Tag Archives: charity

Brave seven-year-old girl who survived meningitis features in calming Christmas storybook for children

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cove the Christmas dinosaur A courageous little girl who fought back after losing all her limbs to meningitis is to feature in a children’s storybook designed to provide comfort this Christmas.

Seven-year-old Harmonie-Rose Allen, of Bath, contracted meningococcal septicaemia as a baby and was given only a 10% chance of survival.

Her arms and legs were amputated, but she survived and now, thanks to prosthetic legs, she loves jumping and skipping and even completed a half-marathon in her home city when she was just five.

An ambassador for the charity Meningitis Now, Harmonie-Rose will feature in the children’s illustrated storybook ‘Covi, the little Christmas dinosaur!’ written by author Susie Cullen and illustrated by Chay Winter.

Harmonie-Rose meets Covi, who is a little green dinosaur sent by Santa to save Christmas. The book is the third tale in the series ‘The adventures of Covi, the little green dinosaur’.

‘Covi, the little Christmas dinosaur’ launched for pre-sales on November 24th.

Susie’s first two books – ‘Covi, the little green dinosaur’ and ‘Covi, the little seaside dinosaur!’ – proved hugely successful.

In the new book, Covi becomes a hero when he stands in for Santa to deliver presents to children during a Christmas lockdown.

When Covi visits Harmonie-Rose, the little girl is wide awake. He pops her on his knee to tell her a magical story of kindness and hope for the world.

Susie said: “Covi is a helpful little dinosaur who came to help the children when the world was stuck by Covid-19.

“As a T-Rex, Covi, like Harmonie-Rose, has limb differences that do not stop him doing anything he wants! As a strong supporter of inclusivity for all, I am thrilled that Harmonie-Rose’s parents agreed I could feature her in the Christmas tale.

“Her own story is such an inspiration, and I hope that other children (and adults) with limb differences will be as pleased as I am to see that dinosaurs and Santa do not discriminate!”

The latest book was commissioned by Singapore-based publisher British Theatre Playhouse in association with Worldwide Entertainment.

Cecilia Leong-Faulkner, chief executive of British Theatre Playhouse, said: “Covi the little green dinosaur is a fantastic character and it’s amazing that we can feature Harmonie-Rose in the story too.

“This year has been very difficult for children with the Covid-19 pandemic, schools being closed and families in lockdown but this story is uplifting and inspirational and can really show children that we can come through this if we are all brave and determined.

“We hope parents, teachers, and, of course, little readers will love Covi’s Christmas adventure as much as we’ve enjoyed producing it with Susie.”

For every book sold, 50 pence will be donated to Harmonie-Rose’s charity of choice.

The paperback is available on Amazon.

Christmas Gift Guide: Wavey Ice introduce their Boozy Winter Hamper

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Who remembers ice pops…? Those icy sticks of goodness after school on a summers day was literally THE ONE.  Hands up if you’ve ever tried a boozy ice pop? YES, they really do exist thanks to Wavey Ice, the original creators of alcoholic ice pops in the UK. 

Wavey Ice known for their cocktail inspired ice pops have been making fresh treats est. summer of 2014. Distributing at various festivals and Notting Hill Carnival, they are now making sure we don’t have to miss out on all of the vibes this year by bringing a selection of icy cocktail gifts and hampers that you can buy for your loved ones this Christmas. Don’t worry about feeling chilly, these treats are designed to warm you up whilst paying homage to the old school London scene. 

So, what’s on offer? Well through the website you can purchase a host of goodies from various Ice Pop flavours, branded merch and of course the hamper. 

The hamper contains;

(RRP: £55) inc delivery

*10 Limited edition Kola & Spiced Rum ice pops.

*One ‘Dutty Wine’ Mulled Wine and White Rum pouch

*One bottle of ‘Kold Sauce’ hot sauce

*One pair of Wavey Ice socks

*Set of fun Christmas stickers to add to your festive decorations.

To get the full experience we recommend gathering your crew, (at a social distance), grab a Wavey Ice Pop, pull up your rave socks and turn Ms Dynamiteeeheee all the way up. Never has a Christmas hamper bought me so much nostalgia and joy and we guarantee anyone who loves UKG, Grime, Rap and just having a good time with your people in general, this will bring a smile to their face. 

