JBIL the European Disaster Volunteers

Leave a reply

It is all a bit to easy to sit out little bubbles and get bogged down the with little things in life that often aren’t worth stressing about. You know the things like who changed the bin bags, did the dishwasher or cleaned out the litter tray.

Then something catches your attention and makes you realise that actually there is a bit more to life than chores.

This week I have been speaking with Emma from European Disaster Volunteers, an organisation that works with at-risk communities around the world and those affected by disasters. Forget a plush PR office in Soho, Emma is based in a small community on the outskirts of Manila called Banaba where she is helping run deployment and really is an inspiration.

So today she is talking about the work this organisations does to help communities rebuild their lives so that they’ll be stronger for years to come and more able to meet their own needs.

Please tell me a bit about European Disaster Volunteers
European Disaster Volunteers is an England and Wales Registered Charity which helps disaster affected and at-risk communities worldwide find sustainable solutions to the problems they face. Our origins are European but our approach is global – we welcome volunteers and donors regardless of nationality. EDV is unlike many other disaster response organisations in two ways.

First of all, we don’t provide emergency aid. There are lots of organisations that already do a great job in the chaotic first days following a disaster. Instead of joining them as first responders, we focus on long-term recover and disaster risk reduction. That means that rather than respond to the disaster’s immediate impacts, we help communities rebuild so that they’ll be stronger for years to come and more able to meet their own needs.

Second, we believe well-managed volunteers can make a sustainable impact on the lives of disaster survivors even if they don’t have special skills or a lot of money to donate. To keep volunteering as affordable as possible, we don’t charge any form of administrative fee and we don’t make a profit from our volunteers. We only charge volunteers the bare minimum to cover the food they eat, a place to live, security, Internet, drinking water, and all their basic needs. We also don’t impose a minimum or maximum stay with us, so whether you have a year to spare or a week off work you’re welcome at EDV.

Whilst we welcome both skilled and unskilled volunteers to join our projects and get involved in real, sustainable development, we don’t believe in “voluntourism”. Volunteering with EDV is not an experience that your purchase like a tour – it is an opportunity to become involved in sustainable community based projects that change lives.

Our model of flexible volunteerism has already proven itself in Haiti. We worked in Port au Prince from June 2010 to December 2011, and thanks in large part to our volunteer involvement we were able to execute 20 projects which directly affected 3,200 survivors. Our volunteers invested thousands of hours in building local community leaders’ ability to run their own projects, and as a result they’re now running education programmes for 160 students and an orphanage support programme.

We’re now working in Manila where we’re helping a community group reduce the community’s vulnerability to disaster and become more able to meet their own needs.

Where do you run services?
We’re currently supporting our Haitian partners as they run a free English school called the English in Mind Institute, a small scholarship programme, and support the Hands Together to Defend the Children orphanage. Each of these projects was set up by international volunteers working in close partnership with a Haitian community leader. Together, these three on-going programmes provide a safe home, food, health care, an education, and an enriching environment for 27 orphans as well as ensuring 160 adult and primary schools students can stay in school and learn the skills they need to escape poverty.

We’re also currently working in a small community on the outskirts of Manila called Banaba. Banaba sits in a flood plane between two rivers and is affected by flooding almost every year. Thousands of Banaba’s residents survive on less than $2 a day in flimsy shacks on the riverbank, and these annual floods are devastating for these high-risk families.

Banaba’s poorest are vulnerable, but they aren’t helpless. In 1997, they came together to form a people’s organisation called “Buklod Tao”. Buklod Tao, which means “People Bonding Together” in Filipino has been working to create a stronger, more resilient Banaba since day one. Today, they have more than 600 members and an impressive project list ranging from investing in sustainable livelihoods to reduce poverty to organising community based rescue teams to look after the most vulnerable during floods.

Our goal here is to help Buklod Tao expand its projects and build its capacity to meet Banaba’s needs with reduced reliance on outside aid. To that end, we’re helping Buklod Tao build flood rescue boats, create its own website, improve its IT capacity, accounting systems, and, crucially, build a three-storey livelihoods and evacuation centre.

We’ve only been working in Manila for a few months, but we’ve already helped reinforce Buklod Tao’s access road, executed IT trainings, begun construction of a sturdy roof for the 2013 rainy season, funded a rescue boat, and much more. You can learn more about our work here: http://www.edvolunteers.org/philippines

What is your role at the organisation?
My role as Media and Marketing Director is to ensure that the world knows all about EDV’s great work! I am also an experienced disaster response volunteer myself, so I also take an active role in developing and executing our projects. Here in the Philippines, I’m focusing on capacity building trainings for Buklod Tao’s leadership.

