O M G – We’re on the radio

Big news! Set your alarms as tomorrow is the day Family Fund feature on BBC Radio 4 appeals. Also did I mention we have Jo Whiley presenting the appeal for us – a radio legend!!

This is our first ever national campaign and we are sp excited for it. It feels weird and unjust to be excited in these times but it’s something we have been working so hard on for so long now that I just cant help it. Especially with the national ‘Save UK charities’ campaign that is soon to launch, this is massive for us to raise our profiles and help our cause, as every penny we raise helps families raising disabled and seriously ill children.

There are one million disabled children in the UK and a third of them live in poverty. As the current crisis challenges all of us in ways we couldn’t have imagined, those with compromised health and fewer resources face the greatest risks.

This Sunday 19 April at 7.54am, TV and Radio broadcaster Jo Whiley presents the BBC Radio 4 Appeal for Family Fund to help disabled children live well through hardship.

It’s three times more expensive to raise disabled children and around a third of families are doing so in poverty.

Family Fund is here to help and provides families with financial support or specialist items helping disabled children live well through hardship.

Jo understands the challenges facing families raising a disabled child, growing up with her younger sister who has a rare genetic syndrome.

So please don’t forget to tune in and listen. If you can then please donate, and it you can’t then please just be sure to go on all our social media platforms and like and share our posts! Get our message out there, share our story and tell all your friends and families!

I’m too excited that I don’t even mind the fact I’m having to work on a Sunday (who even am I?)

Help us out without even getting out of bed!
My alarm is set, is yours?

Loves,
G x

ReachOut and help!

In a world full of negative press and happenings do you know how refreshing it is to hang around children. Children who walk in to our mentor session every week demonstrating the newest dance trend, children excited by the fact they had just won a £5 book voucher in a poetry competition and children who are simply grateful to be in your company.

Every week I look forward to my Thursday afternoon. With it being close to the end of the week and by this point tiredness has truly set in and work has managed to get on my last nerve, I leave work feeling deflated. However fast forward an hour and I’m sat in a classroom waiting for my mentees to come in and I feel enlivened.

Once a week I mentor with ReachOut Charity who work with young people in disadvantaged communities to raise aspirations and help them grow in character and attainment.

Unfortunately as the summer holidays are now in full force we are also taking a break (not that I needed one), giving me time to reflect on the wonderful few months my mentees and ReachOut gave me!

The whole operation is run by volunteers, and it’s truly one of the only organisations that do it solely for the people. Over the last few months I’ve had the chance to work alongside a number of the children that attend and can see how the program effects them differently however all of them grateful.

The children that attend these sessions have been recommended by their school. They may be struggling with their academics, or struggling with their confidence. They may need further social interaction and inclusion, or simply looking for a mentor and friend they can confide in. Some of these children may be dealing with issues outside of school, within their family unit and we, as mentees, are there to offer a friendly face, a safe place and someone they can speak with.

The diversity of children that attend is fascinating to me. As a girl who grew up in sunny Blackpool we weren’t blessed to be surrounded by as many cultures, religions or races that we have in London. I listen to the stories the children tell me of their families and it’s truly fascinating. I quickly become the child with a 1000 questions to ask and they happily answer. We recently discussed and celebrated the Windrush generation, and my mentee was proud to tell me his great grandparents were part of that history!

I would be lying if I said I was volunteering selflessly. Initially I joined to help and try and make a small difference, however I can’t deny the massive difference it had on me every Thursday afternoon. I leave feeling happier than I’ve probably felt all week. I would highly recommend trying it! For a short period of the week you get to observe small humans, who although facing problems themselves, don’t seem affected by the worlds happenings. I’m not suggesting adults should be blind to the world and news however for those two hours I feel blissfully unaware and it’s a much needed, refreshing break.

Go and help, volunteer your time to people that need it. It doesn’t have to be children, it can be the elderly, the homeless, the sick but there is something magical about the pure presence of children.

You can find out further information about the programmes and work ReachOut do here.

Over and out lovers,

G.

Who is your greatest mentor? – The Princes Trust

Me and the Princes Trust have a love hate relationship apparently. 3 failed attempts later and I still don’t work for the charity. Interview feedback has always been fantastic but my bloody nerves seem to get the better of me, I guess that happens when you are passionate about something.

For those of you that aren’t aware of the Princes Trust they are a youth charity that helps young people aged 11 to 30 into jobs, education and training. They offer free courses and opportunities to help unemployed and struggling people to transform their lives. They help them develop key skills while boosting their confidence and motivation so they can continue to dream big.

Many of the young people they help are in, or leaving care, facing issues such as homelessness or mental health issues, or have been in trouble with the law.

Mentors are a huge part of the princes trust and have a massive influential impact. They are the ones that work alongside the young people, directly impacting their lives and decisions. It got me thinking about all the wonderful people who have impacted my life and mentored me without me even realising. There are many people who have influenced my life, too many for me to name them all but there is one person who has been the perfect role model, mentor, friend and parent. That would be my mum.

Without doubt my mum has been my biggest mentor and still to this day she inspires me to be and do better. She raised me and my sisters whilst working 18hour days to give us the life she had always dreamed off. She didn’t have the greatest start to life having lost her own mother at a very young age and spent years in care, many times separated from her siblings. She didn’t let this stop her though as she worked relentlessly to get the life she wanted and to bring us up with the belief that anything is possible if you work hard enough to make it happen. Whilst growing up she gave us everything she missed out on as a child and installed great lessons and morals.

My mum is now currently a foster carer and has been for the last 4 years. She welcomes children into her home making them feel comfortable and wanted instantly. I personally have seen the difference she has made to many young lives. She continues daily to teach me ways to be better and to inspire me to help others and try and make a difference. And for that I am forever grateful to have such a superstar mum as my biggest mentor.

We can all try and make a difference to people less fortunate in both small and large gestures. There are tons of volunteer opportunities available to do a number of things. I am starting mentoring young people myself next week and I can’t wait to get started (but that’s a story for another day).

On Tuesday the 6th of March the Princes Trust is having an awards night to celebrate all the young people and how much they have achieved. Definitely go online and read some of their success stories, it will fill your heart with love and happiness, I guarantee it!

I’d love to here who has mentored and inspired you in life, whether it be a family member, a friend, a celebrity or a stranger. Share your stories with us!

Until next time,
G.

#youthcandoit

(Here’s a picture of my mum being the party animal that she is!)

Homeless people get cold too.

It’s middle of February now and just when we thought winter was almost over we got hit with the coldest week of winter so far! It dropped to -10 in some parts of the UK as ice, snow and rain spread across the country. 

I personally complained about it all week. I moaned about how freezing it was as I left my warm flat in my winter coat, scarf, hat and gloves to walk to the train station for work. I got into work and made myself a warm tea and continued to complain about the weather whilst sat inside my heated office. It wasn’t until Tuesday when I popped out for a coffee and my wonderful friend suggested buying the homeless man outside a drink and a warm croissant that it really got me thinking. 

How undeniably ignorant I had been all week complaining about the weather when it wasn’t really effecting me at all. And yet whilst the coldest week of winter continues to hit us there is still thousands of homeless people that have little choice but to sit outside in the wet and cold, hoping to survive another night in the freezing cold. 

I know there are measures in place to help homeless people but numbers are too high. No matter what choices people have made in life, whether it be faults of their own or due to circumstances beyond their control – everyone deserves a hot drink when it is icy/snowy/rainy/wintery cold/ not sunny outside. 

Whist the cold weather insists on creeping in on us why don’t we all commit to helping the homeless more, especially at this time, as I think we all probably take first world privileges for granted. Many of us probably don’t notice homeless people as they have become a common feature on our way to work, that we don’t actually stop to consider about what they must be going through, how they must be feeling and how they are surviving. 

Next time you see a homeless person just stop and think for a moment. 

I am going to make a conscious effort to help during the upcoming cold weeks to stop and buy a homeless person a hot drink or a hot meal. Something to provide them warmth when all they have surrounding them is cold. 

It doesn’t have to be everyone you see. It can be one person a day, one a week or even one person a month but rather than just walking past let’s try and help them! Instead of buying yourself a packet of crisps to go with your lunch you could buy a hot snack for someone in greater need. 
If money is an issue and you don’t even treat yourself to lunch or a coffee then maybe just stop and ask if they are ok. 

I know that if I was homeless, sitting out in the cold with a soggy blanket as protection I would appreciate a nice cup of tea from a stranger. Homeless people are people! 

I’d love to hear how you help.
Over and out,
G. 

(Here’s a picture of how cold England feels right now. -7 in picturesque Lapland)

Number One

So this is it, my first blog, and to say I knew what I was doing would be a complete lie. I am going to be totally honest with you (as honesty is the best policy right?) and openly admit that I am not a writer, not even slightly a writer, so far from a writer that the idea of sitting down and writing my own blog scares the **** out of me.