Topshop makes your Christmas wishes come true this year: The high street giant’s latest venture, Dress Me Up, allows shoppers to steal a star’s style for a day by hiring dresses from their wardrobe.

Launching today, Dress Me Up will be in Topshop’s flagship Oxford Street store until December 6th for you to try things on for size before its official launch on 7th December, running through until the 23rd.

During the hire period, you can grab Kate Moss’ beaded Lanvin dress, Freida Pinto’s pale yellow Burberry Prorsum number, Scarlett Johansson’s Nanette Lepore animal print mini, Peaches Geldof’s floral floor-length Dolce & Gabbana gown, Dita Von Teese’s blue evening dress by Jayson Brundson, and one of Nicola Robert’s bespoke costumes from the latest Girls Aloud tour, among a rialfull of others. Names also signed up to the initiative include Naomi Campbell, Jourdan Dunn, Erin O’Connor, Sophie Dahl and ELLE’s very own Olivia Palermo.

But that’s not the best part: Hiring a dress costs a mere £40. And, if after wearing your favourite dress you can’t bare to see it go, you’ve got the chance to own it forever as it falls into auction, with proceeds going to Age Concern and Help the Aged.

“Having worked with Topshop for so long, we didn’t think twice about donating our dress. It’s such a great cause, especially at this time of year,” Emma Cook told Vogue UK. “The combination of being able to help support Age Concern and Help the Aged and the chance for someone to wear our dress that wouldn’t ordinarily be able to afford to, is such a fantastic concept.”

Which dress would you borrow if you were in the UK? Let me know @twitter.com/HauteCouturista

I am mad with busy ness today and have some other things to write so I thought I had better skip the blog today. Then I bought a drink with a hat on (as you do) and couldn’t resist getting the cat in, who was perfectly happy in next-door’s garden, to dress her up in her most evil feline pose with the knitted bonnet. Of course I am totally against dressing animals up, because it’s just stupid. Standby for the dog in a mac…

A suitably outraged Bibi

www.innocentdrinks.co.uk/thebigknit

This blog has been mainly about fun stuff to do, especially bars and restaurants, but perhaps it’s main purpose is to examine how self-fulfilling and self-centred our lives are in London, and the fact that to be truly happy (in a religious or spiritual sense), it might be necessary to sacrifice your own personal enjoyment – at times – for the greater good of others.  Otherwise our lives are pretty meaningless are they not?  I note that Maya Angelou is reported as saying: “Be certain that you do not die without having done something wonderful for humanity” (http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2009/nov/14/maya-angelou-interview).

I have ideas for fundraising – especially giving unwanted clothes, books, shoes, bags, etc (which we all have in abundance, ebay anyone?) to hostels or secure centres for those who need it – but until I find the right venue (and I have an idea that I need to build on), I wanted to find another opportunity to help out.

So, I’ve contacted Age Concern Lambeth to ask about befriending opportunities.  I have always been especially upset when I see old and vulnerable people on their own, perhaps because of my sadness at the vulnerability of members of my own family, and perhaps because of the love I had for my grandparents.  Either way, it makes me sad to think you can live your whole life, fight in wars, bring up children, and then be left on your own to care for yourself.  I don’t think they need the basics – social workers and carers should have that covered – but I do think that the need for human contact, conversation, love, is something that everybody needs.  In any case, I’d be fascinated to hear stories from the past or just be there to natter. 

They ask for 1-2 hours a week, especially 9am-5pm on a weekday.  This of course is problematic with my job, but I wondered if I could help at the weekends or early mornings.  I will report back on how this goes and any other volunteering opportunities that come my way.  In the meantime, if you want to donate, please do so here: http://www.ageconcern.org.uk/AgeConcern/donate.asp.

So the little Elmo slippers got up to a little bit of mischief again yesterday at lunchtime…

Just where did the little Elmo get a funky little purple hat like that?

Ahh…hang on a minute, this may be explained by a picture of something that was in Laura Anne’s lunch bag yesterday…

Yes! It’s November, and while for some of my male friends that means growing a moustache to raise money for prostate cancer awareness, in the world of BK that means it’s Big Knit time! The time where I help raise money for Age Concern by buying bottles of Innocent Smoothies with lil woolen hats on then decorate my very cheap Tesco Value Christmas tree with them so it looks like this!

