Category Archives: Life & Style

Life & Style

Review: Present Laughter, Chichester Festival Theatre

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Present Laughter
By Noël Coward

Chichester Festival Theatre
Tickets: 01243 781312 www.cft.org.uk

Photo credit: Johan Persson

Actor Garry Essendine’s clique is a tightly-knitted motley crew. From the wife he has never got around to divorcing to his feisty PA, also in the mix is a brace of  philandering producers, an eccentric hobbling housekeeper and a valet with a penchant for strippers. Enter a love-struck ingenue, a bored wife hell-bent on seduction and an intense young writer and the stage is set for chaos.

Incapable of so much as breathing without turning it into a full-on performance, Garry is played by Rufus Hound. An exhausting role that makes light and shade a tall order, all credit to Hound for stamina and for (mostly) achieving the gear changes.

The cast meld with easy fluidity and the physical comedy is especially well choreographed and executed.Tracy-Ann Oberman as the long-suffering assistant Monica is excellent – a one-woman masterclass in comic timing – and Katherine Kingsley as not-quite-ex-wife Liz is also superb. Exuding elegance and as sharp as a whip, she stage manages proceedings with an air of being thoroughly entertained by the  ensuing drama and nonsense.

But while there are plenty of examples of Coward’s wit and his brilliance for turning a phrase, the humour is too often laboured and repetitive – self-indulgent, even. There is a lack of sophistication and Sean Foley’s production would benefit from dialing down the panto slapstick in favour of greater subtlety.

That said, for undemanding entertainment and sheer glamour (Alice Power’s gorgeous set is a scene-stealer in its own right) Present Laughter slips down as easily as an iced G&T, complete with the bonus of a musical finale.

Until 12 May

Vicky Edwards

Catherine Walker Couture – Two Never-Before-Seen Outfits Added To Diana: Her Fashion Story at Kensington Palace

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From April 26th 2018, visitors to the existing Diana: Her Fashion Story exhibition at Kensington Palace will be able to view eight new outfits, including two by designer CATHERINE WALKER.

The CATHERINE WALKER fashion house designed a number of Princess Diana’s outfits, with the chief designer, Catherine Walker sharing a mutual trust with the People’s Princess over a 16-year period.

After her death in 2010, Catherine Walker’s husband, Said Cyrus, (who co-founded in the company) continued in the capacity of Head Designer and has recently celebrated the 40th anniversary of the brand.

Frost Magazine was recently invited to a private viewing at the Spencer family’s London residence, Spencer House, of some of the iconic dresses worn by Diana, that saw her through the pomp and formality of state occasions, along with a number of classic outfits, carrying the Catherine Walker label.

Exhibition images:  Shane Finn at VOUZ! Photography

“To have a piece of clothing made for you is one of the most intimate things you can do, both intellectually and physically. Intellectually, because what you choose to wear says everything about you, so to let someone design a piece of clothing for you is to allow them to tell your story to the world. Physically, because, as you stand semi-naked in front of the mirror, you are exposing yourself, literally. This is why a deep trust is so essential in the relationship between the designer and the client. You must trust that the designer sees you, listens to you and seeks to understand you…”

Kate Reardon

Editor, Tatler magazine

DIANA: HER FASHION STORY exhibition at KENSINGTON PALACE

One of the new outfits being shown at the Diana: Her Fashion Story exhibition at Kensington Palace is the light blue silk Catherine Walker day dress which was worn on an official tour of New Zealand in April 1983.

Also on display is the stunning Catherine Walker black and red evening gown worn to a Pavarotti concert at the Royal Albert Hall in aid of the Red Cross 125th Birthday Appeal in 1995.

Diana:  Her Fashion Story exhibition will be closed between 16th to 25th April 2018 and will re-open on 26th April 2018, running until 6th January 2019

Kensington Palace

From 26th April (peak)  Adults: £19.50, children: £9.70, concessions: £15.50, members admission: free.