The Wavey Ice hamper is curated with heart and soul and it shows. Since this Summer, Wavey Ice has raised over £1500 for the NHS by donating £1 from every purchase made to them. This Winter will be no exception with £1 from every purchase donated to Crisis charity until Dec 20. So support Independent businesses this Winter. Support Wavey Ice. 

…pssst there’s a sale on right now…

www.waveyice.co.uk

POST AND DONATE: BRITISH HEART FOUNDATION SHOPS LAUNCH FREE POSTAL DONATION SERVICE

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POST AND DONATE: BRITISH HEART FOUNDATION LAUNCHES FREE POSTAL DONATION SERVICE 

~ Charity retailer calls on the nation to donate pre-loved goods without hitting the high street ~    charity, charity donations, how to give to charity, charity shops, open, what charity shops are open?,  

  

This June the British Heart Foundation (BHF) is launching a new post to donate service, making it even easier for the public to give their decluttered items and support the charity to help save lives. 

 

Throughout June and July the BHF will start to reopen its 750 nationwide shops and stores introducing new measures to keep staff, volunteers and customers safe. As part of these new measures the BHF has launched a postal donation initiative where customers can donate smaller items via post and give to the charity without hitting the shops.  

 

From clothes and books to vintage toys and ornaments, the BHF hopes to receive good quality items that the public have been clearing out while at home. These will be sold either online via the charity’s eBay store or at a BHF shop.  

 

Allison Swaine-Hughes, Retail Director at the British Heart Foundation, said: “Our charity shops run purely on the support of the public, which is why we never take for granted a camera, record or video game that’s donated to us. Every item we sell helps fund our vital research.” 

“Our new postal donation service is quick, easy and free. It’s the perfect solution if your local BHF shop is not yet open and you have items you want to give, or you’re simply not ready to head to the high street.   

 

“Every pound raised in our shops helps us to support the 7.4 million people in the UK living with heart and circulatory diseases, many of whom are at increased risk from Covid-19. Your donations can help us help them.” 

 

Customers can simply head to the webpage, request a freepost label which will be emailed to them and then choose to either print the label off or bring the email in to one of 7,500 nationwide Collect+ drop off points to be printed off there. Packages can be up to 10kg.  

 

In line with Government advice and to keep customers safe, all donations given to the BHF will now be rested for 72 hours before being placed onto the shop floor. Customers will also be able to donate at new contact-free donation points which will be set up at every BHF shop entrance. For larger donations to home stores the BHF will be restarting its free collection service once home stores reopen – ensuring all pick-ups are socially distanced.  

 

Donating unwanted items not only helps fund vital heart research but will also reduce waste and save items from landfill. Last year alone, the BHF saved an incredible 71,000 tonnes of items from landfill and 135,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions from being released into the atmosphere.   

 

Just £16 worth of your donations can support an early career scientist in carrying out an hour’s research and £25 gives a researcher an hour’s access to equipment. If your donations raised £100, this would fund a DNA extraction kit to identify genes linked to heart and circulatory diseases. 

To find your local BHF shop visit: www.bhf.org.uk/shop 

 

What BHF would love to see donated: 

·                Electronics – iPhones, iPads and high-end electronics 

·                Clothing, dresses or designer brands if you can spare them 

·                Records – 7″, 10″ and 12″ vinyl records 

·                Video games – vintage console games (1990s/early 2000s) 

·                Shoes – any kind, so long as they’re in good condition!  

·                Collectable items such as coins and stamps 

·                Jewellery  

·                Ornaments 

·                Camera equipment – cameras, tripods, bags, filters, lens 

·                Toys – toy cars, vans, trucks, kid’s dolls and vintage teddy bears 

 

 

CHARITY GETTING DISABLED KIDS DANCING DURING LOCKDOWN

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  • Charity Flamingo Chicks is pioneering inclusive dance classes for disabled children
  • Virtual classes are designed not only for fun and fitness, but also to tackle loneliness and isolation
  • Their dance classes benefit 3,000 children each year

UK charity for disabled children has produced a one of a kind series of virtual dance classes for children of all abilities, but especially aimed at those with conditions like autism, cerebral palsy, profound and multiple learning disabilities and physical impairments. Pirouetting in the footsteps of Joe Wicks, UK charity Flamingo Chicks is launching Makaton-signed and subtitled online dance classes that disabled children can do with their siblings and carers.