So while I was munching on some very healthy (coughcough) leftover chicken chow mein, the Elmo slippers were mystified by the bottle of smoothie…

But they quickly became friends…

I’m not sure when it got to the hat stealing point though. Honestly! Those little red furry monsters!!

PS Loving this season’s special guest smoothie – pineapple, blueberries & ginger – Yummy! Extra bonus? The purple factor.

]]> http://thefagcasanova.wordpress.com/2009/11/10/the-big-knit/ Tue, 10 Nov 2009 02:18:19 +0000 Gareth Aveyard http://thefagcasanova.wordpress.com/2009/11/10/the-big-knit/

Until today I was hitherto unaware of this campaign, but it made me smile. Innocent (the smoothie popples) and Sainsbury have joined forces to raise money for Age Concern and Help The Aged, if you can knit. Get involved here.

Cold weather claims 29 lives every day in Scotland during the winter

Apparently over 20,000 people died in Scotland last winter due to the cold weather, this was a rise of over 600, according to government figures.

This was the highest rise for almost ten years.

The SNP government in Scotland staggeringly described the figures as ‘a downward trend’, a position that is both complacent and apparently callous.

It’s vital that the SNP take this issue seriously and understand that the work done to make 100,000 homes centrally heated under the previous Labour/Lib Dem administration was essential and should be continued. The effects of fuel poverty should not be underestimated by the complacent SNP government.

Much more must be done to improve home insulation and continue the good work that was being done by the previous Lib Dem/Labour joint administration.

According to Age Concern the number of pensioners living with fuel poverty has more than doubled in the past 4 years. With fuel bills increasing by 40% in the past 2 years, with only a marginal reduction in the past 12 months this is set to get even worse this winter.

http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/politics/In-caring-21stcentury-Scotland-29.5730078.jp

Last week, the high court stood by the current law regarding employee rights when an employee reaches retirement age. As we know it, the law states that an employee retires at the age of 65 without further financial burden on the employer. This was challenged – the suggestion being, I think, that some sort of redundancy payment be made.

Small business owners will view the ruling with a sigh of relief.

But beware, this was a test case being taken though the courts by Age Concern and Help the Aged.  As I understand it, the charities will not bother to appeal the ruling because they have been promised new legislation by the government that is more in line with their interests.

This can only result in increased costs for small business owners, providing yet further evidence of the continued government assault against small businesses.

Will it ever stop?

Don’t get me wrong. I am not anti-ageist – I love the fact that 70 is the new 60 – my father is 73 and spends 2-3 hours working every day. That is because people want his services.

Surely, at the age of 65, the employer has the right to draw a line in the sand and reconsider the resources will be best for the business in the future?

History tells us that the small business owners are a resourceful lot, and they will find ways of adapting to suit their needs rather than those of the government. The long term affect of this would be less security for the very people the government is trying to protect.

Age Concern in the East Riding is holding a healthy lifestyle event in cooperation with the Holderness Grange retirement village on Monday 19th October 2009.

The event which takes place from 11am – 2pm at the Drapers Lane complex will raise awareness of the array of information, support and services available to over-50s.

The event will also showcase the facilities at the Holderness Grange site which include a restaurant and bar, hair and beauty salon, gymnasium, library, bowling green, internet facilities and dance studio.

Related Information: The Age Concern and Help the Aged website offers a series of online guides to achieving a healthier lifestyle.

Being an offshoot of the stalled Zoological Fieldnotes series.

Gawd bless our senior citizenry. What they lose in vitality they gain in ever more frequent ‘funny turns’ such as this one.

Morning, exterior shot, Halesowen. Front yard, of a 3-bed semi.

Foggy. Cigarette break. Worked through night. Shattered.

Opposite – tail end of conversation between neighbours. Elderly. Shrivelled. Hale and hearty. All that was heard…

Lady: …and I suppose it’s because of that gay lover of his, the great pooftah! Bless him!

This lady, I’ll add, is old enough to have been shagging GIs for her king and country during the war. The usual overheard conversations that I recall hearing from her vintage are generally bigoted, racist or breathtakingly intolerant. Or really, really boring. I’m making no sweeping generalisations here. Perhaps the bad things just stick more firmly in my mind. If so that’s my failing. I’m just reporting my current impression of matters.