Book online…

Corinne Tuddenham-Finn at VOUZ! Magazine and Frost Magazine

Exhibition imagery:  Shane Finn at VOUZ! Photography

 

 

TAKE FOUR WRITERS: CELEBRATING, TOURING, SPINNING & FACE-PLANTING

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MARCH UPDATE FROM OUR FOUR WRITERS…

LUCY COLEMAN… CELEBRATING

March 1st began with a roar – the Beast from the East arrived but it just happened to be the day I started writing my fourth novel for Aria Fiction. Thankfully, after last month’s stressful IT problems, my new office set up is now working well.

The arrival of the snow was perfect timing, though, as my new WIP is a Christmas story and it helped set the scene perfectly!

I was also able to take time out to celebrate my first release with Aria. As the reviews begin to roll in this has been a month of counting my blessings. So many wonderful readers and bloggers have shown support for my first book writing as Lucy Coleman, that I have been overwhelmed.

But now my newest cast of characters are calling and I’m in writing heaven again. Have a lovely Easter and I hope to see you here again next month!  

CLAIRE DYER… TOURING

The two weeks after the publication of The Last Day saw myself and my book on tour.

Each day one lovely blogger would host us on their blog, either including a feature by me or a Q&A designed by them and answered by me. And each day I’d eagerly anticipate the tweet that would alert me to the fact that the post was public, click on the link and scroll down the page, my heart in my mouth, until I found their review of the novel.

I can assure you this was a really scary moment because their good opinion means so much. Bloggers are amazing people. They champion writers and novels and promote reading by their enthusiasm and love of all things book-related. Between us, The Dome Press and I were lucky enough to be hosted by 16 bloggers who each brought a unique insight into what The Last Day is about and how it resonated with them. I learned a great deal about my book by reading their reviews and am eternally grateful to them for each and every one.

 

ANGELA PETCH… SPINNING

You know that feeling when you are chasing your tail? It seems like you’re achieving zilch? “…Busy doin’ nothin’ working the whole day through…”? I have lots of plates spinning at the moment.

I’ve established “Write Away in Tuscany” for September 11th to 18th and found a fab tutor to run the morning classes for this course. I’ve scouted for help with covers that need revamping since Endeavour Press went into liquidation. People’s Friend encouraged me to write a serial and I had three more stories accepted. I’m co-writing a ghost book for Littlehampton Festival. I gave a talk to Ferring book club and accepted a bigger talk in Chichester in April. I attended the Southern Book Show and “networked”. And poor Mavis and Dot? They are sitting on a bench on the prom somewhere, waiting for me to write their fate in the last two chapters.

Oh yes – and I went to Snowdonia for five days to escape.

 

JACKIE BALDWIN… FACE-PLANTING

Hello, again. What have I been up to this month? Editing again! This time it is a line-edit where you really get down to the nitty-gritty. Repetitions are identified and eliminated. Very Special Forces! Someone goes to dinner and vanishes into a space time continuum for five days. Your characters leap to wild, insane conclusions and you have to go back and put the seeding in earlier on. You get the drift. The absolute opposite of fun! Right now, going to Tesco, doing the ironing, even cleaning the bathroom, seem sparkling with allure. Feeling the pressure as my book, Perfect Dead, is due out on 15th June and I still have a copy-edit to go through too. My mood was not improved by doing a total face plant in Dumfries High Street yesterday. I look like I’ve been in a bare knuckle fight and lost!

Almost half of new mums suffer from frightening thoughts or hallucinations

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By Gemma Francis

Almost half of new mums suffer from frightening thoughts or hallucinations – but two thirds of these hide how they feel for fear of being judged negatively or having their baby taken away, a study has found.

The images – which include thoughts of killing or harming their child – are still taboo among mums with just 37 per cent admitting to others how they feel.

The most common thought is a fear that ‘something dreadful will happen to my baby’, with 62 per cent vividly feeling this.