Where do you work from?
I am based in a small community on the outskirts of Manila called Banaba where I’m helping run our deployment.

How do you decide where to work and who to help?
At EDV, we focus on responding to disasters and working with communities which are very vulnerable to disaster to reduce their risk. That’s obviously a large category. To narrow it down, we focus on communities where there are already existing community led efforts which we can support. This way we can be sure that our efforts will enhance locally led work rather than displace community efforts.

What success stories have you had?
In Haiti, we were able to help 3,200 earthquake survivors with 20 projects. While we’re proud of all our projects, the biggest project successes we had in Haiti were the education programmes which are still running today.

Our goal in Haiti was work that would continue long after our volunteers left Haiti, and that’s exactly what we did. As above, our education and orphanage support programmes are providing a bright future to hundreds of at risk disaster survivors.

Our work here in the Philippines has also been a huge success because it’s shown that smaller volunteer driven organisations like ours don’t have to be limited to “simple” reconstruction projects. By focusing on long-term disaster risk reduction, we’re showing that volunteers – even “unskilled” volunteers – can support sustainable, community-based change.

The above are our biggest project successes, however some of our most affecting successes have taken place on a much smaller scale. We have so many individuals who have told us how their lives have been changed for the better thanks to EDV’s work. One that stands out is 15-year-old Richardson. He lives in Port au Prince, and lost his mom in the earthquake. A few months later, and his dad died of Cholera. He was selling water on the streets of Port au Prince before he was brought to the orphanage where we work.

He was 13 when he arrived, and he had never been to school before. We provided the funding and volunteer support so that Richardson and all 27 children at the orphanage would have education, psychological support, health care, healthy food, and enriching activities. Richardson couldn’t read or write when he arrived, and was extremely withdrawn. Today, he’s one of the brightest kids in class and dreams of being a teacher.

These kinds of “small” successes make our work worthwhile!

How do you raise funds?
EDV raises funds through a variety of private sources like private trusts and foundations, online giving platforms like GlobalGiving (https://www.globalgiving.org/donate/3243/european-disaster-volunteers-edv/), JustGiving, and The Big Give (https://secure.thebiggive.org.uk/charity/view/9607). We also receive plenty of private donations!

The rest of our funding comes from the generosity and hard work of our volunteers and our volunteers’ friends and family. In fact, in our 2012 fiscal year, more than 70% of our income came from our network of incredible volunteers and their friends and families.

Much of that came from a variety of inspiring fundraising events. We’ve had supporters cycled the UK for EDV, run countless marathons, and this summer more than a dozen supporters are even abseiling for EDV! We’re still looking for more abseilers if you’re interested J

We have also enjoyed significant support from the Vodafone Foundation. Vodafone has awarded our executive director, Andy Chaggar, with both the £40,000 Vodafone International World of Difference Award in 2010 and the £20,000 Grahame Maher Award in 2013. Vodafone has also provided EDV with four staffing grants through it’s UK World of Difference Award.

What is the Vodaphone award about? The Vodafone Foundation honours extraordinary individuals who donate themselves to charities worldwide. Our leader, Andy, has now received two major Vodafone Foundation Awards – the £40,000 International World of Difference Award in 2010 which paid his salary for the year, and the £20,000 Grahame Maher Award. The Grahame Maher Award was available to all Vodafone Foundation Winners Worldwide and was extremely competitive.

The Vodafone Foundation’s support is due in large part to Andy’s personal story. In 2004, Andy was an engineer who decided to take a year out and travel the world with his fiancé, Nova. The couple was sleeping on the beach in Thailand when the 2004 Asian tsunami struck. Nova was killed, and Andy was seriously injured.

After the tsunami, Andy returned to the UK to recover from his injuries. That recover was a seven-month process that included relearning how to walk. As soon as he was able, he returned to Thailand to volunteer rebuilding homes for Thai tsunami survivors. After his volunteer work, Andy found that he couldn’t go back to being an engineer. He gave up his well-paying job, and spent several years volunteering in disaster zones worldwide before founding EDV.

