Giving Back This Christmas Feat. Post Pals // BLOGMAS DAY SEVEN

I have posted about Post Pals before (here in May 2014) but I thought this would be a good time to write another one. The festive season is a time for goodwill and I have seen an increase in the amount of 'Random Acts of Kindness' which is always a good thing! 

Post Pals are a charity that helps to 'post a smile on a sick child's face' by supplying a PO Box address for many children around the UK who are living with an illness. The idea is to send a card/letter/parcel to these children to help to brighten their day and what better time of year to do this than at Christmas! Most people are sending Christmas cards at this time of year anyway so sending an extra one is so easy to do and will make such a difference to these children!

I am aiming to send a small package to 10 different children this Christmas as a way to pass on the Christmas spirit. I am planning to include just a few small things such as a small cuddly toy, some chocolate coins and a Christmas card. It is something so simple to do and really doesn't have to cost much at all but it is so worth doing. 

Will you be doing any charity work this Christmas? Are you planning to send a card to a Pal from Post pals? Let me know in the comments section below!

Katharine House Hospice - Splatter Dash 2015

In just less than three weeks time my sister and I will be taking part in a 3k fun run to raise money for Katharine House Hospice, Stafford, a place that provides hospice care for those who are terminally ill. It is a great charity and we really want to donate as much as we can to help provide for the care of the patients. We have set a goal of £100 on our Justgiving page and we are 75% of the way to our goal. Anyone that knows me knows that I do not run but part of my New Years Resolutions was to say yes more so when I saw the run advertised I immediately thought of my sister who has wanted to take part in a colour run for some time now and thought 'why not?' and she agreed so here we are all signed up and ready to have powder paint thrown at us all for a good cause.

If everyone who reads this is able to donate to help us reach our goal it would mean so much to not just us, but those who use the charity for the care it provides! If you are unable to donate, please share and help raise awareness for this great cause!

Have you ever taken part in a colour run? Let me know in the comments section below!

My Favourite Memories - The Alzheimers Society

Today I was asked by a friend to share a photo on Facebook related to one of my favourite memories and accompany that picture with the caption:

‘’To help lead the fight against dementia, to end the distress it causes, take action and raise awareness and money for Alzheimer's Society. The idea is to post a picture related to one of your favourite memories and make a donation by texting 'ASFM90' followed by the amount to 70070. So for example: ASFM90 £2’’

I thought to myself ‘why stick to Facebook? Why not blog about it too?’ So that’s what this post is going to be about, my favourite memories and the intention of raising awareness and funds for a charity close to my heart!

I have seen someone close to me go through the stages of dementia and have seen how it affects every aspect of their lives, from simple things like forgetting your cup of tea to more advanced stages such as forgetting how to walk/talk/feed yourself. It is truly a horrific thing for any person to go through. In my case, my nana forgot who I was and actually thought I was her sister (her sister as a child that is) and used to frequently ask me what I had done to my hair as it was ‘different to normal’. Sadly my nana passed away about 3 years ago and by this time she lived in a home and required a lot of care.

However, this post is about my favourite memories photo’s that are related to those memories so first up we have this photo that was taken a few days ago of my two brothers, my sister and me. This photo was taken by my dad in my kitchen and isn’t exactly related to a specific memory but it does remind me of all the fun things we have done as a family such as days out, games nights and Christmases. Believe it or not, the giant at the back is the youngest at only 14 but dwarfs us all!

 Second we have this photo I took on my recent holiday to Thassos, Greece (more photo’s here). This is such a good memory because it’s the first time I’ve been on holiday by myself and also the first time I have ever been on an aeroplane! The whole flying aspect of going on holiday really blew my mind. Being above the clouds was such a surreal experience I don’t think I’ll ever forget it! The holiday itself was amazing, I celebrated my 21^st birthday in another country and spent 2 weeks by the sea, it was gorgeous.

The last memory I am going to talk about is the time my sister visited me at university and we went to the karaoke night at the SU bar. This is one of my favourite memories because it was lovely to see my sister come out of her shell a bit more and have a first-hand experience of what university is like before she starts in September.

What are your favourite memories? Share them in the comments section below and if you write a similar blogpost then send me the link so I can read them too! Don’t forget to donate to The Alzheimer's Society by texting 'ASFM90' followed by the amount to 70070. So for example: ASFM90 £2’