Charities

Festive greetings beautiful people!

I hope you’re all gearing up for Christmas, by far the most glamorous and sparkly time of the year- I just LOVE IT!

I always ask you to think about others who are in need of care, and today I am talking about those who care for others.We have an army of carers in this country who are completely un-paid, and often unnoticed who deserve so much more for all the love, time and effort they put in for loved ones every single day. Thats why I have chosen the Carer’s Trust for my December charity of the month. They support those of us who care for the vulnerable, old and unwell without a second thought. Please read on to find out more about what they do and how you can help.

Have the most wonderful Christmas everyone!

Loads of hugs and tinsel kisses xxxx

For most of us Christmas is the time of year where we enjoy celebrations, parties and have lovely dinners. But most of all it’s for spending time with family and friends.

For many of the seven million carers across the UK it is also a joyous time, but for many more it is a particularly difficult time of year, as they are caring unpaid for friend or family members who, due to an illness, disability, a mental health problem or an addiction cannot cope without their support. Unfortunately, Christmas won’t be the same for them. It means that many carers and young carers may not be able to enjoy all the festivities in the same way, as they care for a brother, sister, mother, father, child or friend. This can leave them feeling cut off from what is going on as they carry out backbreaking work – lifting the person they care for, taking them to hospital and doctors’ appointments, attending to their personal care and doing their shopping and cooking. And in many cases while juggling a family of their own, doing a full-time job or attending school.

It can be lonely and isolating, with no one to turn to or no one who quite understands.

You may find it shocking to learn that three in five of us will become a carer at some stage and what’s more, the role of a carer doesn’t discriminate – anyone can become a carer at anytime and they could be as young as five or over 90. Many end up on duty 24-7, 365 days a year, with their role taking a toll on their job, school, health, relationships and finances.

They are part of a hidden army of carers who save the British economy £119 billion each year – some of whom are caring for more than 50 hours a week.

This is where Carers Trust can help. They are the largest charity for unpaid carers and provide support and short breaks giving carers time to re-energise for their caring role, take care of their own well-being, and importantly take a break from the responsibilities they have for just a short time.

They do this with the help of Network Partners, a unique group of 116 independent carers centres, 55 Crossroads Care schemes and 99 young carers services across the UK.

Carers Trust provide a range of support, such as short breaks, 24/7 online help, small grants to buy essential items, emotional support and practical advice and training. It also provides a series of guides to help carers, families and people with care needs to know what to look out for when buying a care package.

We probably all know someone who is a carer, whether they tell us they are not. They could be someone in your class at school, someone you sit next to at work or it could be you.

This Christmas they need your support, so carers can have access to urgent help and hope for a better future. So please take a moment to think about the hidden army of carers and support Carers Trust this Christmas so they can support those who need them most.

There are lots of ways you can support Carers Trust.

You can make a donation today by texting GOKC14 £5 to 70070

Here is how your donation could help:

Your gift of £5 could help combat isolation and stress for carers by contributing towards maintaining our online discussion forums, giving unpaid carers 24-hour access to support and urgent advice.

£15 could fund a place provided by one of the many local Network Partners, who offer a range of activities.
£25 could give precious time by providing carers with an hour of respite care to give them a break from their caring responsibilities.
£75 could help towards providing a young carer with a dedicated mentor to help reach their potential. Sadly, about two in three young carers are bullied at school and this can affect their ability to make friends and pass exams.
£200 could save an exhausted carer valuable time by going towards a washing machine or dishwasher – a vital piece of equipment for a carer.

You can visit the Carers Trust website www.carers.org to find out more about the charity and how you can give your support.

And if you are a carer yourself, you can find your nearest services or register for help online.
@CarersTrust
www.facebook.com/carerstrust

As you know every month I choose a charity which really means something to me, an organisation whose values and goals are really important and that I think will really make a difference to peoples lives. This months charity; The Shuttlewood Clarke Foundation ticks all of these boxes in so many ways.

Happy October everyone hope you’re all having a great week!

So a new month means a brand new charity for gokwan.com, and one that’s special and very close to my heart! October see’s the start of The campaign for Body Confidence – this is going to be huge and I really believe it can take the whole country in the right direction and give everyone out there the tools to build confidence in their own bodies! Read on to find out more…

Love you

Auntie Gok x

Join the national movement to change attitudes to body image and help all of us in the UK put health above appearance and be confident in our bodies.