A further 44 per cent were plagued by the belief their baby might die, while 13 per cent have imagined killing or harming their own child.

The study by parenting site ChannelMum.com also found one in 50 even believed ‘my baby hated me’ while one per cent were convinced their mother-in-law was trying to take their baby,

Others had visions of their child being eaten by a crocodile or snatched by the Grim Reaper.

Two in five (39%) felt their child and partner would be ‘better off without me’ and 16 per cent considered suicide.

An additional 31 per cent admit to having an irrational fear that someone ‘will steal or harm my baby’, making it impossible for them to meet or talk to strangers.

Yet despite 43 per cent of mums suffering these extreme thoughts, 65 per cent of those were never told pregnancy and parenthood could affect their mental health.

As a result, one in five (19%) feared they were ‘going mad’ when they fell ill.

Half (49%) of the mums who suffered were also scared of being ‘judged negatively’.

Forty three per cent believed others will think they are a ‘bad parent’, while 26 per cent were ‘ashamed’ of being mentally ill.

The stigma is so great that a disturbing 17 per cent of mums who fall ill admitted they thought about self-harm to try to cope, with one in 20 going on to self-harm.

One of the biggest barriers to getting help is the fear your child will be taken into care.

One in five mums (19%) who suffered mental illness after birth reported refusing to access help in case their child was taken away.

Official NHS figures show just ten to 15 per cent of mums experience serious mental health issues.

But as a result, some experts now believe there could be a ‘hidden epidemic’ of maternal mental illness, as 64 per cent of mums who fall ill never try to get a formal diagnosis so are missed by official figures.

Overall, the survey showed the most common mental health ailment suffered by new mums is anxiety, experienced by 68 per cent of women after birth, alongside 48 per cent who undergo insomnia due to worry.

A further 35 per cent battle Post Natal Depression, a third (33%) become agoraphobic and 23 per cent are hit by panic attacks.

On average, women’s symptoms lasted three to six months, but 29 per cent felt mentally low for a year or longer.

Women were five times more likely to spot their own symptoms with 69 per cent realising themselves they were ill, compared to just 14 per cent whose partners detected they were unwell.

However, almost two in five mums who become ill (38%) never tell anybody how they feel and just a third confide in their GP (33%).

The most common way mums covered up their feelings was to pretend to be ‘fine’ when quizzed on how they felt, with 94 per cent admitting they lied about their feelings.

Lack of sleep was seen as the main trigger for mums falling ill, with 55 per cent believing this contributed to their condition.

A further 54 per cent said they felt ‘emotionally overwhelmed’ as a new parent, alongside 39 per cent who admitted they tried to ‘be the perfect parent’.

Two in five (41%) blamed hormonal changes while 14 per cent pinned the blame on ‘the pressure of living up to others on social media.

As a result, a resounding 80 per cent of mums want society to be more open about maternal mental health issues and the extreme thoughts mums can have.

Seven in ten (69%) want ‘society to realise it can happen to anyone’ while 55 per cent seek reassurances that their child will not automatically be taken into care if they come forward for treatment.

ChannelMum.com founder Siobhan Freegard said: “If your body is broken after birth, everyone understand and supports you.

“But when your mind is broken, mums still feel they have to keep it hidden.

“These thoughts are disturbing and terrifying – but very often they are part of becoming a mum.

“We need to talk about it, normalise it and make mums realise they are not alone. You are not different or ‘going mad’ just because you experience it – but you may need professional care and help.

“I suffered from post natal depression and visualised extreme images after the birth of my first child then tried to cover it up, so I know exactly what women are going through when they hide it.

“There is so much pressure to cope and be the perfect parent that when you are crying inside while everyone around you is smiling, it makes you feel you are failing your baby and your whole family.

“Mums need to know they will get the right support and their baby won’t be taken away.