Maybe I found it funny because of a confluence of particular thoughts going through my head at the time. Maybe that’s not funny at all. But there it is.

Now, what it did do is nearly made me orally ingest half a lit cigarette. I dont know about anybody else, but that was straight up the damn near most perfect possible start to any Sunday morning. Bless the pair of them! For being daft if nothing else.  For gently prodding my moribund faith in humanity.  For blowing a thin beam of light through my murk.  That was soooo much funnier than Russell Brand. And I doubt she was even trying to be. Without being willfully debased.  Without all the long haired, Dickensian, screeching, faux verbosity.  Without the patently obvious supreme effort to remain edgy, cheekily offensive, to push the boundary between clever and being a tosser.  Brand’s mistake was this.  He wasn’t as clever as he thought he was, his judgement was totally compromised, he was getting-off on his own presumed brilliance, the prick.  What an utter wankstain.

Keep on truckin.

Foggy out.

At my age I’m a little slow on the uptake , but apparently yesterday was UK Older People’s Day 2009, applying to everyone over the age of fifty. Talk about depressing! Surely if forty is the new thirty and fifty the new forty then Older People’s Day should set a lower limit of sixty.

According to the internet:

The 1^st October 2009 is a chance to celebrate the huge contribution older people make to families and communities everywhere by making new connections to those who live around us whatever their age.

All older people should have the chance to lead full, active and productive lives. We want to challenge outdated stereotypes by promoting the positive images of aging and inspire people to see old age as an opportunity to take on new challenges. Above all, we want to ensure that everybody, regardless of age, feels included in our society.

Aside from sections on allotments, free bus passes and staying mentally and physically active, the website also has ‘useful links’ to the Pension Service, Directgov Over 50s, Age Concern and Help the Aged, and a section about Grandparents’ Day this coming Sunday.

I was going to go for a run later but what’s the point, not at my age – I might go and do myself an injury, what with the brittle bones and all.

Time to give up the running...

 

...and get an allotment.

Margaret Peterson with a picture of her and Charles in happier times

 

By Cara Sulieman

AN ELDERLY couple who have been married for 25 years have been forced 13 miles apart by the NHS because of red tape.

Charles Peterson, 88, was refused a place in a care home in his hometown because his step-daughter works there.

And now his wife Margaret, 82, has to make a 26 mile round trip to North Berwick to visit her husband from her home in Dunbar.

The couple only spent a few days apart in their 25 years of marriage – even travelling the world together when Charles got a job in Saudi Arabia – until he had to be taken into hospital following a stroke in early 2008.

“Ridiculous”

An old person’s charity has branded the decision “ridiculous” and is calling for East Lothian Community Health Partnership to reconsider their position.

Margaret said that the family got their hopes up when they heard that Charles could be moved to the Dunbar care home – just one mile from his home – but have now been shattered by the decision to retract the offer.

She said: “It was like giving a bag of sweeties to two delighted schoolchildren and then snatching them back again.

“It has been awful living so far apart from Charles. I can only visit him every five weeks or so and every time we see each other we spend the whole visit in tears because we miss each other so much.

“He calls me every morning when he gets up, and I call him at night before bed, but it’s not the same as being able to see each other. We just want to spend our last years together as a couple.”

Reunited

Charles spent 11 months at the high dependency unit at Belhaven Nursing Home in Dunbar after his stroke but was moved to the care home in North Berwick when his condition approved.

It looked as though the couple would be reunited when a place came up at Belhaven’s permanent accommodation last month.

But NHS bosses discovered that Margaret’s daughter from a previous marriage, Katie Fairgrieve, 59, is a nurse in the palliative care ward and vetoed the decision.

The family have appealed the decision with local care managers, NHS Lothian and the Care Commission but their pleas have so far fallen on deaf ears.

The only option that has been offered to the family was for Katie to give up the job she loves and move somewhere else.

“Professional”

Margaret said: “I can’t ask her to do that and she shouldn’t have to. It’s not fair on her to say that the only way Charles can move back to Dunbar is if she gives up her job.