Did you know that more than half the population in the UK suffer from low body confidence?

This is damaging lives. It affects everyone – all ages, both sexes – and starts young. It impacts people’s physical and mental health and holds them back in life, stopping them from achieving all they could.

Too often, the way we look becomes a measure of who we are. There is a growing pressure on achieving an aesthetic ideal – an ideal that few of us can ever live up to.

It is a particularly worrying issue for children and young people, stunting their confidence and ambitions for the future. A third of children say they worry about the way they look and appearance is the largest cause of bullying in schools.

Be Real has launched. Our goal is to help all of us, whatever our size, ethnicity or ability, to put health above appearance and be confident in our bodies.

To make this change happen, our campaign will focus on three key areas:

1. Real education: We want to give children and young people a body confident start to life. We’re calling for parents to set a positive example, schools to adopt a whole-school approach and young people to support each other to be body confident.

2. Real health: We want healthy living and general wellbeing to be prioritised over just appearance and weight. We’re calling for the healthcare sector and those in the diet, health and fitness industries to promote long-term healthy living and wellbeing ahead of short-term quick fixes. We want individuals to celebrate feeling good and being healthy.

3. Real diversity: We want the media, businesses and advertisers to positively reflect what we really look like. We’re calling for businesses, publishers, editors and advertisers to act responsibly by positively promoting different body shapes and sizes, people with and without disabilities and all ages, genders and ethnicities. We want the public to choose brands that promote body confidence and challenge those that don’t.

We are uniting schools, businesses, charities, public bodies and individuals to change behaviour and celebrate real, healthy and diverse bodies.

Join us today: together we can build a body confident nation.

The campaign is coordinated by YMCA and supported by leading brands.

Find out more here: www.berealcampaign.co.uk

You can also donate to help make lasting change here: www.berealcampaign.co.uk/donate

Follow us for more info and live updates: @BeReal_Campaign and facebook.com/BeRealBodyConfidence

facebook.com/BeRealBodyConfidence

Hello my lovelies,

I’m sure its back to school for many of you! I don’t want to start on a sad note for your new term, but it is sad to know that so many school children don’t get a simple breakfast before they start school. A lot of these kids have gone hungry over the holidays for many different reasons! So I am asking you to help support this amazing charity called Magic Breakfast which helps to provide breakfast to the most needy children so they can concentrate on their education rather than their empty tummies!

It can be as simple as giving £2, which gives a child breakfast for 2 weeks – just text ‘FACE02 £2’ to 70070. It really is that simple! Have a read on to see more about their work and how you can help!

Love you guys, and whether you’re going back to school or back to work, have an amazing September!

xxxx

Magic Breakfast’s Back to school campaign: #brekface

Our work at Magic Breakfast is important as the children we support go back to school.

We want to raise awareness of the issue of child hunger in the Uk (did you know that 1 in 8 children went hungry over the holidays?) and the work that Magic Breakfast do (feeding 14,500 children by the end of the year).

We’re asking supporters to tweet or share on Facebook a picture of their breakfast with a smiley face, using the hashtag #brekface and then to follow us on Twitter or like us on Facebook.

You can also donate £2 to Magic Breakfast by texting FACE02 £2 to 70070. Everyone who sends us a #brekface and follows us on Twitter or likes us on Facebook will be entered into our competition for the chance to win £100 vouchers!

Find out more on our website: magicbreakfast.com

Happy August everyone, wow what a summer it has been, beautiful weather, fabulous people and of course another amazing charity that I want you all to know about!

As I hope you all know breast cancer affects way too many men and women across the world, and we need to do everything in our power to help the people affected, but also educate everyone on how to spot the signs and also understand that help is at hand. Bosom Buddies are an incredible charity that do just that, please read on and find out how you can help! Love you xxx

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in the UK. Around 48,000 women are diagnosed in Britain each year. Alarmingly this disease is seeing younger women diagnosed more frequently, and there are at least 400 cases recorded each year of male sufferers (so chaps get checking your moobs!!)

BosombuddiesUK’s mission is to improve the general well-being and care of young women and men, through the education and provision of information highlighting the signs and symptoms of Breast Cancer. If caught at an early stage the treatments are so much more effective and survival rates higher. Knowing your body could actually save your life!

How do we do this? By visiting Secondary Schools all across the UK and speaking to Year 11 Girls

Why Year 11 Girls? It’s the last time you can gather 90% of the female population together in one place to educate them.

