WHEN LIPSTICK BECAME A LIFESAVER

The article I wrote for Woman magazine in 2002

When my daughter was on a life support machine in intensive care I used to visit her every day - sometimes even in the middle of the night. Arriving for a 3am visit after she'd been unconscious for two months, the nurse on duty said: You always wear bright lipstick when you arrive - though you know she can't see you. Why is that?'
'Because,' I replied, 'if she wakes up, I want her to see me how she knows me best. Happy and positive. Not with a pale face and fear in my eyes.'
Fourteen years later I am now writing a short story called The Red Lipstick. How lucky am I that she is alive to read it?

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TWO LITTLE GIRLS WHO MELTED THE HEARTS OF A NATION: THE NEW FACES OF WORLD PEACE

Ten-year-old Tyana and 11-year-old Gracie at the new Blackpool Carers' Centre

Two  young sisters, aged just ten and eleven, were asked this week to name three wishes. Tyana and Gracie are day-to-day carers for their mum, Susanne, who has osteoporosis  and is too ill to look after herself.

'I wish every ill person could be made better,' said one sister.

'I wish my mum didn't have to be disabled,' said the other.

And the third wish?

The third wish, they both agreed, was for 'World Peace.'

These two remarkable girls were featured in BBC Television's DIY SOS programme as two near-derelict semi-detached houses in Blackpool, Lancashire,  were transformed into  a brand new carers' centre.
Tyanna, 11, told the Gazette: “My mum can’t move around that well. She can’t wash herself, she can’t cook or walk without support. We’re her carers so we wash her and tidy the house and things like that. The carers centre lets us take time off for a bit and just be kids. My mum can be sat down somewhere and I don’t have to worry about her, and I can go off and play.I think the new centre is really great and I’m amazed how they did it in such a short time. Gracey, 10, said: “I didn’t ever expect to see myself on TV. The carers centre helps us take a break from caring and you can just relax.”

Added their mother:

"It’s been very emotional and a little scary and exciting. As long as we raise the profile of what a young carer is and does I will be happy.... You would never know about my girls as they paint that beautiful smile on their faces"
http://trib.al/hun85TK

A member of the Blackpool Carers team 'holds the front page' of the B;ackpool Gazette.

 Photo courtesy of Blackpool Carers.

'The show served as the big curtain raiser for this year’s Children in Need spectacular. Blackpool Carers’ Centre is one of the groups supported by the annual charity appeal and its ambitious project was chosen out of hundreds for the DIY SOS treatment.The hour-long show was a chance for young carers to tell their own stories and inspire others..'

For me, this was journalism at its best, a much-needed story that proves the world is still full of genuine, good hearted people - and, of course, children.

A final word of congratulations to  former Gazette  features editor Jacqui Morley, now  running her own company Janarchy PR,  who supported the carers every step of the way.

Bonfire or Budloe? Here's to Guy Fawkes...

I love the idea that Guy Fawkes night is called Budloe Night in Guernsey. Here's the reason...

Budloe Night – Guernsey Bonfire Night

Guy Fawkes night in Guernsey, has a much deeper history and stretches back even further than the 17th Century attempt to blow up the English parliament in 1605. Today it’s also known locally as “Budloe Night” and harks back to the island’s Viking heritage.
“Budloe Night” was originally intended to celebrate the end of the year. It was a pagan festival where a Yule log would be burnt. Using fire was an act of cleansing in preparation for the new year. The connection to the Vikings stems from the island’s association with Normandy, which was of course conquered and populated by the Norsemen, from which the term Norman was derived.
The original Budloe festivals would have taken place later on in the year than Guy Fawkes night, around the Winter Solstice (December 21st or 22nd). With the advent of Guy Fawkes night, and given the similarities in how each festival is celebrated, the two became linked and celebrated together on November 5th.
Budloe night originally involved celebrations around a large fire, decorating the house, burning the Yule log along with copious amounts of eating and drinking. Budloe night was still celebrated in it’s own right in Guernsey right up until after the war when there were large cavalcades along with many people dressing up in fancy dress.
Since the war the large scale celebrations have declined and the focus has now become a more standardised bonfire and fireworks party

Some Traditional Guernsey Bonfire Night Dishes

If you want your bonfire party to have a traditional Guernsey flavour then try some of the following recipes for Bean Jar and Gache Melee … yummy

Traditional Guernsey Bean Jar

Gache Melee