Hundreds of people gave up their Sundays and “painted the country green” as part of a national day of good deeds.

People turned out in force for Mitzvah Day events across north London wearing the charity’s green t-shirts.

The event, sponsored by the Times & Independent Series, sees people from different faith groups organise events to build bridges and bring the community together.

Yesterday’s ninth annual international Mitzvah Day involved a record 37,000 volunteers from 20 countries simultaneously participating in over 1,200 varied social action projects..

People donated their lunch to the homeless, cleaned out their cupboards for the less fortunate, planted trees and helped clean up parks.

The Times and Independent Series team helped out at Edgware Masorti Synagogue and Emmanuel Church by helping collect clothes for All Aboard and Barnardos charity shops.

Members of the Northwood and Pinner Liberal Synagogue teamed up with Norwood to collect food and toiletries for St Luke’s Hospice and Barnet Homeless Shelter from Waitrose in Northwood.

Kinloss Synagogue, in Finchley, collected food items for GIFT and Homeless Action Barnet outside Tesco in Finchley Central.

Sharon Nursery, based at the synagogue, also invited 100 children and adults to make cards and gift bags for children in hospital, with charity Camp Simcha.

Teams of people also made sandwiches for homeless charity Tikun.

In Hatch End, children from HaMakom School formed a choir to entertain local and elderly guests at Hatch End Synagogue.

They also filled dozens of shoe boxes with Christmas gifts for the children at Barnardo’s Freeman Family Centre in Harlesden.

The London Jewish Cultural Centre, in Golders Green, held a tea dance for Holocaust survivors which was supported by the Six Point Foundation.

North Western Reform Synagogue, in Temple Fortune, cooked meals for homeless people and refugees, and took part in some gardening at Kisharon in Hendon.  

Over in Southgate, the Southgate Progressive Synagogue collected food for the North Enfield Food Bank, which is part of Network Foodbank in the UK and run by Jubilee Church in Enfield.

They also collected new and nearly new clothes and handbags for the hospice. The children of our religion school made table decorations and designed some beautiful candle holders for Christmas and Chanukah for our local old age homes.

In Radlett, a team of teachers and young adult leaders helped Radlett Reform's Religion School children decorate 240 cupcakes, make 120 sandwiches and pack 200 toiletry bags for Watford New Hope Homeless Shelter.

The Homeless Shelter also benefited from the team of adults making 19 large pasta bakes and sorting a pile of men's clothing.

Volunteers aging from 18-months to 80-years-old attended the Mitzvah Day project at Woodcock Hill, in Borehamwood, to clear brambles and take away litter.

Laura Marks, Mitzvah Day founder and chairman and senior vice president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, said: “It’s so uplifting to have seen participants of multi faiths and backgrounds work together with true common purpose, belief in community harmony and love thy neighbor.

“In a world where we often hear about the bad, tragic or sad, Mitzvah Day brings a tremendous sense of hope and healing – a belief in the goodness of humankind. Our 37,000+ volunteers have made a true difference to the world we live in and we are so grateful.”