“Katie’s my daughter from a previous marriage so there’s not a drop of blood between them. Aside from the fact that she works in a completely different ward, when she crosses the doors of the nursing home she becomes a professional so even if they did come into contact she would not allow her feelings to affect her work.

“We thought the move to Belhaven would be the perfect solution but the wannabe Gods at the NHS said it would be inappropriate.”

The wrangle has meant that Charles has lost the spot at the home, which has now been given to someone else.

“Over application of the rules”

A spokesman for Age Concern and Help the Aged Scotland said that although there are rules in place to prevent immediate family members from working in the same place where their relative is a patient, it seems as though NHS Lothian has taken it too far in this case.

He said: “It seems a bit over the top. These rules apply to immediate family and this seems to be a case where it isn’t immediate family. It is a gross over application of the rules in this regard.

“It seems they have made the decision without taking into consideration the ramifications for those nearest and dearest to him.

“A bit of common sense would have seemed more applicable in this case. There are rules but it is how you implement those rules that make a difference. They should be looking at the impact on the people concerned.

“If she has to make a 26 mile round trip every time she wants to see her husband then that is ridiculous – something needs to be changed. The authorities should look into this again and reconsider their position.”

“Integrity”

But Mairi Pollock, clinical services manager for East Lothian Community Health Partnership (CHP), said that the rules were in place to make sure that a professional relationship was maintained.

She said: “Providing quality care for each patient is a priority for East Lothian CHP.

“East Lothian CHP has an obligation to maintain the integrity of the professional relationship between patients and staff when personal relationships overlap professional care.

“We are working closely with our East Lothian Council colleagues and Mr Peterson’s family to ensure he continues to receive appropriate care.”

Age Concern and Help the Aged are looking for an Internet Champion to represent the charity and provide a leading light for the estimated 6.4 million people 65+ who have never used the internet, according to data from the Office for National Statistics.

Many older people never have the chance to use the Internet, despite new research from Age Concern and Help the Aged finding that older people see the benefit of the internet with three in four people believing it to be a useful tool to stay in contact with friends and family (ICM survey 11-18 September 2009). The research also found that 61% of older people believe the internet to be a useful way of making savings on products and services.

The Internet Champion – who will be a regular older person who has embraced the internet – will show older people that using the internet is a realistic possibility for them and that they too can reap the benefits of being online.

The winner of the Internet Champion search will receive a laptop computer, a complete BT package including BT Total Broadband, as well as an all-expenses paid trip to London. For more information visit www.ageconcern.org.uk/it.

itea and biscuits week, supported by BT, offers older people nationwide the opportunity to get involved in technology ’taster sessions’ at local Age Concerns and other supporting organisations from September 21 to 25.

What is a regular older person?

The Internet Champion search aims to find an ordinary person (aged 55+) who has recently learned to use the internet and whose personal story can inspire others. The search will begin on 21 September 2009 and end on 13 November 2009 with the winner being selected by a panel of judges from Age Concern and Help the Aged. To apply, candidates will need to fill in the Internet Champion application form which can be downloaded from www.ageconcern.org.uk/it.

November sees Sainsbury’s stocking its shelves with Innocent Smoothies charmingly adorned with wee knitted hats.

So why discuss this now in mid September? It’s because all the hats are handknitted by generous folk and donated to the cause. Then they’re counted up, dished out, fitted onto the individual smoothie bottles and are ready to be sold.

For each smoothie & hat combo bought in Sainsbury’s in November, Innocent donate 50p to Age Concern & Help the Aged. The money goes towards keeping our nation’s Grannies and Grandpa’s healthy and warm over winter. The aim is to raise a whopping £250,000 to support both Age Concern and Help the Aged with their healthy eating and healthy living projects.

There’s a month and a day left to get the hats sent off and received, so I’m currently knitting away when I have a spare moment.

I first found out about the Innocent/Age Concern partnership and THE BIG KNIT in 2007, it was advertised in the monthly Sainsbury’s magazine I used to buy loyally every month. My first year, I only found out 2 weeks before the deadline, bought a few small balls of yarn from town and made up 20 hats just in time.