For what purpose? To educate and empower these girls to see no fear in the disease, to be confident enough to check themselves and be aware of signs and symptoms and to come forward at an early point. This will mean less invasive treatment – we would like to think Mastectomies and Chemotherapy will, over time become a rarity not the norm!

BosombuddiesUK is the brainchild of Pauline Giles and was set up in 2011. In 2010 Pauline had Breast Cancer – ‘Orange Peeling’ to her left breast – the skin looked like the skin of an orange, one of the signs of Breast Cancer few women know about! Surgery followed a week later and after a very brief spell to recover the Charity was born.

In the last three years Pauline has been body painted naked, designed a range of merchandise, brewed her own beer, began placing pink spotty clothes bins all over the UK, driven all over the continent on rallies in a pink London Taxi, been to the House of Commons five times, met Nick Clegg, Donald Trump and Gok Wan, had MPs around to her house for coffee and cake! Culminating in this academic year, seeing 5,000 girls in schools from Wigan to Penzance!

BosombuddiesUK will be at the forefront of sharing new techniques and empowering men and women to see no fear but we need your help to get there ….You can support us in a number of ways and help raise funds to educate and save lives – make a donation by text to BAPS33 on 70070, set up a monthly direct debit or buy some of our fabulous BBUK Merchandise – You might want to contact us about fundraising opportunities?

There’s lots of exciting plans afoot and you can follow our antics on twitter @bosombuddies_uk , like our Facebook page Bosombuddiesuk and check out our website www.bosombuddiesuk.com. We are always glad of help fundraising, and are always looking to recruit young Breast Cancer survivors to become Buddies – if you think you can help with any of this, please make contact.

Hello my darlings, yes it is true, July has hit us already! I hope you’re all enjoying the sunshine wherever in the world you are!

I have found a way to combine my two biggest passions – charity and fashion! It really is an amazing way for you to engage in this and become part of helping someone to build a future. Please read on about my charity of the month for July, the incredible Lend with Care, and see how you can help support people who need it most.

Hugs and summer kisses

Xxx

Lendwithcare.org: lending is the new giving!
As fans of Gok’s, we know you love fashion: the clothes, the shoes, the bags… We think you’ll also love the opportunity to invest in someone for whom clothes and shoes are a way to make a living in the most challenging circumstances. Someone from a poor community, who’s trying to start or expand their small fashion business. They don’t want to be the next Stella McCartney; they simply want to feed their families and send their children to school.

Seamstress, tailor, clothes retailer…
Through Lendwithcare.org, you can view the profiles of entrepreneurs from all over the world and choose someone whose small business you would like to support. You can lend them anything from £15, and follow the progress of their growing business. You can see how your loan is helping them improve their lives. And guess what? They’ll pay you back. You can keep that money, or re-lend it- recycling your £15 again and again, helping person after person.

You can also choose people working in other industries: farmers, food producers…even rickshaw drivers! The one thing they all have in common is that you can be what they need to thrive. It’s not a hand-out, it’s a hand up. A way to help them work their way out of poverty, and offer their children a more hopeful future.

La Morm, seamstress from Cambodia
La used to scrape a living working alone as a seamstress in a small village near Battambang, Cambodia. Through Lendwithcare.org, she used a loan to buy five sewing machines. Now, for a small fee, La teaches girls from her community how to sew. Together they make garments to sell locally, sharing the profits. When the girls are trained, they get to keep their sewing machine, gradually paying La back in instalments- and can start their own sewing business. La then replaces the machine, and takes on another student. Thanks to Lendwithcare, La has improved her income and is changing lives of girls in her village. She does it, she says, “Because I treasure my community.”

Please make a loan and change a life. For less than a pair of Primark pumps, you can help a poor entrepreneur to live, earn and fulfil their potential.

And if you work in the fashion industry yourself, you can go one step further! CARE International, the leading poverty-fighting charity behind Lendwithcare, is looking for intrepid teams from across the fashion world to challenge themselves and challenge poverty in the Prima Solutions Adventure Challenge. Take on a marathon on foot, bike and canoe amid stunning scenery while raising vital funds for CARE.

Facebook facebook.com/lendwithcare
Twitter @lendwithcare

A very happy June to you all my lovelies!

Wow this year has flown by, I am currently writing to you from down under in Melbourne where I’m filming right now.