“With care, compassion and the right treatment, you can get better quickly, bond with your baby and go on to be the parent you want to be.”

ChannelMum.com psychologist Emma Kenny added: “This research has highlighted the plight of large numbers of mums in the UK and evidences that even in 2018 post natal depression is still no closer to being effectively dealt with.

“Good maternal mental health is something that every woman deserves, but due to the lack of knowledge and support this simply isn’t the case, leaving women to deal with some of the most terrifying and debilitating feelings at a time when they should be enjoying their positive new beginnings.

“We need to address this subject openly, removing the shame and stigma so that mums no longer feel that they have to cope alone.”

EXTREME THOUGHTS MOTHERS HAVE EXPERIENCED:
I believed my baby hated me and was trying to kill me
I planned jumping off the balcony with my baby
I thought my flat was haunted and would stay outside from dawn til dusk until my husband got home
I thought my baby would die if I didn’t wash up before my microwave pinged
I saw the Grim Reaper outside my bedroom door
I thought my twins weren’t mine
I thought that my mother in law was planning to take my baby
I thought that baby would die because of germs. So I made everyone disinfect themselves before they could touch him. Someone touched my pram in a supermarket once and I couldn’t move due to fear of contamination. I stood in the cleaning isle vigorously disinfecting my pram.
I believed if I went to sleep, someone would break in and smother us all to death
I wanted to throw my daughter out of the window
I thought a crocodile was trying to eat my baby
I wanted to drive the car into a wall and kill my baby and myself
I cut all my hair off as I thought my baby was eating it and making himself ill
I thought everyone would be better off without me
I imagined an iron melting into my baby’s face
Just blackness, despair like being trapped in thick mud.

 

How to Win at Feminism Reductress Interview And Book Review

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how to win at feminism, reductress, feminism How did you come up with the idea of Reductress?

 

Sarah: We were both writing and performing sketch comedy, and realized there was a lack of spaces for women to create comedy for and about us. Then Beth came to me with the idea for a fake women’s magazine, and we were happy to find that nobody had really done it before.

 

Beth: Yeah, plenty of people had made fun of women’s media before but it felt like there was so much more to cover in a more expansive way.

 

It is such a smart site and we love the book too, is it easy to come up with new ideas?

 

Sarah: Yes and no! Comedy is always hard, but fortunately the bizarre nature of women’s media and the internet at large have given us a lot of material to work with.
Beth: Yeah, luckily we have a team of super funny contributors and they’ve had plenty of experience reading women’s media and existing as women in the world to draw on.

 

What advice to you have for anyone who wants to follow in your path? 

 

Beth: Use your disadvantages to fuel your work. In comedy your frustration is part of your voice.

 

Sarah: Don’t give up on a good idea. Don’t be afraid to fail. It’s part of the process, and there’s always something to learn from it.

 

Do you think women’s magazines are damaging to women or helpful?

 

Sarah: Somewhere in between. Obviously a lot of what Reductress does is comment on the ways in which they have been harmful, but women’s media has definitely made a lot of strides since our mother’s generation.

 

Beth: Yeah it really depends on the magazine and the writer and the how they’re writing about a given topic. When it’s done in a one-dimensional way that speaks down to women, it’s harmful.

 

Describe a typical day.

 

Sarah: Answer emails, post everything on social media, bitch to everyone about whatever’s happening in the news? Order salad. The rest is a salad-eating blur.

 

Beth: Email, hide my private email server, pump breast milk, write, edit, eat salad furiously.

 

How do you run the site?

 

Sarah: Efficiently.
Beth: Girls.

 

Tell us about writing the book.

 

Sarah: We wanted to write a book about how women’s media has co-opted feminism. So, we wrote a proposal in early 2015 and got our editor-at-large Anna Drezen on board and we did the thing!

 

Beth: It was exhausting but fun. Lots of weekends sitting in a Starbucks thinking about the patriarchy.

 

What is the biggest issue affect women today?