I’ve since moved home, and sadly am no longer even remotely near a Sainsbury’s (how I miss my monthly mag!) but I kept up with the Big Knit idea, and having some time on my hands last year, and being able to ‘borrow’ bits of wool from my Mum’s giant stash, I managed to whip up 50 bright and colour little hats, including cupcakes, strawberries and a couple of dolls.

This year I’m hoping to match that target of 50. It’s quite a big one considering each hat can take at least half an hour to make, the dolls being closer to an hour, but if I’m not writing or working, I’m sure there’s a few moments here and there to get a couple done a day.

I’ve already begun, and will update you before the end of my monthly blog with pics of the new ones, but for now I’ll leave you with a couple of photos of the hats I made last year.

And please, if you live near a Sainsbury’s, pop into one this November and buy yourself a tasty innocent smoothie (make sure you pick one with a hat!) – a treat for you and a donation to a worthy cause. After all, if you think it gets cold over winter, imagine how the older of us out there must feel!

Otter.

Last week we attended the third in a series of seminars presented by the Equality and Human Rights Commission and Age Concern / Help the Aged (for whom a new name is imminent). Entitled JustAgeing: fairness, equality and the lifecourse the programme focuses on inequality over the lifecourse with this particular seminar being held to examine the notion of inter-generational equity. In what was an interesting but fundamentally academic discussion, a number of contentious issues were raised not least the assumed ability of particular generations (in this case “baby boomers”) to manipulate resources to their own benefit and the detriment of others. What emerged yet again however is that we lack an adequate vocabulary to discuss meaningfully today’s ageing reality – as revealed by a clear demonstration that the generation we think of as “baby boomers” in the UK is in fact two different cohorts who have been subject to different social, economic and environmental influences relating to the different years they were born. 

But the real issue which quickly emerged from the heart of the session was the extent to which we, as a society or as providers of services, can or should expect to be able to achieve inter-generational equity and the extent to which this is either achievable or desirable.  After all, individuals always have been and will be different. As we have said so often before, why do we expect them then to suddenly become homogeneous simply because of a shared age?  It was an interesting theoretical discussion no doubt, but unfortunately there was not a great deal of practical use to take away.

These last few day have been very busy, and next week is shaping up the same way. Apart from our regular activities there have been people to see and visit, and on Thursday evening there was our first Corps Council meeting. On Friday morning I sold the War Cry in the city centre and then led prayers at Age Concern (the above photo of the SA hall was taken from Age Concern in Leicester) – all this while Marta was away at an emergency exercise. We’re looking forward to worship tomorrow and, if you want to read more, you can download the Corps Newsletter.

8 Sep New Oscott, The Hurstway day centre, 11am, with helpers Joan and Dot.

Taster session to trial the offline knitting and tweak patterns, modes of working, expectations, materials etc prior to the event launch.

Thanks to Karen Lilley, Project Manager of Renew You Birmingham for facilitating this session.

Free cake, free smoothies, free cups of tea, free use of yarn and needles and the chance to get our knit on for a very good cause?

Oh go on then.

Fruit Towers getting knitty with it

Stitch and Bitch London descended upon Fruit Towers in our dozens and managed to fill up every single cake-laden picnic table.

A spread fit for an S&B Londoner

Picknitting

We were joined by several knit-hungry members of Innocent staff, amongst them the lovely Joe (who several S&B Londoners are rumoured to have gone a bit swoony over). Joe sported a rather impressive pink shawl about his midriff that he admitted to not having knit himself.

The lovely Joe and his pink shawl of loveliness

The Big Knit night kicked off and they encouraged us to help ourselves to the cakes. Fools! Mwa ha haaaaaaaaa! Cake war ensued.

MINE! MINE! MINE!

The tables were filled with yarn, pom poms and needles. Polite yarn sharing also ensued, with pleasant cries of “Get your mitts of that orange DK! Curse you!” and “I demand that luminous green ball of yarn! Don’t make me come over there!”, mostly muffled by mouthfuls of said cake.

Thankfully there was more than enough yarn and cake to go around, and once we were settled down the real knitting began.

While we stitched and stuffed cake in our faces we got a bit of a crash course in Innocent from Adam, sporting his favourite knitted jumper, who is one of Innocent’s founders. Then the ever-so-nice Gurdeep told us all about The Big Knit, Innocent’s campaign to raise money for Age Concern.

That's us! Squeeeeeeee!

It was a fabulous evening of stitching, the usual bitching, munching, teaching, table football, tea, and other Innocent (and not so innocent) delights.

More tea, knitter?

We had a bit of ‘friendly’ competition…

I win! No, I win!

We had winners…

Fruitiest hat winners

We had losers (who actually won the biggest prize)…

Attempting to look ashamed at knitting worst hat

We did a bit of teaching…

Newbie knitters getting their knit on

We did a bit of tasting…

Dr Livingsmoothie, I presume

And we did a whole lot of hat knitting…

Smiley happy hat knitters

Proud knitter of earflap hat

The wormy apple hat and its creator

Knit knit knitting

And we had fun fun fun, as we always do.

It's alllll about the bitching

The hat standard was a high one. You S&B Londoners are a talented bunch (of grapes).

Fruity hat offerings

Kooky little hats

Whole lotta little hats

When it was all over we left a chaotic world of crumby cake plates, yarn ends, mugs, and empty smoothie bottles with huge grins on the face of every S&B Londoner.

This fridge was almost empty on the way out. Smoothie fiends!

Crumby yarny debris

Stitch and Bitch London are going to collect Innocent Hats from now until The Big Knit ends on the 16th of October. Please feel free to come along to any Stitch and Bitch London meeting and bring your hats. We’ll teach you to knit if you can’t already, we’ll help you knit your tiny smoothie hats, and we’ll send you off home to knit more.

We’d like to thank Gurdeep, Joe and everyone at Fruit Towers for making us feel so welcome, and we’d love to come back at the end of The Big Knit to hand over the hats if you’ll have us.

In the meantime S&B Londoners get knitting those little hats. Add them to the total. And we’ll see if we can raise so much money for age concern that grannies end up going on cruises around the Caribbean.

See our Big Knit blog post here for links to patterns

Birmingham Age Concern Renew You

7 Sep Kitts Green, Village Court day centre

8 Sep new Oscott, The Hurstway day centre

dates to be confirmed

Dot Bott advises the use of 100% acrylic yarn, to be found most cheaply at Wilko’s for about 99p per 100g. This is cheaper than almost all of the yarn available on ebay where knitting pundits grab real wool at a price.

I wonder if nasty acrylic fibre will produce overly pristine and characterless pandas. I like the idea that using a variety of yarns of different origins, some handed down from past generations and knitting cultures, would lend the pandas an added historical narrative. It would also distinguish the pandas from one another, and make them more identifiable to the collaborative community that made them.

Attempts to find black and white wool on Freecycle have come to nothing so far. It seems that yarn has become a valuable commodity, far harder to track down through second hand sources than just five years ago.

However, needles seem far easier to get hold of, and Joan and Dot have already assembled a selection. Dot is going to confirm exactly which sizes may be useful.

On another note, many elderly knitters may have trouble knitting with black wool. Good natural lighting will be a priority with day centre groups. Younger knitters could do more black parts, although the fore arms and hind legs are the most complicated pattern pieces, for advanced knitters only.

The relation between memory and personal identity is a well trodden track in the metaphysics of mind and self. But an article on the BBC News website suggests a connection not standardly considered.

A standard proposal of their relation, for instance, is that A is the same person as B only if A can remember experiences had by B. A consequence of such a view is that a person who is sufficiently old and incapable of remembering experiences had by her younger self is not the same person as that ‘younger self.’ There are variants on this approach which rule out that consequence. But all variants share the following feature: the link between memory and personal identity is in what is remembered.

But recent psychological research gives reason to consider a different kind of relation. Psychologists have found that as we get older, we tend to remember positive things better than we do negative things, with a corresponding change in how we behave (we’re happier) and in how we exercise our mental capacities. If this is true, then perhaps, in addition to changes to what one remembers, there are also changes in how one remembers that could constitute changes to who one is.

For the BBC article go here. For a more elaborate description of the research go here.

Related articles:
Anthony Collins on the Emergence of Consciousness and Personal Identity
By William Uzgalis , Oregon State University
(Vol. 4, March 2009)
Philosophy Compass