As you know every month I have a special charity I like to tell you about because I feel that there are many causes that don’t get the exposure and recognition they deserve, and unfortunately there are many many people who are in desperate need of charity and I feel it is our duty to do what we can to help. I think this months charity, The Haemophilia Society, epitomises what is not only great about charity, but also why platforms such as this are so important to let the world know what charities are out there and how we can help. Please take a moment to read about their incredible work and particularly a new campaign called Talking Red which deserves so much support.

Love you guys and thanks for reading.

xxx

The Haemophilia Society – Talking Red

The only national charity dedicated to supporting people with bleeding disorders, The Haemophilia Society has, for more than 60 years, campaigned for better awareness, and been a trusted source of information and practical advice for people affected.

Because these conditions are rare there is still a lack of awareness, and many people don’t realise that women suffer from bleeding disorders too. In fact, thousands of women today across the UK are living with the symptoms of a bleeding disorder without even knowing it.

We are determined to rectify this by launching a new campaign, Talking Red, to make women more aware of the symptoms of a bleeding disorder – heavy periods, bruising easily and prolonged bleeding after a procedure or childbirth – and to promote better understanding of what it means to live with such a condition.

Bleeding disorders can’t be cured but there is effective treatment available, so our message is get Talking Red to help the thousands of women who are suffering in silence.

Launching on June 14, the awareness week will be packed full of activities and will culminate in Red Knicker Night on June 21, the longest day of the year. On that night we are asking supporters around the country to walk, party, or even workout wearing red knickers to show their support and get people talking! It’s an opportunity to be bold, have fun and support The Haemophilia Society at the same time.

Or perhaps you could Paint It Red for the week instead? Not the town, your nails. Get some friends, family or workmates together for a nail party, or wear red polish for the week to show your support.

For all the information you need to get involved, including an event pack, essential information on bleeding disorders, and more on the work of The Haemophilia Society visit: www.talkingred.org

Like us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/HaemophiliaSocietyUK
& follow The Haemophilia Society on Twitter @HaemoSocUK for all the latest events in your area.

Don’t forget you can donate to The Haemophilia Society anytime by texting GRED14 £3 to 70070

Hello my lovelies!

There is very little I can say about this month’s charity of the month that hasn’t already been deservedly said. Great Ormond Street Hospital is just one incredible place where kids who have some of the most terrible illnesses are given care above and beyond what you could ever imagine. There is no child who wants to spend their youth in hospital but GOSH gives them a place where they can come and feel safe and know they will get the best treatment available.

Please read on about their incredible work and how you can support them.

Loads of love, Auntie Gok xxx

Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH)

Great Ormond Street Hospital is the UK’s leading children’s research hospital and one of the top five in the world. The hospital receives more than 220,000 patient visits every year from critically ill children, many of whom are referred to us by other hospitals across the UK that are unable to provide them with the highly specialised treatment they require. Sadly, many of our patients have unique, complex and life threatening illnesses and Great Ormond Street Hospital is often their last hope.

Whilst the NHS pays for the day to day running costs of the hospital, it is Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity that ensures the hospital can maintain its position at the forefront of paediatric medicine. We raise funds for four key areas – the on-going redevelopment of the hospital, pioneering research, highly specialised paediatric equipment and welfare services for patients and their families. We could not continue to do this without the generous support of our supporters.

Whilst our treatments are cutting-edge, many of our buildings are not. We desperately need to upgrade our facilities to bring them in line with our expert standard of care.

How you can help

There are lots of ways to support the charity with something for everyone!

If you are sporty there are a range of walks, runs, cycle rides and treks – in this country and at exciting locations around the world. There are glamorous events like galas, premieres and balls. Hold a bake-sale at work or hold a sponsored silence. Or you could simply make a donation!

For more ideas go to www.gosh.org

Every year, the Channel 4 Comedy Gala raises money for a new operating theatre at Great Ormond Street Hospital. The Gala – initiated and organised by the late Addison Cresswell – is held at the O2 on Friday 16 May 2014. There’s still time to get tickets for this star-studded event which includes Adam Hills, Aisling Bea, Alan Carr, Jack Dee, Jason Byrne, Jason Manford, Jo Brand, John Bishop, Jon Richardson, Jonathan Ross, Josh Widdicombe, Kevin Bridges, Lee Evans, Michael McIntyre, Paul Chowdhry, Sean Lock, Seann Walsh and many more.