Today, Andy’s experiences as a survivor are at the heart of our community-based approach to disaster recovery. Andy has experienced both the physical and psychological effects of disaster first hand, and he knows that empowering survivors is just as important as rebuilding their homes. Now, as the leader of EDV, Andy helps other survivors retake their lives, just as he did after the tsunami.

What has been the charity’s highlight?
I think our highlight has been being able to launch our second deployment in the Philippines. We were able to fund our work in Haiti in large part because of the media attention which the earthquake attracted. Here in the Philippines, our work is based on preventing a disaster by reducing risk, not responding to an event that has generated lots of press cover.

That makes this kind of deployment more of a challenge because we have to generate interest ourselves. It’s been really exciting for us as a young charity to have had success in generating that interest, and we can’t wait to see this deployment grow!

How can people get involved?
At EDV, we believe if you’re over 18, ready to learn, and wiling to work hard, you have what it takes to help vulnerable communities find solutions to the problems they face. We need all types of volunteers to join us in the Philippines and work on projects ranging from youth empowerment to construction to helping Filipino women market locally made products! Learn more about joining us overseas at www.EDVolunteers.org/volunteer.

If you can’t join us overseas, we hope that you’ll consider helping from home by fundraising or donating. We need to raise £40,000 for the completion of a livelihoods and evacuation centre in a flood-prone community on the outskirts of Manila called Banaba.

The centre will provide a safe place for 89 of the community’s most vulnerable families to weather the annual floods that affect Banaba and give our local partners the space needed to involve hundreds more community members in their poverty reduction programmes. For just £10, you could sponsor a meter of floor.

You can make your donation here: http://www.justgiving.com/edv/Donate.

Fundaising is also another great way to help us complete the evacuation centre. We’re seeking runners to run the Great British 10K in London on July 14^th (learn more here: http://www.edvolunteers.org/run-edv) There are also still spots available to Abseil in support of EDV on June 2^nd! (Learn more: http://www.edvolunteers.org/dont-look-down)

Of course if you want to fundraise on your own you’re more than welcome – there are tools and ideas available here: http://www.edvolunteers.org/fundraise-edv.

What are your plans for 2013?
We have big plans for the rest of the year! We’ve been accepting volunteers in the Philippines for about six weeks now, and we’ve already been able to fund a rescue boat, execute a youth workshop for at-risk young people, provide IT training, support construction of the Evacuation Centre, and build a new safe workspace where Filipino community leaders can carry out poverty risk reduction and development programmes. Check out all of our activities in the Philippines here: http://www.edvolunteers.org/philippines

But our plans for the rest of the year go well beyond this small start! We plan to complete the Livelihoods and Evacuation Centre, build at least five more rescue boats for community rescue teams, partner with local paralegals to help vulnerable community members advocate for their rights, help market and sell locally produced recycled products, empower youth leaders to take responsibility for their future, and work with local communities to ensure that the most vulnerable members are ready when the floods come.

We need volunteers and donors to get involved and help us reach these ambitious goals! Please don’t hesitate to visit www.EDVolunteers.org to learn more, volunteer, or give!

Happy weekend x

JBIL Finding the Balance

Leave a reply

OK, so it is 2pm and already today I have done the school run, picked up a coffee and bumped into my sister, written a press release, thought up a pitch, seen a friend, done a photo shoot for a national newspaper, seen a friend and caught up with an email and still have to go back to school for a meeting with the inspectors and collect from the swimming pool once I have grabbed Lucas from his classroom.

Balance – what balance I hear you ask? Well I guess for me the balance is that I am freelance which means I can work at times that suit me. I get my stuff done in school hours, and evenings, which means I can still pick up the boys from school everyday day, do their home work with them, play games, read books, make tea and generally be at home when they need me.

It was interested to read a report yesterday, by Swedish clothing company me&I, revealing that given the right business idea, nearly three-quarters (73%) of working mums would leave the financial security of their current employment for a more entrepreneurial life – in order to give them the freedom to spend more time with their family.

Of the 1,500 working mothers who took part in the survey 64% have taken steps to improve their work-life balance since having children, with 50% opting for part-time working. However, in spite of this, many mums still find working in a traditional office environment a cause of stress, particularly when having to deal with family emergencies, such as a child’s illness (54%).

This inability to find a desired work-life balance has led to a rise in working mothers stepping outside confines of the traditional office-working environment and carving out their own careers in which they dictate the terms – fuelling the growth in a Mum-Economy.