These unique online classes are suitable for children with a wide variety of needs, including those with complex medical needs or life limiting conditions as well as children with learning disabilities, autism, physical impairments, and children without additional needs. As in all Flamingo Chicks classes, adaptations are provided throughout, including ways parents and carers can support children with limited mobility, and ways to translate different ballet and dance movements.

Filmed using green screens with animated backgrounds, the classes not only get kids moving but immerse children in a magical world of storytelling, characterization, and music and come complete with Makaton for further accessibility.

Flamingo Chicks have even got volunteer celebrities on board to help young minds keep active, alert and engaged. These celebs have written new stories with the themes of dance and inclusion that will be illustrated and read aloud by a famous face. First up is Julie Hesmondhalgh (Coronation Street’s Hayley Cropper) reading ‘Ozi Seven Legs’!

Even in normal circumstances, life with a disabled child can be an isolating experience – a study revealed that, before the Coronavirus pandemic, two thirds (65%) of parents already reported feelings of isolation. Limited social interaction can be due to work, lack of time and money to do activities other families take for granted, fear of people’s reactions to their child.

However, the lockdown is creating new challenges for families with a disabled child. The lack of  routine, the uncertainty and the added anxiety parents are experiencing about their disabled children’s vulnerability means social isolation is an even greater challenge. Many kids will no longer be getting their usual visits from their care teams, such as their physiotherapist or mental health professionals, and as a result may be showing extreme anxiety or behaviour changes.

The virtual classes are one of a number of resources created by the charity that also campaigns for a fair future for disabled children and their families and provides a peer support network for parents and carers.

 

Not only will they encourage dance through their online classes – the first with a SPACE theme filmed using animated green-screen technology and signed with Makaton – but the charity will also offer activities for little scientists and crafters, guided meditation and relaxation videos for parents/carers, ‘smile calls’ via video chat to provide those much needed boosts and a variety of other online resources.

 

FC at home

inclusive dance lessons, disability, disabled, dance, lessons

SUE RYDER OPENS ITS FIRST EVER POP UP, PACKED WITH CELEBRITY DONATIONS

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Charity crawlers, and celeb enthusiasts, look no further. For just one day only on Friday October 19th, Sue Ryder will be opening its pop up shop in Mayfair, with donations from famous faces including Eddie Redmayne, Kate Moss, Sam Smith and Daniel Radcliffe.

The temporary treasure chest will be hosted in one of London’s grandest auction houses, Bonhams, to help drive funds for one of the leading UK’s charities offering families palliative, neurological and bereavement care.

Top celebrity items will be sold via silent auction but customers can pop in and purchase a plethora of vintage goodies.

Oscar winning Actor Eddie Redmayne has donated a signed copy of his original script from The Theory of Everything, the biopic of Professor Stephen Hawking, who lived with MND for most of his adult life.

Eddie, who was awarded the Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of Professor Hawking said of the donation:

“It seemed a fitting tribute to the memory of Stephen, to donate my signed script from The Theory of Everything to Sue Ryder. The charity provides vital support to people living with MND and I’m delighted that funds raised from my donation will help to support people living with this and other life-changing conditions.”

Model and fashion icon Kate Moss, who has donated a signed copy of her coffee-table tome Kate by Kate Moss to the shop added:

“I regularly donate to my local Sue Ryder shop in North London and I’m delighted to be supporting the charity’s first pop-up shop.”

 

The store will be open from 10:00 am – 4:30 pm on Friday 19th October at Bonhams 101 New Bond Street, London W1S 1SR.

 

 

Rally around for the RSPB with Robin Hood and Weird Fish

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Here at Frost, we love a charitable collab and love them more when there’s fashion involved – enter, Weird Fish x RSPB!

These quirky Robin Hood themed t-shirts are available in two colours (‘ox blood’ and ‘black iris’ – or ‘maroon’ and ‘blue’ to the more straight-talking amongst us) and are decorated with all of your favourite Robin Hood characters – Flier Tuck, Alan-A-Quail, Maid Marrihen, Trill Scarlet and Twittle John. See what they did there?

‘Why this collaboration’, I hear you say? To celebrate the launch of the new visitor centre in Sherwood Forest, of course.

At £20 a pop, a quarter of the funds you pay (£5) will head straight under the wing of the charity. Claw onto one by visiting the Weird Fish website.