Happy April Fool’s Day everyone! No this is not a trick, it really it is my new charity of the month and these guys actually deal with something very personal to me and very serious!

You all know I hate bullies. I hate school bullies, work bullies, family bullies, I hate all of them. It doesn’t make you stronger, it doesn’t make you more important and it certainly doesn’t make you a better person. Every day I fight bullies. Whether thats the bullies of my past that still haunt me, the bullies on twitter, or helping amazing charities like Ditch the Label enable everyone to realise that nobody deserves to be a victim- we all deserve to be happy and I hope you join me in fighting for everyones happiness no matter who you are.

Please read on and see how you can help. loads of love xxx

About Ditch the Label
Our message is clear: It doesn’t matter if you’re white, black, gay, straight, asexual, disabled, skinny, curvy, old, young, interested in sports, work in a salon or feel good in drag – we think that you are amazing. Things like the colour of your skin, your sexuality, appearance, interests or disability should not define you. Together we can and will reduce the prominence and harmful effects of bullying within the UK’s education system.

Welcome to the UK’s most innovative anti-bullying charity. We are based in Brighton but work across the UK with schools, colleges, young people, parents and organisations towards our objective of helping to combat bullying and to promote the importance of equality and diversity.

Our own independent research of 1,843 UK students suggests that up to 69% of young people will experience bullying before their 18th birthday – this simply is not acceptable.

Together, we can promote the fact that it’s okay to be different and can empower young people into overcoming bullies and counteract the negative effects that bullying can cause. According to our Annual Bullying Survey 2013 – 23.5% of victims consider self harm as their only escape route and 17.3% will truant in order to avoid bullies.

What we Are Currently Doing
1. We produce groundbreaking and innovative research that is free and accessible to everybody
2. We develop innovative anti-bullying campaigns for schools and colleges
3. We operate the largest online peer-to-peer support community in the world
4. We provide skill-based workshops for local youths
5. We provide advice and features with role models
6. We utilise the power of mainstream and social media to raise awareness about the issue of equality and diversity

Can You Help?
We are a small, yet, rapidly growing anti-bullying charity and have to date indecently funded our own work. We are always looking for people to help with the growth and scaling of our charity – whether in the form of a fundraiser or donation or just by volunteering some of your time. Find out more on how you can help here: http://www.ditchthelabel.org/help-us/

Hey Guys, it looks like Spring is trying to say hello which means ditching those scarves and dusting off your spring jackets! I want to introduce you to a very special charity called Coppafeel.

I was introduced to them by my very good friend Fearne Cotton and as soon as I met these guys and was told what they do I just knew I had to tell you about them. Basically they’re amazing! Their philosophy is very simple and its all in the name, that’s right ladies coppa feel of those bangers because unless everyone checks regularly we can’t get on top of this life-threatening cancer. Please read on and find out more about how you can help them, and how you can help yourselves.

Love you and remember… Coppafeel! xxx

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in the UK. 1 in 8 women will be diagnosed at some point during their life and over 400 men are diagnosed every year.

CoppaFeel! is a breast cancer awareness charity, on a mission to ensure that all breast cancers are caught at the earliest stage possible, making treatments more effective and survival rates higher.

Why? Because too many people are dying from this disease and not enough people are checking their boobs. They want to instill healthy boob checking-habits from a young age by teaching every young person in the UK that knowing their boobs could save their life one day. And that it can be fun.

It was set up by Kristin Hallenga in 2009. At 22 Kristin was told she was “too young to get breast cancer”. This meant that her cancer was diagnosed late and could only be treated, never cured. Following her own experience, she has dedicated her life to making sure young people learn the signs and symptoms of breast cancer, check their boobs regularly and be confident in seeking treatment if something is not normal for them.

CoppaFeel! develop attention-grabbing, captivating national awareness campaigns that bring boob chat to the forefront of young people’s attention and then take their message to places where they hang out, including schools, universities and festivals. They pride themselves on being a constant friendly reminder, usually when you least expect it.

So coppafeel and start the habit of a life time today, because knowing your boobs could save your life.

To find out more about the work of CoppaFeel!, head to www.coppafeel.org.

To receive a *free monthly reminder from CoppaFeel! to check your boobs, text ‘BOOBS’ to 70300.

*Standard network rates apply for the text you send to sign up. But everything’s free after that. Promise.