A Wonderful World

CHANGES TO FASHION, CHANGES TO THE ENVIRONMENT Do you think about where you buy your clothes from and the process of how they get to you? Sustainable fashion  is a movement and process of fostering change to fashion  products and the fashion system towards greater ecological integrity  and social justice.  Sustainable fashion concerns more than just addressing fashion textiles  products. It addresses the whole system of how clothing is produced, who produced it how long the life span of a product is before it reaches landfill. This means dealing with interdependent social, cultural, ecological, and financial systems. Put simply, it's   an approach towards sourcing, manufacturing and designing clothes which maximizes the benefits to the fashion industry and society at large, while at the same time minimizing its impact on the environment. Sustainable fashion is the recommended and preferred alternative to fast fashion as it has less negative implications and...

  'I'm about to show you my boobs', said Lizzie. Before proceeding to display her cute crochet creations. Who doesn't love a good boob? Especially when it's a crochet one. Even more so when purchasing one helps to raise money for charity.  In the current climate, lockdown has left many of us with some time to delve into trying new things, time to experiment and freedom to explore creativity, perhaps even set up a new business. 'Lou's Boobs' is a small business set up during lockdown by the young woman Lizzie Back. Purchased via Instagram, handmade crochet boob key rings for just £7 including postage, and with every purchase 10% goes to Cancer Research UK. With a range of colours, the boob can be accustomed to fit your fancy and as a key ring,  attach to whatever you wish. Along with the boob key ring comes the backing card, on which reads a range of quotes from 'The world has gone tits up' to 'It's a bit nippy'. Amusing as well as bea...

So far my 'Love In Lockdown' series has been made up of others stories and experiences, selfless acts carried out by other people to help support those in need. This week I'm sharing my own story. After researching, learning about so many charities and hearing the inspiring stories of others and how they're offering support, I wanted to get involved and help those in need in any way I can. Even more so after learning that there are so many simple ways to offer support, every little goes a long way, and due to Covid19 this is a particularly challenging time for everyone.  Today, the 13th of December, I took part in a 10K walk to raise money for the charity 'Shelter'. Shelter is a charity that helps to combat homelessness with advice, support and legal services. For every £1 you donate, 79p is spent directly on helping people through advice, campaigning and support, and 21p is spent on fundraising. If you are concerned about someone you have seen sleeping rough, y...

  'There are simple yet effective ways to help others throughout lockdown and onwards' With my 'Love in Lockdown' series focusing on stories surrounding good will and selflessness throughout lockdown, I've been passionate about sharing tales of happiness, comfort and support to bring us together through this challenging time, put smiles on faces and most of all, encourage others to do the same. Encouraging caring for ourselves and others in ways that we can, and learning about the work of charities and how to help out is an effective way of doing that. A friend of mine has kindly been working for two charities throughout Lockdown, whilst continuing to work in order to fend for herself, she has been selfless and giving in using some of her time around her own work to support these two charities. One of which is 'City Harvest' , a London surplus food redistribution charity, and the second is a drug and alcohol recovery service. It's hearing from individu...

' WHATEVER YOU'RE GOING THROUGH, CALL US ANYTIME FOR FREE. WE'RE HERE TO LISTEN' BOTH IN AND OUT OF LOCKDOWN, SAMARITANS ARE COMMITTED TO SUPPORTING AND HELPING THOSE IN NEED. 'Samaritans' is a registered charity aimed at providing confidential support to anyone in need, distress, struggling to cope, needs someone to listen without pressure or judgement, or for anyone at risk of suicide throughout United Kingdom and Ireland. Although their support was available prior to Covid19, due to both lockdown and the challenges the virus has raised, their demand has increased and the constant support that the volunteers and charity offer is to be both recognised and praised. They are there to talk anytime, to support mental health, loneliness and difficulties in isolation. Although not a religious organisation, the charity was founded by a vicar named  Chad Varah  in London in 1953. As a vicar he offered counselling to his parishioners, but wanted to do something more spe...

'LOVE IN LOCKDOWN SERIES: GIVING AND SELFLESS ACTS THROUGHOUT LOCKDOWN'  ' VITAL MEALS IS A NEW NON-PROFIT VENTURE SET UP IN RESPONSE TO THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC' Ayesha Pakravan-Ovey, 26 and from London, began as the owner of 'The Plattery', a catering service set up in 2019 in London, offering platters and food boxes made by professional chefs with a fresh take on grazing tables, coming together with homemade and exciting food. As the catering company was hit by Covid19, Ayesha decided to continue to support her community and tackle food poverty. In Lockdown, Ayesha launched 'Vital Meals', and their ' Parcel to Plate ' service, collecting food parcels from doors and delivering fresh, home cooked meals in return. She came up with the idea to help the vulnerable during this challenging time, cooking meals in her own home before moving to a bigger kitchen, and delivering them. All to ensure those who need support still have access to nutritious ...

'Give a little, help a lot.' Before I start my new series 'Love in Lockdown', sharing stories of how others are selflessly helping others throughout this time, I thought I would share how I am doing the same, the work of charities and how we can all do our bit to help out. Coronavirus has no doubt impacted all of our lives, from a change of routine, experiencing anxiety, rules and regulations, unemployment, fighting over toilet roll and pasta, lockdowns, and lack of communication and freedom. We are all experiencing our own personal challenges amongst this unexpected global storm. It's during these times that both caring for ourselves and others is more than essential for both physical and mental health. Checking in on ourselves of course, but also giving what we can to others. That's where the glorious work of charities is to be recognised. Although there are multiple larger charities here in the UK, (Macmillan Cancer Support, British Heart Foundation, St John ...