OK, I am not overly keen on the while mum economy term, bit condescending and twee but they have a point and increasingly women around me are turning away from inflexible, traditional PAYE employment and looking at more flexible options when it comes to work.

One such example is a friend of mine called Bella Campbell who launched a new family business – China Time Vintage Hire, at the weekend. Bella, her sister Lisa Dodwell, and mum, Sheila Campbell, are the founders of China Time Vintage Hire and know about juggling the demands of work and families.

The company specialises in renting out elegant linens, unique vintage crockery & cutlery, and cute hand-made bunting for wedding receptions, birthdays, anniversaries, tea dances, christenings, corporate events and simple afternoon tea parties.

Their eclectic mix pretty floral china from the 40s and 50s may look out-of-place as single pieces but together the effects offer a nostalgic feel that adds something special to any occasion.

They can be very proud of the event they held last week where the tea was flowing as family and friends got together to enjoy a traditional afternoon tea and 1920’s dance session using their fantastic stock.

The Mayor of Marlow, Cllr Suzanne Brown opened proceedings and joined guests for a spot of tea followed by a master class in the Charleston that proved very popular.

China Time Vintage Hire currently offers packages from as little as £1.50 per person for any celebratory event in the Buckinghamshire, Berkshire and Hertfordshire area and more information can be seen at www.chinatimevintagehire.com

I wish Bella and the team lots of luck as join other working mums who are the masters of their own destiny.

Nat x

Top Tips When it Comes to Vitamin D

Leave a reply

Around 65% of people living in the UK don’t get enough vitamin D and in the winter and spring 1 in 6 have a severe deficiency. If you are on of these people you may not be aware of the problem but it can affect your energy levels and wellbeing now, and make a great difference to your future health.

So, I asked the Cancer Recovery Foundation, what is vitamin D?
Vitamin D is often called the ‘sunshine’ vitamin, because your body makes it when you spend time in the sun. Until recently, scientists thought that it was used by our body to grow healthy bones and teeth. They were not wrong, but what we are now increasingly understanding is that it is used by a high number of other organs in the body too.

They also told about a recent study showed that women with sufficient levels of vitamin D were 77% less likely to develop breast cancer. Not getting enough vitamin D has also been linked to MS, diabetes, pancreatic cancer, prostate cancer and a range of other cancers and diseases.

Reasons why you may not get enough Vitamin D include:
People who get very little sunlight are more likely to be deficient, this is more of a problem in the northern parts of the country which is further from the equator and there is less sun.

People who stay inside a lot – either for work, a long hospital stay or are housebound.

People who cover up a lot of their body when outside, for example wearing long sleeves or veils such as the niqab or burqa.

The darker your complexion, the less sunlight can get though the skin layers meaning your body needs to be exposed to sunlight for significantly longer to generate the same levels of vitamin D as a paler person.

Older age and excess body weight can also make your body slower to produce enough vitamin D as they have thinner skin.

Many of us do not spend enough time outdoors thanks to work, distractions indoors and other demands on our time

It can be very difficult to get enough vitamin D through diet to compensate for this lack of sunshine. Unlike other vitamins, mushrooms are the only foods found in the fruit and vegetable section that provide vitamin D, and they alone are not enough.

The further north you live, the less vitamin D you are likely to be getting.

How do I get more vitamin D?
One easy step to is to get more sunshine. Obviously be sensible and don’t burn, but do spend time outdoors and expose your skin to the sun when you can.

Eat more oily fish such as salmon and mackerel and up the number of mushrooms you eat.

Take a daily supplement. Current recommended daily allowances in the UK do not reflect the new understanding we have that vitamin D is needed by a number of organs, as well as to keep our teeth and bones healthy. So, we recommend that you take 2,000 IU (International Units) every day if you are healthy, and 5,000 IU if you are living with cancer.

So, get out, get active and get eating a well-balanced diet rich in oily fish and mushrooms and take a supplement.

For more details about cancer prevention head to http://cancerrecovery.org.uk where there is all the information you need to keep healthy or deal with the effects of cancer on you or a loved one.

Nat

Coffee and Chocolate Brownies with De’Longhi

Leave a reply

OK, you know I LOVE coffee and so do the people over at De’Longhi who recently sent me an amazing, vintage style coffee machine that looks perfect in my kitchen with the high gloss cream units, grey floor and New York style tiles.

With my new machine set up and making the most amazing coffee, I was ready for the challenge of creating a recipe using coffee; a task so open-ended and easy it actually became quite hard.