 

Sarah: I don’t really think there’s one issue, and it definitely depends on which part of the world we’re talking about. In the states, I think the treatment of marginalized women (women of color, transwomen) and lack of representation overall is a huge issue.

 

Beth: If you mean biggest in terms of how many people it affects, I think subtle sexism is really insidious, but if biggest means most serious, then I think reproductive rights and the maternity leave policies are huge in the impact they can have on women’s lives.

 

What’s next?

 

Sarah: We’ve got some things cooking! For now, check out our podcast, Mouth Time!

 

Beth: We’re gonna go eat more salad!

 

How to Win at Feminism is an awesome and original satirical book on feminism written by the subversive women’s magazine Reductress. Which is read by an audience of over 2.5 visitors a month. It will make you laugh out loud and nod your head in agreement.

UK and Commonwealth rights were bought by HQ Senior Commissioning Editor, Anna Baggaley, from Harper One in the US.

Beth Newell and Sarah Pappalardo, the authors of How to Win at Feminism, said: “we are excited to bring our book to the UK and hope that British readers will enjoy it half as much as they do Pippa Middleton’s bum!”

Anna Baggaley said: “As someone who is been a huge fan of Reductress and their sharp observational comedy for a while I am so thrilled to have the opportunity to publish such a funny, wry and necessary book”

Filled with tongue in cheek humour, colour illustrations, bold graphics, and hilarious photos, How to Win at Feminism teaches readers how to battle the patriarchy better than everybody else. From the her-story of feminism to how to apologise for having it all, and by using celebrity studies such as Beyoncé and Taylor Swift, How to Win at Feminism is a fresh take on women’s rights through the lens of some of funniest women in comedy today.

How to Win at Feminism is out now in paperback original £12.99 and ebook £9.99.

The Art of Feminism by Reductress is published by HarperCollins.

“Reductress has discovered a rich, deep seam of comedy.” 

Graham Linehan, co-writer of Father Ted, Black Books and The IT Crowd

“People say women can’t be funny. WRONG… I love Reductress.” 

Sam Bain, writer of Peep Show

 

Reductress is a fast-growing satirical website that delivers mischievously hilarious, on-point criticism wrapped in hilarious headlines and feature articles. Referred to as the “feminist Onion,” it pokes fun at the messages fed to women from an early age and throughout adulthood. Since its creation in 2013, it has exploded in popularity, with over 2.5 million monthly visitors. Reductress was founded by Beth Newell and Sarah Pappalardo, the authors of this book.

 

 

 

 

Spaghetti with Parma Ham and Roasted Garlic

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I love garlic, I adore garlic, I cook with absolutely loads of garlic. I could actually employ a full-time garlic peeler, knee deep in discarded garlic husks. A manager I worked with regularly joked I could not cook a dish without garlic, cream and alcohol, including the desserts. BUT I LOATH BURNT GARLIC. I jump up, gesticulate, shout and scream at the number of cookery programs where poor, innocent, sweet, comely garlic is tossed into woks and pans of smoking hot oil.* I am pretty certain every single person who utters the frankly unbelievable phrase ‘ it doesn’t have garlic in it does it, I really don’t like garlic ‘ is the result of a traumatic exposure to such cooking travesties. Burnt garlic is a cheek sucking, eye-watering experience of such awful culinary disgrace.

Hence roasted garlic, I swear all the disbelievers could be converted with this delicious way of cooking garlic. The slow roasting with just a little oil highlights the natural sweetness and tempers the harsher raw flavours. I first encountered roasted garlic when I worked as a manager at the Bel and the Dragon, Cookham served with rustic, crusty bread and olives and olive oil, the garlic squeezed out and spread on the bread as a kind of pungent pate. Wow!

