Passionate Blog

Kids draw to ease crisis in East Africa

Picture by Hdptcar on flickr

By Terri-Anne Whitehouse

A new fun project tapping into kids' creativity is helping ease a humanitarian crisis in East Africa.

The project is called Kids Draw for East Africa and organisers are calling on parents to donate paintings and drawings by their (primary school age) children, to be auctioned online to willing grandparents, aunts, uncles and friends. They're hoping to raise £2,000 in six weeks.

Authors for Japan auction tops £13,000

By Linda Jones

THE total raised in the Authors for Japan auction launched by Keris Stainton topped £13,000 (including Gift Aid.)

Out of that, I'm delighted to say that donations sent for training sessions or mentoring I was offering, added to money I pledged for two lots came to around £650.

Thank you to the kind people who paid money to the Red Cross for some of my services. I snapped up coffee and cake with literary agent turned author Alison Bond and all four Skate School books signed by Kay Woodward.

What a fantastic achievement by Keris. It was an honour to be part of it.  

Freelance mentoring, workshops and book proposal critique in Authors for Japan auction

By Linda Jones

 AUTHOR and freelance journalist Keris Stainton has pulled off an amazing feat.

Keris has, within 48 hours, brought together some of the UK's best known popular fiction talent, as well as some overseas writers, in an auction to raise funds for the Red Cross Japan Tsunami Appeal.

Authors taking part include:

• Jenny Colgan
• Dorothy Koomson
• Andrew Crofts
• Jill Mansell
• Adele Parks
• Sam Baker
• Caroline Smailes

Patsy Kensit leads campaign for better UK playgrounds

STRICTLY Come Dancing star Patsy Kensit wants to help parents quickstep their way to a £15,000 award to breathe new life into delapidated play areas, as she tells us in the video above.

Mum-of-two Patsy is fronting the campaign called Parents for Playgrounds from Robinsons Fruit Shoot and Play England which is asking for nominations from around the UK. She's currently guest editing Ready for Ten where she's also keeping an eye on nominations and help pick the winners.

Business boosting day aims for £1 million result

 

Photo shows Cora Tuner Collis from Virgo Carpets and Interiors, Michele Green of I'm your PA, Compton Hospice's Simon Cater (sitting) and Steve Smith of the printing.com at the Studio, Tettenhall, gearing up to help kick start £1 million in Business in the Black Country Grow Your Business Day. Pic by Sam Bagnall.  

BUSINESSES in the Black Country are fighting back against economic doom and gloom with an action-packed day to generate £1 million of work for companies attending.

The Black Country Grow Your Business Day is due to be held at The Copthorne Hotel in Merry Hill on Tuesday, February 1, welcoming key successful speakers from the world of commerce. Organisers say the opportunities for business on the day come from the way the event is structured to help those attending gain a maximum impact on their bottom line.

'Blogladesh' highlights how social media can make a difference

HAVE you seen the wonderful work of Save the Children who recently took three UK mum bloggers to Bangladesh to report on why so many youngsters are needlessly suffering?

Every one of us can help play a part in saving children's lives.

Through blogs, facebook, Twitter, social bookmarking and photo sharing sites, not to mention YouTube, we're better equipped than ever before to help get the word out. The days when those messages only jostled for space in a packed news schedule are thankfully long behind us.

Bloggers Sian, Eva and Josie are now backing calls to supporters to Press for Change by leaving their thumbprint on a global petition calling on leaders to help end world poverty.

We're backing the petition and these remarkable mums all the way, especially as our director Linda used to work as a voluntary Save the Children media adviser.

Two BBC interviews for director Linda

RECENTLY Linda was one of a number of UK women described as an "immovable force" in a piece for the technology section of BBC Online all about the rise of mummy bloggers in the UK.

It's an interesting piece that reflects on Universal Studios paying bloggers for reviews and wondering how similar blogging is in the UK. Susanna Scott who set up British Mummy Bloggers is also featured, talking about a commitment to integrity.

A few weeks back, Linda was also interviewed by Mark Powlett on BBC Coventry and Warwickshire about twins, thanks to her blog You've Got Your Hands Full. If you know anyone with twins, triplets or more, we hope you may find this blog useful. It has provided advice for families since 2006 and we're delighted that it's still going strong.

Charitarian: A philanthropy magazine made in China

Photos by Janek Zdarski.

WE are working with an Anglo-Chinese team on Charitarian magazine. So far, we've started work on a blog for this innovative publication that reports on aid for China's most vulnerable groups, as well as including exclusive updates on other aspects of Chinese society.

Janek's photos show migrant children at work and play and are featured in the next issue of the magazine, which is currently being put together.

We can't wait to see the next edition and more of Janek's beautiful images.

Bloggers for Haiti - more than £1,500 raised already

From Becky at Englishmum:

UPDATE: The current total (at 9pm Sunday) stands at £1605! We’ve got enough for three boxes so far and a lovely message from James at ShelterBox:

‘ShelterBox would like to say a big thank you to the Bloggers for Haiti group. The money that you raise will help alleviate the suffering of people all over the world who have lost everything due to disaster and we are exceptionally grateful for your support.’

Linda to address United Nations conference on: "How can young people get journalists' attention?"

AND, when you consider the above video, do they really need to?

This Saturday, Linda is addressing a conference run by the United Nations Youth and Student Association of the UK, and the theme of her contribution will be how to campaign by getting journalists' attention.