Where would I start? An Irish coffee with cream or chilli with chocolate? Maybe a vanilla and hazelnut iced latte or ice cream with a crunchy Amoretti base and espresso base? A coffee cocktail or even a cheesecake with, yes you have guessed it, coffee?

Well eventually I decided to go for the classic chocolate-brownie with a coffee twist that are just for grown ups!

You Will Need

200g good quality dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids)
150g unsalted butter and a bit more for greasing the tin
125g brown sugar
125g golden caster sugar
4 eggs
4 tsp of freshly brewed, strong espresso coffee
1 small tsp of Patron tequila liquor
2 tsp vanilla essence
85g plain flour
2 tbsp cocoa powder
Icing sugar for dusting
Strawberries to serve
Pinch of salt

What to Do

Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.
Bring a medium saucepan with 3cm of boiling water to simmer.
Grease a square baking tin or line with greaseproof paper.
Chop the dark chocolate into small pieces and put it into a large mixing bowl with the butter.
Put the bowl over the pan of simmering water, making sure that the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water and using the low heat the mixture will start to melt.
Whisk the sugar into the melted chocolate, add the eggs, coffee, liquor and vanilla essence and then whisk until bubbles start to form.
Sift in the flour, cocoa powder and the salt into a separate bowl and spoon into the chocolate mixture, a large spoonful at a time.
Gently pour the mixture into your tin and bake for 20-25 minutes.
Let the brownies cool completely in their tin. Lift them out of the tin onto a board and cut into squares. Sift over a little icing sugar or cocoa powder.

How to Serve

These are delicious served warm with coffee ice cream and strawberries. Cold as an afternoon treat or you can cut into small squares and use a petit fours with an after dinner espresso.

Make sure you keep in an air tight box or tin for ultimate freshness and do not leave near chocoholics or small people!

Nat x

All photos taken with the Fujifilm HS50

Paul’s Yard on the Run

Leave a reply

Another ‘sunny’ Monday and another school run!

Today on JBIL, it is the turn of another dad to talk about how he juggles family and a new business, Paul’s Yard, which sells the coolest balance bikes – with a twist.

Name:

Paul Farquhar

Children:

Joseph 8 and Howie 4

Morning Routine:

I usually get up about 6ish then nip quietly down stairs and have a cuppa and check email, Facebook and Twitter and 9 times out of 10 write myself a list of things to do that day. At 7.30 on a good day I then wake everybody else up, get the boys into the shower, changed and get them downstairs for breakfast. Then the boys moan and fight and watch TV or play mine craft for 20 minutes then it’s off to school. As my wife too works from home we take it in turns to take the boys to school. On a good day we walk but recently we take the car as the weather is so bad. Once the boys have been dropped off I go to the gym for an hour if I’m lucky and as long as I have no meetings. Then it’s back to the kitchen/office to crack on with my list.

Style at the gates for you?

I feel no pressure to dress for the school gates, I am usually in a tracksuit but then so are a lot of parents, and it’s not for slouching around in. It will be so like me they are ready to squeeze in a trip to the gym or go for a run.

How do you find politics at the school gates?

For me their is no politics at the school gates, I speak when spoken to and smile at everyone. That may sound harsh but it’s generally easy, we live in a great town where everyone is usually nice to each other and like most parents they all want the best for their kids, there is a big parent influence at our school so politics is kept to a minimum. As for politics at home that’s easier as there is only my wife and I and as long as I do as I am told then the politics issue is never raised.

How do you juggle a business and home priorities?

Work and home is all the same bag to me. It’s just a case of different priorities. As for juggling, we are both lucky at the moment as we work from home and we jiggle each others diaries to make sure one of us is free to pick up or drop of the boys either at school or nursery or swimming or judo or whatever else they have on after school. This may all change when my wife changes her job and has to actually “go” to work!

Tell me about your business?

I have two businesses at the moment. I run my families property company that generally runs itself but recently we have had a problem with one of our tenants and it’s taken up lots of time both with expensive solicitors and meetings.

My other business is a very new project called “Paul’s Yard” which is an internet site that sells a new innovative balance bike for kids, I have called it the Boomer bike ,this is taking up lots of time at present getting ourselves out into the market place. It’s all very new to me but I am enjoying the challenge.

What are the biggest challenges of running a business?

