Winterval 2018, London Link’s winter party, took place at Westminster Quaker Meeting House on Saturday evening, 13th January.

We were 18 young people and seven adult volunteers. We started out making our own pizzas with an exciting array of possible pizza toppings. Pesto was a favourite, hummus an experiment, olives the ‘marmite’ of the evening, and there is never enough cheese. (We weren’t doing veGanuary.) We quickly learned that the top of the oven was hotter than the rest of it.

After a good meal, a bit of tidying up, and a quick game of Mafia, a group of nine headed out to Trafalgar Square for an adventure, which was so appealing that another group headed out after them. It was neither raining nor freezing and therefore the perfect (January) night for being outside and stretching our legs.

We gathered back at the Meeting House at the end of the evening and closed with five minutes of Quaker silence.

It was particularly nice to welcome five new volunteers to the Winterval team. We all got on splendidly with each other and the young people, and it was great that there were enough of us to allow two walking groups and have two people to stay behind at HQ. Special thanks to Sue and Sally for persisting with, and mastering, the oven. Thank you all for your help, and I hope to see you again!

– Rob