pumpkins in Caerphilly tomorrow.