The biggest challenge when running my business can be myself. As I work from home you have to motivate yourself. This generally isn’t a problem but if it’s freezing cold and dark outside it’s all too easy to stick the kettle on have another cuppa and snuggle down in front of the TV. I have worked for myself for the last 16 years mainly in hospitality for which you need little motivation, if you have a customer to deal with then it’s simple, they won’t go away until you have dealt with them! The other challenge is finance but then that’s the same for everyone at the moment!

What are you plans for 2013?

My plans for 2013 are simple. To make sure that Paul’s Yard is successful, this is going to be a real challenge but I am up for it. From conception to now has taken months and lots of time and money and I am sure it is going to take more time and more money but I believe in it and new avenues open every week and I still get a real buzz every time I sell a bike.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

In 5 years time I see myself doing more of the same. As long as I am successful then I will work for myself and from home. The positives for me far out weigh working for someone else or hiring staff or paying rent. The pressure can be greater but the buzz can’t be replaced, when your ideas turn into success it is so satisfying. I love being around my boys, even if I don’t always show it. I never saw my father as he worked hard and long hours. I thank him for my work ethic and being good with money but as I now have a choice and the older you get you realize just how short life is I will continue to look for new ideas and grown the ones that I have had.

How would you friends describe you?

This is a tricky one. I have very few “friends”. I have many acquaintances. My friends I would think would describe me as hard-working, loyal, up for a laugh, generous, caring, reliable and maybe sometimes a bit too serious but then I would admit to that.

Happy Monday everyone.

#Blogging4Madeleine

2 Replies

The morning I woke up with my new baby I also woke up to see the front of the paper and news that a little British girl had gone missing on Portugal.

Six years on and I still remember that feeling of sadness for Madeleine and her parents and cannot imagine having one my children taken and not knowing where they are, whether they are alive or how they are feeling.

So today I am joining the Blogging For Madeleine Campaign (#Blogging4Madeleine) on the day of her 10th birthday, an awareness raising campaign set up by Caroline who writes A Mummys View

Just like any parent of a missing child, Gerry and Kate McCann keep looking for their beautiful daughter and have never stop believing that she is alive, somewhere. They keep the website going and ask that if anyone knows anything that might help find her they call +44 845 838 4699 or email investigation@findmadeleine.com

Given that they found the three lost girls in the US earlier this week, giving up hope is never an option.

Nat x

Nat

JBIL Love Pop Art

Leave a reply

Back in the days when university was free, student grants were given out with fresher packs and life was easy, I spent a good seven hours a week studying History of Art. OK it wasn’t a vocational course but interested me enough to get me out of bed and into Leeds on the grimest of ‘up North’ mornings.

I was loved pop art because of the way the founding members challenged the modernist approaches to culture as well as traditional views of Fine Art. It was an area I specialised in so sat up and took notice when I saw a story this week from Oreo as they unveiled an edible ‘pop-trait’ of Queen of Pop, Beyoncé.

Former Atomic Kitten pop star, Jenny Frost and her son Caspar had fun helping to create the tasty A-list likeness as part of a campaign to inspire families to have more fun in the kitchen together.

Working with food artist Michelle Wibowo they used nearly 4,000 ‘Oreo Pops’, to create a giant ‘pop art’ style image of ‘ Beyoncé.

Jenny Frost said: “We’ve had such a great time; crushing, shaping and decorating the Oreo pops. The pop-trait may look complicated but making the pops was literally child’s play! As a mum of three now, it’s a fantastic reminder that the kitchen can be a playground for families to enjoy those special moments of fun.”

The mega five foot by eight foot portrait was made entirely of Oreo pops – crushed Oreo biscuits mixed with Philadelphia cream cheese – each pop was handmade in different consistencies to create 2244 dark pops and 1536 lighter pops; an impressive 3780 pops in total! The full creation required eight hours of careful construction on the day and more than six weeks planning.

Food artist Michelle said: “When I was asked to create a pop icon portrait using just Oreo pops, new mum and superstar Beyoncé seemed the natural choice. It took a long time to map the exact position for each pop and create a recognisable likeness, but the hardest part of the process was trying not to eat it!”

Click here watch behind the scenes footage of Jenny Frost, Caspar and Michelle creating the giant pop-trait of Beyoncé.

To be in with the chance of having your own Oreo pop-trait created, go towww.facebook.com/oreo.