I keep some roasted garlic cloves covered in oil in the refrigerator now handy for lots of cooking especially this simple full flavoured lunch or supper dish. Post the Christmas and Boxing Day excesses I think it is nice to have something really tasty and easy to cook. The Parma ham and roasted garlic can be cooked in the last few minutes of your pasta cooking. The chilli provides a little bite but is not there to overpower this wonderful dish, however, if you want to add a little extra go for it, one of the joys of cooking is experimenting.
* Just add the garlic later during the cooking process when the heat is lowered or with more ingredients that dissipate the heat. The garlic cream rum babas were perhaps a little ahead of their time.

 

Spaghetti with Parma Ham and Roasted Garlic serves 4

 

50 to 65 gr Spaghetti per person ( I grab a generous handful but I’m greedy )

2 large heads of roasted garlic ( see below )

16 slices Parma Ham

1 small medium Chilli, de-seeded and very thinly sliced

6 to 8 tablespoons quality Extra Virgin Olive Oil

A small handful of curly Parsley, thoroughly washed, dried and chopped

Sea Salt and freshly ground Black Pepper

½ a Lemon

for the roasted garlic

Garlic bulbs

Olive oil

A few sprigs of Rosemary and Thyme

Sea Salt and roughly ground Black Pepper

Preheat the oven to 400F/ 200C/ Gas mark 6. Remove the tops of the garlic bulbs, place on to a baking tray. Sprinkle liberally with olive oil, the herbs and plenty of salt and pepper. Roast for twenty-five to thirty minutes until the bulbs are soft. Cool and squeeze out as required.

Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. Add the spaghetti and cook for eight to ten minutes until ‘ al dente ‘ or with just a little bite left in the pasta. The old student technique of seeing if sticks to the wall is not necessary, just remove a little of the spaghetti and bite between your front teeth. While the pasta is cooking gently heat the olive oil in a medium sized heavy bottomed frying pan. Add the chilli and garlic, sauté for two minutes. Add the ham and season, cook for a minute. Squeeze in the juice of half a lemon and stir in the parsley. Drain the spaghetti and stir thoroughly into the frying pan, ensuring all the spaghetti is coated with the oil, chilli and parsley mix. Plate and serve with a little extra chopped parsley.

 

Cocktail Ideas: Missy Flynn’s 2017 Round Up

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In our final instalment of Cocktail Ideas before the big day, we’ve got some inspiration from cocktail expert and mixologist Missy Flynn. This week the cocktails featured are a step away from being quintessentially Christmas but a round up of the biggest food and drink trends of 2017 in a glass. Inspired by foraging, veganism and superfoods, we simply love the colours and healthy element of these cocktails. We think they would be the perfect day-after partying tonic for you to refresh yourself and unwind as well as being utterly instagrammable so impress and wow your friends and family and serve up these delicious cocktail creations this week and if mixing up your cocktails is not for you fear not, All Bar One will be serving these very cocktails all the way until New Years Eve.

From Left to Right: Baileys Blush, Turmeric Sour, Beetroot Mule, Tanqueray Forager Smash

Our star cocktail this week is the;

Captain Morgan – Turmeric Sour

Ingredients:

50ml Captain Morgan Spiced Gold
75ml Funkin Sour mix
15ml ginger syrup
1/4 bar spoon turmeric
Lemon twist and mint sprig to garnish

Glass: Rocks
Ice: Crushed

Method:
Add the Captain Morgan Spiced Gold, sour mix, turmeric powder and ginger syrup to a shaker or jam jar.

Seal the shaker or jam jar and holding it closed, carefully ‘dry shake’ so that the sour mix begins to emulsify the drink, building a froth.

Open the shaker, add ice and then shake again.

Strain over ice into a tumbler. Using a zester, take the peel from a lemon and snap it over the drink to expel oil from the skin, resting the peel in the glass.

Clap the mint between your hands to release its aroma and then place inside the drink as garnish.

