Good Causes


Are you an organ donor? 18

Many years ago I signed up as an organ donor, but I had selected the bits I was willing to be taken. Medical science wasn’t bad when I was a teenager, but it had certainly improved these days. I’ve always felt that if you would consider accepting a donated organ for yourself or your family you should be registered yourself. Today was a normal day for us, we went to the rugby, Blokey and his mate are drinking a few pints, and Jen is munching on a pasty. Then the NHS  sign for life folks walked along – #SignForLife leaflets in hand and armed with Haribo hearts – looking for new recruits. Blokey wasn’t on the list and now we are both down as full donors. We’ve given them full permission for both of us, if we die they can use what is saveable. Apparently you can save up to […]


When a person becomes invisible 5

Yesterday I was walking through town, minding my own business and a homeless guy said “can you spare some change please?” I hesitated and considered just saying “sorry but no” like I often do but he looked at me and smiled.I shake my purse and grab some silver coins, it’s not a lot but he genuinely seemed happy. I say “sorry it’s not much lovely” and he said something like “it all helps, and at least you didn’t ignore me.” It was a bit chilly, and I’m honestly nervous about giving homeless or other street people money as one local man always lies, so I say to the young chap on the floor “fancy a cuppa?” His face! “Yes please, a coffee with 4 sugars miss.”


Refugees and kindness 1

It’s not often I get all political but that picture of Aylan Kurdi really got to me. He was so little, so perfect. He looks like my lads in so many ways, it hit me hard. I was bothered before, but kinda thought things were improving for the refugees and that big charities had it under control. It seems though he’s not died in vain, obviously I wish he and his brother Galip were still alive, as I wish all the other refugees were. But this little boy changed the world, I had of course seen lots of other nasty pictures and video clips on the news, but nothing hits a parent in the chest like seeing a dead baby. I immediately recognise things about him, but those tiny little shoes, they got me most. Shoes – it sounds so dumb, but my boys had tiny shoes like that: dirty soles […]


Kaln

The owls need YOU! 5

Near me is the wonderful Barn Owl Centre and their feathered friends need your support. They are trying to raise £30k so they can buy the farm they are based on. They’ve been renting since 2008 from the council. If they can buy the farm the future will be more secure, they can do the improvements they need to do and not worry about whether the lease will be renewed or not.


Honk! I’m in the #TeamHonkRelay for Sport Relief 5

If you don’t #TeamHonk are Alexander Residence, Mammasaurus and Mummy Barrow. Last year they went to Ghana and were quite frankly awesome. That was for Comic Relief, but this slightly daft brilliant Lands to John O’Groats blogger relay walk/skip/dance/run thingamybob is for Sport Relief. The relay started in Cornwall a few days ago, and has already raised a lot of money, seen funny dress up outs and outrageousness a plenty, but I get involved in February. Some photos from the bloggers who have already done their “leg” of the relay can be found on the team honk photo page, and the master plan of the massive route is also on team honks site, and it is a little epic. What am I upto you ask? Well it’s Sport relief, but I just think of comic relief so need to look a bit silly … So I am walking from Gloucester city center towards […]


Cancer Research UK Want To End The #PacketRacket

Today Cancer Research UK are launching a video (below) to help the campaign for standardised packaging. That means removing the funky, bold, iconic and eye catching designs from fag packets because children respond to branding. I started smoking young, about 12 years old. I stuck to certain brands, pretty ones. So I do agree with this campaign, anything that makes children less likely to start smoking is a good thing. Why do I care about smoking cancers? I care because this killed my Grandad, Gramps, the man who was a dad to me. Killed by brightly coloured sticks of poison sold at the post office, the supermarket, even the sweet shop. I remember clearly my Gramps smoking, and telling me the dangers weren’t known when he started smoking as a young man. That he knew better now, but he was already a smoker for most of his life, why stop? […]


Christmas Shoe Boxes 5

After years being a bit anti the charity shoe box schemes I’ve decided I will give a box to a girl overseas. This change of heart is entirely MichelleTwinMum’s doing. Last year she went with Operation Christmas Child, (or OCC for short) to Belarus to see how they operate and who gets the shoebox parcels. You can read all about it on Michelle’s blog by clicking on the link here.


WIN ended – Various Raffle Prizes In Support Of #MMskydive 19

As I might have previously mentioned, I am skydiving in memory of Matilda with 8 other Mummies very soon. Matilda Mae was nine months old, I thought “cot death” only takes tiny newborns. Sadly that’s not true. If you are a new parent please please visit the LullabyTrust website and check out the advice bits. Information like this can save little lives. In an attempt to push up my online donations, and to help the Lullaby Trust as much as possible, I am going to raffle off items of my own. These are things I have bought, and items that I as a blogger, have been given for attending conferences or writing certain posts. Anything I can to increase the #MMskydive total with #TeamMatildaMae  as currently my page has the least donations. I’m not giving up though! I will be keeping my eyes peeled in shops for nice little prizes […]