Top Puppy Essentials

Leave a reply

Did I mention we got a puppy? Well we did and as well as being super cute, lots of fun, a cat chaser and fast grower she is also fantastic company for me as I work at home!

I really love her, we all do, and I cannot wait until we can start walking her next week once she is fully vaccinated and ready to go.

So, today my top ten (ish) is all things puppy!

I love these personalised puppy blanket and bowls. The vintage style puppy bowl is beautifully decorated and your trusted companion will love enjoying their food and water to reveal their own name that has been traditionally fired to the inside of the bowl, for long-lasting quality.

Barkarama sniffs out the latest in dog news, dog fashion and modern dog lifestyle. From mutt-have apparel and toys, grooming and well-being, pet technology, pet parent purchases, dog charity news, what’s happening in celebrity dog world and even where to dine or holiday with your dog – it’s all under one woof! We’re not just for dog owners – we cater for poochless dog fans too.

A great vet who has time to talk to you and get to know your puppy is a must and Companion Care have some excellent tips about what to expect during your first visit and much more.

My Social Petwork launched last month and is the UK’s first social media site dedicated to pets. It’s a great place to share cute pictures, videos and updates about your pets as well as interact with other pet owners and businesses/charities to share advice and tips and stop boring your non-pet lover friends.

Ideal for use on carpets, flooring and upholstery, Wash & GET OFF Spray is the perfect tool to get even the most toilet-shy of cats and dogs outside. The unique 2-in-1 formula of this indoor repellent will clean the affected area and remove the odour, replacing it with a fresh citrus scent that will deter future re-offences.

If you are on the run then the EZYDog Chest Plate Harness and EZYDog Car Seat Restraint for Harness are great for safely restraining excitable puppies and dogs in the car whilst driving. They provide plenty of comfort and peace of mind for the dog and the driver alike.

Advice is always handy and Vicky Kelly, a dog listener told me:

1. Telling a dog off doesn’t work.
Dogs are always looking to find out what gets your attention, so if you scold them for naughty behaviour they will do MORE of it. If you can’t ignore what they are doing, then calmly isolate them instead.

2. Dogs do not have to be walked!
We’ve only been walking dogs since it became popular slowly over the last 80 years and our now ingrained belief that we HAVE to walk our dogs means we walk them despite all sorts of difficult behaviour, and in all weathers! If you take time off the walk to concentrate on getting things right at home first, you will find teaching them to walk nicely much easier.

3. Breed stereotypes are just that…
All dogs owners need to remember that their dogs are a canine first and the breed second, and they operate on their canine instincts. Other canines include wolves and foxes. Respect the species, don’t assume they will behave a certain way because the breed book says so.

4. What is important to a canine…?
A canine’s top priority is survival of itself and its pack. Survival considerations include food, dangers and who is looking after everyone. Showing your dog you are looking after it, not vice versa is the most important thing you need to do as a dog owner!

5. Your dog probably thinks it is looking after you…
If you dog walks pulling on the lead, barks at possible dangers, jumps up, is destructive, demands attention, and/or many other common behaviours, it is doing this because it thinks it is responsible for you. Read “The Dog Listener” by Jan Fennell to find out how to change its mind.

6. Don’t let people over-fuss your dog.
Dogs have an understanding of personal space, just as we do and some get fearful about their’s being invaded. Ask people to give your dog a choice about whether it is fussed by calling it over, rather than walking over and getting in its space, this is the most common reason people get bitten.

7. Dogs like being stinky.
You might prefer your dog to smell of shampoo and doggy aftershaves, but a dogs that smells like this will stick out like a sore thumb and get ‘bullied’ at the park. The more you try to get them to smell nice, the quicker they will learn to roll in stinky things. If they are smelly, consider their diet, rather than just baths…

Happy dog caring.

Nat x

JBIL Potters Crouch Candles

Leave a reply

As we aren’t on the run today thanks to the bank holiday, I thought I would share with you a company I have found that make the most amazing candles that smell divine.

Potters Crouch Candles make the very best scented candles ever that come in tins as this produces the strongest products and rather than using the synthetic essential oils used by many companies, they use natural French perfumes made exclusively for them and you can really tell the difference. They are also delivered quickly and are packaged with lovely little chocolates – always a winner.

My favourite is the Lily of the Valley as it reminds me of my beautiful great grandma but the bluebell one comes a close second and I will certainly be ordering the Christmas ones for the festive season.