Bailey’s Blush

Ingredients:

35ml Baileys Irish Cream
50ml Half and Half cream / milk
15ml Cherry Heering
12.5ml cherry syrup
Garnish with raspberry dipped in edible glitter / gold

Glass: Coupe
Ice: None

Method:
Add Baileys, Half and Half cream / milk, Cherry Heering, cherry syrup and ice into a cocktail shaker.
Shake hard!
Double strain into a chilled coupe or martini glass, use a tea strainer to remove any small shards of ice so the drink is nice and smooth.
Roll raspberry in edible glitter or gold until it reaches your desired level of glam, cut a slit in the base of the raspberry and rest it on the edge of the glass.

Tanqueray Forager Smash

Ingredients:

50ml Tanqueray London Dry Gin
25ml lime juice
20ml sugar syrup
Mint leaves
Pea shoots
100ml soda
Garnish with pea shoots, viola flower and mint

Glass: Copa
Ice: Crushed

Method:
Fill a tall glass with lots of ice, add the Tanqueray London Dry Gin, lime juice and sugar syrup. Stir to mix, and top with soda water. Add a little more ice if needed. Gather all your herbs and flowers and toss into a rough mix, dress the drink with this mix, scattering a few extra flowers on the top.

All cocktails featured are available in All Bar One bar’s until New Years Eve and liquors and ingredients are available to purchase through ocado.com

Unwrapped: My Kind of Christmas Dinner

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I really don’t like mentioning the C word – not until at least December anyway – but there’s always going to be an exception. And the Christmas Dinner will always be my exception.

Last year I stumbled upon this fabulous event for young people leaving care. I didn’t give them a thought before – did you?

TCD – The Christmas Dinner

I wrote about the Leeds Christmas Dinner because a friend’s post on Facebook caught my eye. Perhaps you remember it? Perhaps you were a Secret Santa yourself. If not you can read about it here.

It’s the easiest way of giving and stepping into the Christmas Spirit while all those brilliant volunteers do the hard work. And those who give of their time so freely are from all walks of life – teachers, PAs, lawyers, waitresses, actors, photographers and social workers to name but few. Juggling homes, families and stressful jobs, they give up huge amounts of time to make Christmas special for many young people who may otherwise remain forgotten and lonely.

The Christmas Dinner is an annual project founded by the poet Lemn Sissay MBE for communities to provide a Christmas Day for care leavers aged between 16 and 25. This is the THIRD year a Christmas Dinner has been held in Leeds, mobilising the community to put on a scrumptious and magical Christmas Day dinner, turning Christmas into a time to cherish.

Lemn Sissay MBE

Lemn Sissay is a former care leaver himself so knows how tough this time of year can be for young people. Now Chancellor of the University of Manchester he continually inspires others to step up and get involved. And you can get involved without leaving your armchair. Bliss!

Volunteers look after every element of the event, from present wrapping, collecting food donations, dressing the venue, to helping to cook and entertain on the big day itself.

 

If you are in the area – and there are nine Christmas Dinners planned for this December – then why not join in. And if that’s not your particular bag and you’re up for Secret Santa – the bit I love the best – then why not click the link to the Amazon page and select a gift. Couldn’t be easier – and no wrapping!

Gifts range in price from £3.99 for a lip balm to £65 for a smart watch, and a variety of gifts that will suit most people’s pocket in between. Any one of them would make someone very happy indeed.

If only all of Christmas could be so easy!

I am being glib, I know, but sitting here at the keyboard allows me to be. It doesn’t mean that I’m not counting my blessings and looking forward to all the family descending here for Christmas – Brussel sprouts and all. Family can be many things but mostly it’s about caring for each other. Who that other is is up to you.

Well, there’s still so much to do before the big day and I’m determined to ignore it as best I can until the last possible minute.

Until then, I’m hoping over to Amazon right now to make my selection.

Care to join me?

To be Secret Santa follow me The Christmas Dinner wishlist for Leeds

You can find more about the other Christmas Dinners at http://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/the-christmas-dinner-2017