Charity at Christmas

It's so easy to get caught up in shopping, decorating and planning for our own family Christmasses that we forget people who are much, much less fortunate than ourselves. I read about this clever idea in my local newspaper and wanted to share it on my blog.

It's such a simple idea, yet since StreetSmart was established in 1998, it has raised over £4.7million for the homeless. Basically, you eat in a participating restaurant (there are lots all across the UK) and a voluntary £1 donation is added to your bill. A 100% of that £1 goes to homeless charities.

In my home city of Bristol there are over 12 restaurants taking part and the funds raised will go to help charities such as Bristol Soup Run Trust, Caring at Christmas and One 25.

So, whilst many of us are out celebrating, the StreetSmart campaign reminds us how important and how easy it can be to give a little bit back to charity at Christmas.

2011 - the Chinese Year of the Rabbit

Goodbye 2010 and hello 2011 - the new year seems to have come round quicker than ever! Time seems to speed up when you become a parent, I can't believe how quickly the months pass these days...

2011 is the Chinese Year of the Rabbit, which is good news as I love bunnies! The year of the Rabbit is "traditionally associated with home and family, artistic pursuits, diplomacy, and keeping the peace."

So in that vein, I am following "artistic pursuits" by working on some batches of Lavender Rabbits, some are in fabrics previously seen in my etsy store and some are in brand new colours. I am also working on some new ideas for bags, can't say too much yet as I need to try out some prototypes first. I am also planning to launch a new vintage supplies section in my etsy store - I just need to find a parallel dimension where time is no object and I should hopefully bring all these ideas to life in 2011.

And in the spirit of "home and family" I want to try and help a local charity called Children's Hospice South West. I have wanted to create a charity listing for some time now and I am determined to make 2011 the year I bring this idea into fruition. Some months ago a good friend gave me this fantastic green vintage fabric.



So in the spirit of 'paying it forward', I am going to use the fabric donated to me gratis to make some Lavender Rabbits. A percentage of the sale price for each rabbit will be donated to Children's Hospice South West. The reason I have chosen this charity is because it provides invaluable support for families experiencing one of the most traumatic experiences any parent could face. Another deciding factor was I attended a funeral of a lady on New Year's eve who was a tireless fundraiser for this charity. I would like, in some small part, to try and continue the work she can no longer carry out.



So Happy New Year to all my blog readers and I hope 2011 brings you health and happiness!

Foodcycle comes to Bristol

I recently read about a fantastic new project in The Spark Magazine and wanted to share it here on my blog. A charity called Foodcycle uses surplus food donated by local businesses and creates nutritious meals for people affected by food poverty. It also helps to cut the amount of food wasted by shops and outlets. According to the Foodcycle website, it is estimated that food retailers waste 500,000 tonnes of food each year in the UK with a similar amount generated from the private catering sector.

"FoodCycle combines young volunteers, surplus food and a free kitchen space to create nutritious meals for people affected by food poverty. The idea is simple. Food retailers throw out millions of tons of edible food every year due to supply overstock. The aim of FoodCycle is to redirect this food so it can be used to cook nutritious meals for people in the local community that do not have access to healthy foods for a variety of reasons, such as lack of income or knowledge of healthy nutrition."

You can read more about their Mission on their website



Started in London in 2008, Foodcycle has recently launched in Bristol. A team of volunteers now serve meals at Easton Community Centre on Sunday afternoons and on Wednesday evenings at Bristol University Student's Union.





Please do check out their website to find out more about volunteering or donating surplus food to the charity.