If you saw a photo of Camille Knowles you might be forgiven for wondering what she could possibly know about bad skin. But you’d be very wrong. Spare five minutes to hear Camille on this YouTube link to learn how she suffered with extensive and severe eczema for years, so painful that even a shower was unbearable. In fact it made her so miserable that she seriously considered ending things for good.

Determined to have one last shot at overcoming her eczema, she decided that if she succeeded she’d write a book to help others – she’s now written three and has a blog and numerous YouTube vlogs too.

But what is eczema? It’s an inflammation of the skin causing dryness, redness, itching, pain and cracking, and it can become infected, making things much worse. It can appear anywhere, but it’s often concentrated in certain areas, such as behind the knees and in the elbow crease. The most common type – atopic eczema, is thought to be allergic in origin, to food for example, or something environmental, but it isn’t easy to find and eliminate the cause – or causes. It’s usually treated with emollients, which help the dryness and encourage healing. Steroids can be used, but have their own problems long-term so their use should be limited. Despite treatment, many children suffer considerably, and bad cases can progress to adulthood too.

Thus Camille’s holistic approach is important and besides her books and information sources she has a range of rather special skin treatments, which contain numerous plant oils and, amongst other things, small amounts of crystals – reflecting her spiritual, holistic approach.

Let’s look at two products in her range – Calming Cream and Pamper Me Bathing Oil.

Calming Cream is applied morning and evening. It’s formulated with Mango and Shea butters and Jojoba Seed Oil; Omega 3 and 6, balanced to reduce inflammation; Oat lipids (a rich source of vitamin E); Rhamnosoft – based on a fermented sugar; Bioecolia, a prebiotic to encourage beneficial skin bacteria and Smithsonite and Rhodochrosite crystals for serenity, calmness and self-love. It smells fabulous thanks to botanical ingredients, and it felt beautiful on my skin and was rapidly absorbed.

Pamper Me Bathing Oil is light but has a thick, gel-like consistency and adding it to my bath felt like the ultimate in decadence and made my skin beautifully soft. You can also rub it over your body first for even more effect. It contains Castor Oil, which Camille swears by, with Sweet Almond, Oat Kernel, Jojoba and Sunflower oils, together with balanced Omega 3 and 6 and Oat lipids, and the same crystals as in the Calming Cream.

All the products are packaged in deep and light pink packaging – inducing instant feelings of peace.

If you’ve struggled with eczema, you have my sympathy. It’s worth giving Camille Knowles a try – her advice, her books and her products – and I really hope it helps. All products are available from her website.

By Dr K Thompson, award-winning author of From Both Ends of the Stethoscope: Getting through breast cancer – by a doctor who knows

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01A7DM42Q http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01A7DM42Q

http://faitobooks.co.uk

Note: These articles express personal views. No warranty is made as to the accuracy or completeness of information given and you should always consult a doctor if you need medical advice.

The Wreck by Meg Keneally pub Zaffre pb. eBook and audio

Sarah McCaffrey finds herself alone and on the run, after participating in a failed rebellion. She manages to board a ship bound from London to Australia, only to be the sole survivor of a shipwreck within sight of Sydney.

She reinvents herself and takes a job under formidable Molly Thistle, the head of a trade empire and soon realises that her life could be more than she ever thought, but then her past catches up with her…

A powerful historical novel, interesting, and page turning.

Someone’s Listening by Seraphina Nova Glass pb pub by Titan Books

Suspicion, obsession and revenge… Ouch.

Faith Finley is a talented psychologist with a flourishing career, and is a successful author, and the host of a popular local radio program. On top of this, she’s happily married to a respected food critic, Liam Finley.

Then it all goes wrong, and after that night nothing will be the same.  Liam is missing, and the police look on Faith with suspicion. Has she has something to hide? Or is she mad?

Then notes begin to arrive. Threats escalate, and it is up to Faith to solve the mysteries.

A page turner, full of pace, tension and twists and turns.

All the Best Lies by Joanna Schaffausen pub Titan Books. 

FBI agent Reed Markham is haunted by one painful unsolved mystery: who murdered his mother?

Camilla was brutally stabbed to death more than forty years ago while baby Reed lay in his crib near to her. The trail went so cold that the Las Vegas Police Department has given up hope of solving the case. But then a shattering family secret changes everything Reed knows about his origins, his murdered mother, his powerful adoptive father, state senator Angus Markham. So, just who is his mother’s killer? Is he horribly close to home?

A heart thumping and sinister novel. Keep all the lights on.

Surf The Wave waves goodbye three years after it was created by Pavilion Dance South West – to initiate change in how dance is showcased and toured in the UK.

The programme staged the first UK-focused dance showcase and connected more than 450 artists, producers, programmers and facilitators. It delivered 13 Intensives; 29 networking and programming events; supported 22 Seed Support projects and 10 Showcase Legacy Support projects as well as provided 32 Go See bursaries and 43 Response Pot awards.

Surf The Wave connected artists and programmers through events and workshops. It also provided 204 bursaries for artists and producers to cover time and expenses of attending networking events. It provided a safe space for artists and programmers to meet, to discuss issues and barriers that may be facing them, and to build more opportunities for dance to be presented in the UK. To this end, it also incorporated a UK Dance Showcase which allowed artists to demonstrate their work to programmers from all over the country and reinforce their touring potential. Through the programme, the power of relationship-building between artists and programmes became clear as new dance experiences were created.