The Ultimate Guide To Clearing Your Clutter

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Last year I became quite obsessed with decluttering. In fact, thanks to Marie Kondo I think we all did. I have never liked being surrounded by a lot of stuff. I have always hated clutter. Which is why I am feeling rather proud. My husband and I have got rid of thousands of things. There are still a few things earmarked to go, but we are the closest to minimalism we have ever been. The flat looks fundamentally tidy even though we have a toddler. Things are also much easier to find and we have even made some money selling things. Here is my quick, but comprehensive, guide to decluttering. It will change your life, trust me.

You need to put things into different bags,boxes or piles. The options are: Recycle, Sell, Keep, Mend, Give to Charity.

 

You don’t have to do it all at once so don’t get overwhelmed. You can do a room at a time, or even just a drawer of cupboard. Slow and steady is just as good as one full-on day.

My biggest tip is to keep a charity bag somewhere you can easily access. Put things in there you want to get rid of, and then when it is full you can take it to the charity shop. 

You can make decluttering fun by doing it while you watch your favourite TV show or listen to music. You can even get all of the family involved. Getting rid of old stuff always feels great.

Declutter for 5-10 minutes everyday. It all adds up.

Put the handle on the hanger in your wardrobe in one direction, if you wear the item, turn the handle around. Wait a certain amount of time, say, six months, then throw out everything you have not worn.

 

You can give away unwanted stuff while doing good for the environment via Freecycle.org

 

Get rid of all your old phones. Just remember to delete your personal information and remove the SIM card. There are plenty of good websites and companion websites which will give you the best price. I use https://www.mazumamobile.com/sell-my-mobile. Just make sure you check out their reputation on trustpilot.com

You can also sell old ink cartridges. The amount you can earn is so low that I would give them to chairty instead. Cash for Cartridges pay for old ink cartridges but you have to set up an account, the withdrawal limit is £25, and their prices are so low it would take an age to get there. http://www.cashforcartridges.co.uk/ink-cartridge-recycling-prices

Personally I think it is better to donate them to the British Heart Foundation. You can download their free post label here. https://www.therecyclingfactory.com/bhf/. Other charities that take old printer cartridges include the British Institute for Brain Injured Children, RNLI, Barnados, Sense, and the World Cancer Research Fund.

I have sold all of my old gadgets. After removing my personal data of course. I used eBay.co.uk as I found they had the best prices. There are other places of course. cashinyourgadgets.co.uk, musicmagpie.com and even Apple itself will buy your old technology. It is best to remove your old hard drive before selling your old computers. Note that Apple will give you a gift card in return. They also recycle things for free that they do not buy, including PCs.

Amazon.co.uk marketplace allows you to sell books, DVDs and some other stuff. They do take a huge fee however, a massive 17.25% commission. The good news is that it is free to list. They also give you a postage credit which does not always cover the cost of posting the book, then take it away in fees.

You can also sell by Car Booting. Car boot sales are not the best place to get the top price. I have never done it personally but there will be plenty in your area. Just do a search. They tend to charge a fee to pitch up your car and sell. I would mark your prices up a bit as people like to haggle.

Other good places to sell your stuff.

 

Facebook groups

There is even a sell option on Facebook. You can also join groups and sell your stuff on the group.

The best way I have found of getting rid of stuff is to give it to charity. You do good and give back to the community while clearing out your home. Win win.

You can donate pretty much everything. For instance, the RSPB, DHIVERSE and the World Owl Trust will take old stamps. Your old glasses and sunglasses can go to charity shops. Branches of Boots Opticians and  Dolland and Aitchinson usually have recycling bins for old glasses. You can donate your foreign currency. RNIB will take it. Help the Aged, Marie Curie and Age UK will even take old currency that can no longer be changed. Many charities will also take your old phones.

Take your old clothes to a charity shop or a local clothes bank. H&M, Uniqlo and Marks & Spencer’s all take old items of clothing.

It is best to sell furniture on Gumtree.com, Facebook groups or other local resources. Furniture and homeware does not hold its value well. If you do want to get rid of your furniture and don’t want to sell it do not spend hundreds getting someone to take it away for you. We were quoted over £400 for someone to come and take our furniture away. I donated it to the British Heart Foundation instead and they came and took it away for free.

When it comes to donating furniture the Furniture Reuse Network will take your goods and then distribute them to a charity organisation in your area.  Oxfam and the British Heart Foundation also take furniture. You can also try Freecycle and Freegle where you offer your good for free to anyone who can collect them.

Gone For Good is a great social enterprise that puts people in touch with charities that will come and take away their furniture or anything else they want to donate. You use the Gone For Good app by taking a photo of your unwanted stuff on our phone and then one of the charities will come and take the goods away based on your postcode. The app is free to use and the charity will pick up your goods for free too. Great for people who don’t have a car.

When you give stuff to charity make sure you sign up for Gift Aid. This allows the charity to claim an extra 25p for every £1 you give and also lets you get some money off your tax bill. Don’t do it unless you pay tax though, you will have to pay the extra gift aid. To learn more about tax relief and gift aid go here.

My last tips are to get rid of old change via self services machines. No, the staff from the supermarket don’t like it but as long as you don’t overdo it I am sure it will be fine. I also find eBay.co.uk the best place for selling stuff. Even if there are some people on there that just want to steal your stuff. I send valuable things signed for. My other, and biggest, tip for decluttering is also the one that is best for the environment: stop buying so much crap. Seriously. I rarely buy anything these days other than food and it has changed my life. My sure everything has a place and goes back into that place. Everything else can be sold or given to charity.
Thank you for reading. Please add your own tips below.

Great decluttering books:

The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying: A simple, effective way to banish clutter forever

Stuffocation: Living More with Less

Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less

Business of Books: So Much to Give – Part 1

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Jane Cable on how authors get together to support charities

It’s that time of year again. The time when Chindi Authors stand outside the Cancer Research UK shop in Arundel for ten whole days during the town’s festival trying to sell books. Not an easy task when the second hand offerings inside are so much cheaper, but we stick at it because we can add to the coffers of this excellent cause, promote our own books and meet readers.

We know we’ll be well supported by our members and local people, but organiser romantic novelist and kidlit writer Carol Thomas was asked by author contacts up and down the country if they could donate too. While she did the charitable thing and set up a donation page – http://www.carol-thomas.co.uk/Chindi-cruk/ – her generosity simply got me thinking about how much writers achieve when they band together for good causes.

The most high profile recent example of this was the Authors for Grenfell online auction which attracted pledges of more than £150,000, over £30,000 of which was for Philip Pullman to name a character after one of the young victims of the fire. Quirky lots did well too, with conductor and writer Lev Parikian putting together a package which bridged both his worlds: “I offered signed books and (more importantly on this occasion, I think) conducting lessons. A bidding war between three people meant we raised £1,700.”

 

CLIC Sargent runs an annual ‘Get in Character’ eBay auction where authors such as crime writer E V Seymour and novelist and poet Claire Dyer have offered bidders a range of lots including – you guessed it – having a character in a book named after them. Critiques prove equally popular and previous Business of Books guest Karen King (https://www.frostmagazine.com/2017/04/how-to-have-more-than-100-titles-published/) offered one in the Authors for Refugees auction last year, an initiative which raised £22,000.

 

Another way of writers getting together to raise money is by giving their time to contribute to and to edit anthologies for causes as diverse as cancer and heart charities, earthquake appeals, women’s rescues and hospices. Some have very personal links to the cause, including saga writer Elaine Everest (also a previous Business of Books guest): “I organised and edited the anthology ‘Diamonds and Pearls’ (Accent Press) to celebrate my 30th anniversary of surviving breast cancer (7 years ago) with funds going to Against Breast Cancer.”

 

Crime & thriller writer Jane Risdon is a serial contributor to anthologies, supporting amongst others Women for Women, Breakthrough, Women’s Aid, The Norfolk Hospice, The Princess Alice Hospice and Save The Children. She was slightly upset when there was no thanks from certain charities, but would still do it again. Other authors say that smaller charities are more responsive than the larger ones so they prefer to work with these.

 

Some writers go the whole nine yards and get together to form charities of their own. A prime example of this is saga writer and Frost contributing editor, Margaret Graham, who together with Jan Speedie and Penny Deacon set up Words for the Wounded which exists to raise funds for injured service personnel through writing prizes and events. It’s a wonderful organisation and every penny goes directly to the people who need it. Authors can help in a variety of ways – Chindi raised almost a thousand pounds by organising a litfest, others give their time to speak at events or in my case I donate £1 for every Amazon review of my book Another You. Find out more about W4W here: http://www.wordsforthewounded.co.uk/.