David Brown, co-owner of Potters Crouch Candles and Jo Martin have been telling me a bit more about what they do and I am just a little bit jealous of their jobs.

Tell me a little bit about your business and what you do?
Potters Crouch Candles was started in 1990 with the simple aim of making the very best scented candles possible. Research showed that a tin is the best container to produce the strongest fragrance; the finest natural perfumes are the key to the finest fragrances; and formulating the perfumes to blend with the specific waxes that will be used is vital to product performance.

Over the years we have changed tins; changed labels; made adjustments to production; developed improved marketing approaches – but we have never varied from the winning product formula itself.

Almost all candle makers buy ‘off the shelf’ and largely synthetic essential oils – we remain true to our roots and use natural French perfumes made exclusively for us. That is why our customers regard our fragrances as the very best on the market today.

How many people work for you?
We employ a total of seven full and part-time staff

How are the candles created?
The entire process is done by hand in order to ensure quality standards. Certain additives would make candle production easier and many producers use these, but they detract from the fragrance performance so we stick to the old slow hand methods – nothing must detract from the scents.

Where do you come up with the ideas for new fragrances?
We talk to our customers and do research amongst them, in order to discover needs and desires for good fragrances. Once we find a customer need, we find the best example we can of that fragrance and send it to our perfumer with a request to create it. For example we recently were requested a make a “toffee” candle. Research showed McCowans Highland Toffee as the best toffee smell the customers liked. We sent several bars to the perfumer and he came up with a brilliant result. All of our fragrances have been created in that way including trips to country pubs to smell the open fire in order to create our “Fireside” candle.

Where do you source products from?
Fortunately we can get great quality tins and waxes in the UK and buy British whenever we can. Our perfumes however come from France.

Is there a big call for personalised products?
Scented Candles are such a great gift and to be able to put your own message and perhaps image on the tin makes it all the more special. It is certainly becoming a fashionable trend – although small at present it is a growing area. Christmas is a time when we produce most of our personalised labels for people.

How have you dealt with the recession?
Constant research into customer needs and desires helps us stay in tune with our marketplace. This has led us to launch new ranges and new fragrances over the last year. In a time of general recession our turnover is up by over 200% thanks to our new product launches. Making sure you give the customer what they really want is the key – better than advertising and price cutting on what they don’t really want!

What is the biggest challenge when you are running your own business?
Keeping aware; watching market trends; keeping up with the customers changing styles and ideas; making sure we are responsive to customer needs.

What plans do you have for 2013?
We have moved forward by focussing on three areas. We have a retail brand; an online brand and own label brands. By mixing all three we are able to take advantage of different markets and marketing trends while maintaining our core product performance. This will continue for the next 12 months at least – but we need to remain flexible.

What advice do you give other small businesses?
It’s about the customer; giving them what they really want is the key to success. The tough part is being truly aware of what they really want.

I have just got a puppy, how is it having one in the office?
“Henry” joined the team about a year ago – we found him abandoned in a dog poo bin. A sad start to life but he has become a vital part of the business. He comes to work every day and mixing with staff and visitors helps make him a well-adjusted and friendly little chap. He forces me to stop for a break and take him for a walk in the extensive woods that surround the farm buildings where we work and that has been great for me. He is not a bit of trouble; lets us know when anyone is coming and helps keep everyone calm – it’s hard to be stressed when a lovely little puppy comes wagging his tail. Of course when we get really busy he needs some time so we solved that problem by getting him a little sister to play with – they chase each other round the office and the garden all day long. Tilly is only 12 weeks but is starting to boss him around …. just like Jo does to me really!

What are the biggest sellers?
Different candles sell best a different times of the year. In spring and summer the flowers sell well; in autumn and winter spicier more warming fragrances do best, All year round our top sellers remain however; India; Fireside; Lemongrass; Daffodil; Sea Breeze and Gardenia & Tuberose. At Christmas our famous “Christmas “ candle struggles to keep pace with demand.

What are your favourites?
If Jo takes a candle home it’s usually India; Elizabeth or French Lilac – David chooses Fireside; Coconut or Warm Apple Pie

Potters Crouch Candles are priced £8.50 each and burn on average for 50hrs. Full range available from www.potterscrouchcandles.co.uk

Nat x

Silent Sunday

Leave a reply

Share JBIL

Share JBIL

Share JBIL

Share JBIL

Share JBIL

Share JBIL

Share JBIL

Share JBIL

Share JBIL

Share JBIL