Press Release – YHA Lost Property Charity Pop-Up Shops

June 25, 2015 by Bel

Following the huge success of the YHA Lost Property Charity Shop at YHA London St Paul’s for the last two years, YHA (England & Wales) has decided to create more pop-up shops throughout England and Wales. For just two days – September 5th and 6th 2015 – YHAs nationwide will be showcasing some of the best lost property ever left behind!

These fabulous fashion events comes as part of YHA Day, where the organisation opens their doors to the local community to thank them for the support over the past year and introduce YHA to a new audience.

Clothes, jewellery and the most random of random belongings left behind by guests throughout the last year or kindly donated by travellers who over-shopped on the high streets and had to leave some of their belongings behind will be available to the discerning customer.

Vintage, pre-loved and second-hand clothes are great for giving you a distinctly different look and every piece tells a story – you never know who might have left something behind! From designer threads to homemade garments, you’ll definitely find something to suit your trend tastes here. Some events are also showcasing some local student designers so you may be able to pick up an original piece from the next Vivienne Westwood or Karl Lagerfeld!

With YHA believing strongly in good old fashioned charity shop prices, it’s a fantastic chance to grab an absolute bargain! Prices start from as little as 50p and it’s a great opportunity to get a peek inside some of YHA’s most beautiful buildings including the Rowntree house at York and YHA St Paul’s which was once a boarding school for the choir boys at St Paul’s Cathedral.

YHA’s pop-up shops will be appearing at a YHA near you, in some key locations throughout England and Wales. Find your fashion must-have at YHA Ambleside, YHA Bristol, YHA Cambridge, YHA Cardiff, YHA Keswick, YHA Liverpool, YHA London St Paul’s, YHA Malham or YHA York.

All money raised on the day goes directly to the YHA’s charity, Breaks for Kids, which gives bursaries to children from financially disadvantaged backgrounds when they take part in a school or community group break – allowing them to experience the great outdoors and a variety of adventures that they otherwise wouldn’t be able to. We believe in providing opportunities for everyone.

Find out more about YHA’s pop-up shops at www.yha.org.uk/yha-day

Trying to decide whether to Run or Dye

May 12, 2015 by Bel

I have a confession to make. You know how I was trying really hard to lose weight and get fit? Well right now I’m struggling. For the last year, going to Florida has been my motivation and now that’s passed, I’m finding it really hard to get back on track. I started my weight loss journey at 13 stone and 3 lb, getting down to 11 stone and 2lb before I went away. I promised myself that when I got back from holiday, I’d get right back to it – but it’s just not happening.

For the last four weeks, I’ve really struggled to eat well. The first week – excuse no. 1: Lily was poorly. Second week – excuse no. 2: I was poorly. Third week – excuse no. 3: let’s face it, I’m just not motivated again yet. Fourth week – excuse no. 4 – I’m going to eat so badly and then get back on with it next week….

So I’ve come up with a plan… train for a marathon!

It might seem a little crazy and even a bit extreme, but I think it’s what I need to motivate myself again. I absolutely hate exercise and I’ve really struggled to get out and run/jog, but maybe a summer of preparing for this, is just what I need!

Run or Dye is not just a 5K run for charity, its also a ridiculous amount of fun. Throughout the course, every 1K, you get covered in dye and your body becomes a canvas – an artwork. I hate getting messy so again this is quite extreme for me, but there is just something about it that seems so exciting.

Living in Lincolnshire, the best options for me are either North Yorkshire or Derbyshire. Both options give me plenty of time to train and also to continue losing weight. However if you’re interested in participating, there are locations all around the country. Also, if you’re interested – there is a discount code available (KISDISCOUNT) that will give you £3 off per person.

Although I want to get myself fit and hope to run this marathon, I also know that it doesn’t matter how long you take and ultimately you can walk it if you like. I think ultimately this makes the decision to participate a lot easier and hopefully a lot less daunting. I definitely recommend you check out the website and think about doing Run or Dye. I’ve always fancied doing something like this and now I think it’s just the motivation I need.

T-Shirt Tuesday (Sinceriously)

March 3, 2015 by Bel

Last week I didn’t get around to posting my T-Shirt Tuesday (or Thursday for that matter) so I wanted to make this one count! While I’m still no further with my t-shirt project, I did still want to showcase the t-shirt I’m wearing.

Last week, this epic t-shirt arrived through my door. To be honest I’d almost forgotten I’d ordered it. I love this t-shirt for 2 reasons, the first being that it has Stephen Amell’s face on it (sorry, but it’s true!). The second is because this t-shirt is part of a campaign, called surprisingly “Sinceriously” (I say surprisingly, because you can read that on the t-shirt, right?). The word is a combination of Sincere and Seriously (look, a word the American’s didn’t steal the U out of!) and its designed to bring attention to this campaign.

“It’s a campaign to get people talking. And what better way to get people talking than by creating a new word” – Stephen

If you haven’t watched the TV series “Arrow”, then you most definitely should. And if it’s really not your thing, then give Stephen Amell a follow on Facebook anyway. YES, he’s hot. And yes, that’s the reason I was first interested, but not only that, Stephen is just an amazing guy with a huge heart. He’s using his fame to do good and in my book that makes him more than just a celebrity.

I bought my t-shirt in the first wave of the Sinceriously campaign but there has been a second one since. Sadly this is now closed but perhaps there will be another one or if not I’m sure there will be another good cause to back instead. I will wear my Sinceriously t-shirt with pride because not only do I have Stephen Amell’s face on my boob (seriously, it is! not to mention the tee is green to remind me of Arrow!!) I also know I’ve helped a good cause and hopefully will raise awareness by wearing it. Well done Stephen, the award for Awesomeness goes Sinceriously to you!

Red Nose Day: Danceathon

February 12, 2015 by Bel

For quite some time now, I’ve wanted to do something meaningful for charity. Last year I was going to run for Sports Relief, but unfortunately the local run fell on a day I couldn’t do. However later in the year I participated in the Ice Bucket Challenge, donating to both British Heart Foundation and Macmillan Cancer Support. This year, I’ve decided to fundraise for Red Nose Day, specifically the Danceathon.

On Sunday 8th March, the first ever Danceathon for Comic Relief will take place at The SSE Arena, Wembley. The basic idea is to dance non-stop for 6 hours, from 12pm on that Sunday. While many people will be traveling to the arena itself, people are also encouraged to take part from their home and this is what I’ll be doing – along with the kids. Not only that, but Betfair have kindly offered to sponsor me for this – gifting £150 to my giving page.

To get ready for the event, I’ve been turning on the Xbox and practising my dance moves! I’m also shaking my booty as I dance around the kitchen, making dinner each day. However I’m pretty sure that I should exist as one of those “expectations vs reality” memes, where I look ridiculous if anyone actually saw me – perhaps its a good job I can’t make it to Wembley.

However I’m really looking forward to the idea of music style changing every 30 minutes. I feel like it will keep things interesting and much easier to keep on dancing for all that time. I’m crossing my fingers for a bit of Fat Boy Slim as that’s always what I think of when working out. Either that or Eric Prydz, although I think that’s another expectations vs reality situation!

Anyway if you’d like to sponsor me, I’d love to have you. I’m officially part of Team Honk and you can find me personal sponsor page here.