Surf The Wave’s commitment to demonstrating that dance doesn’t have to be presented on traditional stages has only become more important: as the new normal changes every day, opportunities continue to open up in new and unusual ways. It is with the skill and creativity of both artists and programmers that dance will be able to continue to flourish. Surf The Wave actively encouraged non-dance specialist programmers to expand their repertoire and explore how dance can work in different performance contexts.

Dance is a small world and in these days of division it is key to reach across geographical and artistic boundaries and build a stronger foundation for support and growth. It was in the programme’s final six months that Covid-19 disrupted livelihoods, plans and tours. However, Surf The Wave honoured all the projects underway, some of which hope to complete in summer 2021, and created a new programme supported by £1000 “Response Pots” which enabled artists to reimagine their work and how to get it to audiences now.

The Surf The Wave website will be maintained as a resource for artists and programmers alike. Three newly commissioned dance films are available to view on the website. Familiar Struggle from Keira Martin follows a woman born in Barnsley with an ancient heart, ancient tears, ancient struggle and ancient fears. Marathon of Intimacies from Jo Fong and Anushiya Yarnell emerged from walking in parks and talking about race. White rooms, family, shame, power, being heard, justice, presence. For Bent Wood, Theo Clinkard spent a night dancing in the woods to embrace the wilderness in all its complex, messy glory as a home for rural queerness.

The legacy of Surf The Wave will inspire positive change and enhance communication within the industry meaning that more dance will be seen not only on our stages but in all the different places that audiences can be found. Its legacy lives on through the work of Pavilion Dance South West who are established promoters of new talent and raising the profile of dance across a multitude of sectors. Surf The Wave’s values of kindness, inclusivity, inspiration and passion remain at the heart of all Pavilion Dance South West do.

They will be hosting the website and promoting all the work through their social channels. Feedback from, and action taken by the artists, programmers and partners shows the value of the project – the conversations held will resonate for some time to come.

Twitter @SurfTheWaveUK Instagram @SurfTheWaveUK Website https://surfthewaveuk.org.uk/ Twitter @PDSW_org Instagram @PDSW_org Website https://www.pdsw.org.uk/

This Christmas is going to be like no other we have lived through, and for some people it could be the loneliest, especially for those who are older,  in other words, who are in their third age. That’s why local u3a groups (University of the Third Age) across the country are doing all they can to keep their membership of over 400,000 people engaged and in touch, whilst at the same time holding the door wide open to  new members so that these newbies can join the ‘gang’  and enjoy the many happenings.

So what is the u3a and who can join?

Membership of a u3a is open to all in their third age, which is defined not by a particular age but by a period in life in which full time employment has ceased.  Members promote the values of lifelong learning and the positive attributes of belonging to a u3a, and do all they can to ensure that people wanting to join their local u3a can do so. There are leaflets in most local libraries, on  village hall notice boards, other local hubs, word of mouth, and of course, the internet, where you can google your own town or village u3a,  find your way to their website, then Bob’s your uncle – contact them and start to enjoy all they have to offer.

So what is  on offer? For a start there are activities groups ranging from local history to ukulele to creative writing, knitting, patchwork, croquet, rambling and … just too many to list here.

Sounds complicated. How does the u3a operate?

It’s extraordinarily simple: the u3a is a self help charitable organisation run by and for its members. There are over 1000  u3as in towns and villages up and down the country whose members enjoy, not just their activity groups, but  special events throughout the year, and over the Christmas season.

Before the pandemic, holidays were arranged by many local u3as, and, of course, day trips to places of interest like Beamish The Living Museum of the North (see image above) Both will resume when all is sorted. Headquarters, a fount of guidance and information especially during this strange time, will make sure local u3a’s are given the go ahead to get back into their village halls, or a coach to somewhere interesting the moment Government’s guidance allows.

Should you think, however,  that with the lockdown and Tier system,  local u3as are at a loss… think again, because nothing daunted, they have swung into the virtual world, relishing zoom, whats app and email’s ability to help them to keep in touch. As for monthly speakers… without missing a beat they have made a friend of technology, taken on their new normality, asking their speakers to  give the monthly talks on zoom. I can vouch for that, because I have done a number of zoom talks for u3as on various aspects of writing.

‘Thank heavens for zoom,’ one member told me, as I did a virtual talk on short story writing. ‘We’ve had such interesting talks, and have sat at home drinking coffee, learning and laughing, interacting, and all the while wearing our comfortable slippers. Yes, we’ve felt part of it, even though we haven’t gathered at the Hall.’ Their speakers, I was impressed to learn, were many and varied, their groups too. What’s more, wherever I’ve been, either physically before the pandemic,  or virtually  during it, the common thread  of the local u3as has been: inclusivity, fellowship, enjoyment and interest, and the creation of long lasting friendships that spill over into other facets of their lives. One member, when she knew I would be writing this, said, ‘Tell them: ‘We’re here, come join us, we’re friendly, busy and if we don’t have a group that appeals, let’s see if we can start one.  Let’s not wait for the old ‘normal’ because we can more than handle the new one.’

She reminded me that as a u3a member you have access to a range of bespoke events including the summer school programme, their national UK wide events with partner organisations, or simply receive an invitation to take part in their u3a conference and AGM.

So the message is, don’t wait for the old ‘normal’, make contact and join in, extend your circle of friends and interests, and don’t be alone. Or if you are not yet in the third age,  make sure you let any friends or family who are, know there are friends  waiting for them.

Find out more: here.

Annie Clarke is the author of the Home Front series. Her latest is: