Haiti Cherie Fashion Show

Over the years we have watched on television and heard on the radio about the natural disasters that have plagued such countries like Haiti and not only left thousands dead but wiped out whole cities and towns. Now is our chance to help thanks to Sarah Norris, 23, a very caring and charitable young woman who not only knows the severity of the disasters but of the lack of help the victims have actually received.

Sarah has given us the chance to do our part and in aid of the people of Haiti has set up a fashion show where a hundred percent of the proceedings will be donated to the cause. This fashion show is on the 24^th of Feb at the Dalton Rooms, Lancaster and will start at 730pm. The tickets cost as little as £3 and the guests will expect to see a whole range of fashion from the likes of Room 12, Joseph and co and Deborah Jane. The hair and makeup will also be done by Tony and Guy and bands and dancers will also be featured.

Sarah has a very personal link to Haiti as she spent a few years living there when she was younger and considers it her second home. She even went over there six months after the earthquake in 2010 to help friends and see the devastation. She wants to make it clear to people that things have not changed radically enough,

“When I went there I felt as though nobody was doing anything, buildings that had collapsed 6 months ago were still lying there, so I was asked by friends to help raise money and I was more than happy to help.”

For some of us the idea that Haiti is still in crisis is absurd but we have to take into account that just because the devastation is no longer shown on the news it doesn’t mean that the horror is over for the people there.

Despite organising all of this herself, Sarah persists that it is something she has enjoyed and is extremely grateful for all the people that have got involved. She is especially thankful to her friend, who is also the manager of the Dalton Rooms, Jade Mapp-Mckenzie, who gave her the venue for her fundraiser, free of charge. The clothes have also been donated free of charge by the high street stores and the models, bands and dancers are all volunteering. One of the models appearing is our very own Miss Morecambe, Steph Jackson. Sarah says,

“It’s amazing how many people want to help and also how many people now know about it, I set up an event on facebook, invited my friends and I’ve now got people coming who I have never met, which is great.”

When Sarah goes over to Haiti she works alongside Hearts with Haiti, a non profitable organisation that over the years has built 3 orphanages and a school, which brings boys off the streets and provides them with a good home and family. Unfortunately the earthquake brought down 2 of these orphanages and they are now planning to rebuild with the help of fundraising.

Over the past couple of years Haiti has been the victim of severe torrential rain, which started in 2008, causing whole communities to be washed out and the death toll rising by the hundred each day. Not long after this, and far from recovery, Haiti was then hit in 2010 by a devastating earthquake which, according to Red Cross, affected over 3 million people. Now Haiti is unrecognisable to the country it was 4 years ago, with poverty at it’s height and people still missing, it’s time we pulled together and thought about the hundreds of people still suffering.

So if you feel as though you would like to contribute to this much needed cause contact Sarah at S0701503@Cumbria.ac.uk, where you will be able to buy tickets for the event, or even to place a small donation for the people of Haiti.

Fish n' Feet

The latest beauty craze that has quickly swept over England has now reached SunSeekers in Lancaster and I have to admit it is definitely something worth trying.

Now I’m not going to lie, I was extremely hesitant when I first heard about Fish n’ Feet, it didn’t appeal to me at all, purely because I have a very low pain threshold and was convinced that it was going to hurt. However I found it relaxing, therapeutic and effective.

Fish n’ Feet is a painless pedicure that involves you submerging your feet into a tank of Garra Rufa fish which suck the dead skin cells off your feet and release an enzyme into your skin. It simply feels like putting your feet into a Jacuzzi while you sit back and relax. In order for the fish to survive the water needs to be heated to 30C so you don’t have to worry about the water being too cold as it is at just the right temperature.

Before you put your feet into the tank you have to put your feet into a bowl of warm water to make sure that your feet are clean and that no material from your socks get into the tank, as these fish are very sensitive and extremely expensive to buy in.

As soon as I got used to the feeling of lots of little fish sucking on my feet (which took a matter of seconds) I felt very relaxed and very pampered. I almost forgot why I was there, which was too see if this type of pedicure actually worked! And I am happy to report that my feet have not felt his smooth in years (especially since I took up barmaiding, which isn’t as kind on your feet as sitting in an office all day would be) so I definitely recommend it.

This type of treatment originated in Turkey 200 years ago and has been very popular in countries such as Iran, Siberia and Iraq. It is also believed to help relieve skin irritations such as psoriasis and it can also enhance your tan. The manager of Fish n Feet, Asley Bolsouer, actually advises people that they have a Fish n ’Feet treatment before they go on the sunbeds as it stimulates blood circulation around the body so therefore your skin cells receive more oxygenated blood which helps the tanning process.

If you are interested in going to SunSeekers for this type of pedicure then you don’t have to book an appointment you just show up, however you need to take in to account that you can’t have moisturiser or fake tan on your feet as it is poisonous to the fish, it is also not advised to use one of the tanks if you have an open wound.

For a 15 minute treatment it costs £10 and for 25 minutes it costs £15, but they do offer deals, such as if 2 people go together then it costs £8 for 15 minutes and £12 for 25 minutes.

This is a unique spa treatment that is getting more and more popular by the day, it is an organic and natural way of treating your feet without the pain and soreness that some pedicures can cause, and I am happy to tell you that it is definitely something I will be treating myself to again.

Stephen James Hair Salon

As a 22 year girl (bit apprehensive to use the word woman just yet) my hair is very important to me but so is my bank balance so after many years of trying different hair salons and numerous amounts of different stylists I finally felt happy with Stephen James Hair Salon in Morecambe.

I came across it (despite is being down the road from where I live) 3 years ago due to a recommendation from my mum, I thought I might as well give it a go and was so swept away with the stylist I used I haven’t been anywhere else since.

It is a stylish and modern salon with a wide variety of clients ranging from all ages. Stephen James opened the salon 27 years ago and employs a staggering 18 staff, all of which are incredibly friendly and make it their priority to make sure your comforts are met. As soon as you sit down you are always greeted with a smile and an offer of a drink. They also like to make sure you are a hundred percent sure on what you want doing with your hair before they start, so to prevent any nasty scares!

They provide an excellent range of services for both women and men, all of which you can check out on their website at http://sjhair.com

Despite their wide range of stylists I always use Sara Thorneycroft, her style and imagination is modern and unique, she is also quick paced and extremely easy to talk to.

The latest products are always on show and the stylists are anything but shy about using them on you to create a completely new look. After one use of TIGI Root Booster I was indeed hooked!

The salon also provides unique IVU touch-sensitive screens which are placed at each workstation allowing the customer (beverage in hand) to browse through the entire product range that they supply, which include; REDKEN, clynol, ghd, TIGI, FUDGE and Joico. If you are unsure about any of the products don’t hesitate in asking the staff, as they will be more than happy to help.

They also allow you to book your appointments online and will send you a text message to remind you of when it is. The gallery online is also worth a visit as it highlights funky and modern styles that you are sometimes too scarred to ask for.

Overall I don’t have a bad thing to say about Stephen James Hair Salon and definitely recommend it for anyone who needs a new and refreshing approach to their look.

Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader

We all dream from a young age to embark on adventures, to battle monsters and to befriend animals. Well this is what Narnia allows you to do, it gives you the chance to feel like a child again where everything is magical and anything is possible.

This is the third instalment of the Narnia series, the first being The lion, the witch and the wardrobe (2005) and the second being Prince Caspian (2008). The films are based on the novels written by C.S.Lewis, of which there are 7. These classic stories which never loose their sparkle were originally written between 1949 and 1954 taking place during the back drop of the Second World War, a time most frightening and confusing for children, which is where this story starts. C.S.Lewis provided an escape for children, a place they could go to when they were scared, where they got to battle the enemies and forget about the horror their families were going through.

The first 2 films focused on 4 siblings; Susan, Peter, Lucy (Georgie Henley) and Edmund (Skandar Keynes), however Susan and Peter have now grown to old for Narnia and this film is time for Lucy and Edmund to shine as king and queen of Narnia. Unfortunately for them their annoying and arrogant cousin Eustace Scrubbs (Will Poulter) gets brought along and it isn’t long until they are encounter mer people, dragons, sea serpents and dwarves.

However this film is not just a chance to battle adventure and enjoy magic but also a chance to reunite with old friends such as Aslan the lion (Liam Neeson), Reepicheep the mouse (Simon Pegg) and Prince Caspian (Ben Barnes).

When they return to their beloved world they are intrigued to hear that all is not well in their much loved dreamland as a mysterious green mist coming of the sea is causing people to vanish, they soon learn that the 7 Lords sent out to place their swords on Aslan’s table, in order to defeat the evil, have gone missing along their journey. It is Lucy and Edmunds job to help Prince Caspian track them down and get to the real route of all this wrong doing, but it isn’t long until they encounter strange and mysterious happenings along their journey.

With names such as Liam Neeson, Ben Barnes and Simon Pegg, it comes as no surprise to hear just how good and enchanting this film really is, from the moment our protagonists board the royal ship, The Dawn Treader, we are all prepared for an adventure of a life time. Despite the fun our dear friends Edmund and Lucy endure on this trip, we are all sad to hear Aslan tell them that this is their last time in Narnia, as it is time for them to grow up and live their life, however that is not quite the case for Eustace.

For the readers of the books and the followers of the films, Voyage of the Dawn Treader is definitely worth a visit to the cinema, as the director, Michael Apted, successfully manages to capture your imagination so vividly you feel nothing but disappointment when the rolling credits start. And for those slightly older viewers it magically re awakens the child inside you, where you secretly wish that when you go home that night your wardrobe will transport you to a secret world.

Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows Part 1

The build up to the seventh instalment of Harry Potter has finally stormed our cinemas this week and with long awaited anticipation it is with relief and happiness I am glad to report it is far from disappointing.

This film makes it hard to believe that there was a day in which Harry (Daniel Radcliffe), Ron (Rupert Grint) and Hermione (Emma Watson) embarked on their own little fun filled adventures, out go the days where they battle a troll, fight with Draco Malfoy (Tom Felton) in the school yard or sneak of to Hagrid’s (Robbie Coltrane) hut in their invisibility cloak. As much as we hate to admit it our friends have now grown up, with Hogwarts School of witchcraft and wizardry now considered too dangerous for the trio, their story has turned into a dark and twisted journey of finally destroying Voldermort (Ralph Fiennes).

For the avid fans and the loyal followers who have read the books and been with Harry from the beginning, it is an emotional hit as soon as the film starts. Watching Hermione erase every memory her parents have of her is a true awakening of how far the films have come since the first one, Harry Potter and the Philosophers stone brought to us in 2001.

This film starts directly after Harry Potter and the half blood Prince, where we have just discovered the secret to Voldemort’s immortality and watched in dismay as Professor Snape (Alan Rickman) slays our much loved headmaster, Dumbledore (Michael Gambon). We are now in a world where Voldemort rules and people live in fear of Death eaters turning up at their door; Diagon alley is in ruins and is no longer the place where Hogwarts children can run around happily. These are the days where the main focus is on Horcruxes, a dark magical object which contains part of a wizard’s soul to preserve life, unfortunately for the trio Voldemort has 7 and their mission is to destroy them all.

To protect the lives of their family and friends Harry, Ron and Hermione take themselves off to find the Horcruxes and much of this film is centred on destroying just one of them with the aids left by the late Albus Dumbledore. Despite the deep darkness this film emits we do have the enjoyment of the budding romance between Ron and Hermione and the concurrent message that friends will stand by each other no matter what. This is a story of love, of friendship and of loyalty.

Throughout this film we are reunited with many old friends but sadly have to say a teary goodbye to a few others, so I warn you now pack your tissues and apply the waterproof mascara because we have reached the point of no return.

Gladly this film is an exact replica of the book and holds no nasty surprises for the millions of worldwide fans as the director, David Yates, has respectfully not altered JK Rowling’s magical story. However he has managed to bring us an all star cast with the likes of Julie Walters, Bill Nighy, Helena Bonham Carter, Jason Issacs and Rhys Ifans to name a few.

Thankfully we are not expected to say goodbye to our dearest friends just yet as the eighth and final instalment of the Harry potter collection is out in July next year, let there be no hesitation in booking your tickets, because there is no doubt that it will be a sell out.

omg

Omg i am extremely disappointed in myself as i have just realised that it has been almost a year since I have last blogged! im not going to lie (as you can obviously tell) i am not a fan of this but i am now definalty going to make myself get used to this as the modern world is content on changing and developing, i must do so with it. So im just going to explain that I have not been sat on my arse doing nothing for a year, since i graduated uni in May last year i have been working full time to pay of my £1600 overdraft and (finally) last week i managed it :) so despite the fact that I am workin as a full time barmaid, with hours that make you want to cry, I have still been writting.
Im not going to lie when i finihsed univeristy I was that drained and that knakered that it took a while for me to feel confident enough to start acting like a journalist again, but it just took a few months to put my life back in order and I was back doing what I love best.
I have currently been writting articles for my local newspaper (volunteering) and it feels great, theres no pressure from your lectureres, no competition from your fellow class mates and no having to rush around uni like a healess chicken trying to remember what class you have next (as you maybe able to tell uni was not the highlight of my young life) lol. The newspaper is the called The Visitor and it covers all the news and local events in Lancaster and Morecambe, so I thought I would blog my recent articles (just to prove to anyone who cares) that I have indeed still been writting :)