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Own A Colour Charity Initiative Raises Over £85,000 In First Six Weeks

Thousands of people from across the globe have been united by colour in an effort to raise crucial funds for UNICEF, the world’s leading children’s organisation. So far the Own A Colourwebsite, which offers the chance for everyone to buy their own personal colour for a minimum donation of at least £1 per colour, has generated £85,964.

A number of high profiles celebrities have bought colours to support UNICEF as well as spreading the word on Twitter. UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Sir Roger Moore named a shade of blue ‘Swedish Blue’ after his wife’s homeland and the colour of the Swedish flag. UNICEF UK Ambassador Jemima Khan also opted for a shade of blue which she named ‘CFC Blue’ for her son, who’s a big fan of Chelsea Football Club, and renowned entrepreneur and fellow UNICEF UK Ambassador Duncan Bannatyne stayed true to his Scottish roots with ‘Scottish Saltire Blue’.

The global Own A Colour fundraising initiative, which is being powered by Dulux, has also received considerable support on Twitter. An estimated 10,000 people from all over the world have been tweeting about Own A Colour, including influential tweeter and actor Stephen Fry as well as ex-prime minister’s wife and charity campaigner Sarah Brown, who has in excess of 1.6 million followers.

In total 12,213 colours from the world’s biggest ever colour palette have been sold so far, bought by people spanning 84 countries and reaching as far as Argentina, China, Indonesia and New Zealand. Globally, the most popular colour is pink, which has made up 11 % of all colour purchases.

Michael Newsome, Director of Fundraising at UNICEF UK said, “We are delighted with the amount of money raised so far. Each and every colour purchased will help UNICEF to transform a child’s life. There are still 16,765,003 colours left and with Christmas approaching, I urge you to get onto www.ownacolour.com and show your support.”

Matt Pullen, Marketing Director Dulux UK said, “Own A Colour has really captured people’s imaginations and united people across the globe with colour and with the mission of transforming children’s lives. We hope this success will continue especially with Christmas around the corner… what better gift than buying a friend or loved one a colour which will ultimately help a child’s life?”

Visit www.ownacolour.com for more information and to purchase your own colour for a £1 and help transform a child’s life.

Markel & Butlins making dreams come true for Young Carers with Princess Royal Trust

Long-term supporters of The Princess Royal Trust for Carers, Markel Insurance and Butlins joined forces to provide a fun-filled day out for young carers on Saturday 22 October at two Butlins resorts – Bognor Regis and Minehead.

Thirty six young carers from the Carers Support Centre Bristol and Surrey Young Carers were given a little respite from their caring responsibilities and enjoyed a fun-packed day of fairground rides and seaside treats.

Daniel is 15 and cares for his Mum who has mobility problems, his 14 year old sister who has life threatening asthma and his 11 year old brother with ADHD. The family haven’t had a holiday in years. ‘I’ve never been to Butlins in my life and I’m well excited I can hardly wait or sleep. I’m going to go on all the fairground rides as soon as I arrive.’

Young carers’ are children under the age of 18 who look after someone in their family who has an illness, a disability, a mental health problem or a substance misuse problem, taking on practical and/or emotional caring responsibilities that would normally be expected of an adult. Many young carers feel hopeless, isolated and alone - they often feel robbed of their childhood. We are working with carers as young as 5 years old – many of whom take on responsibilities way beyond their years.

Markel and Butlins have been supporting The Princess Royal Trust for Carers for over four years. The ethos of both organisations is to make a real difference to the lives of unpaid carers and to know that anything they do in cash or in kind really does benefit carers.

Kim Britten, Director of Fundraising at The Princess Royal Trust for Carers said: ‘The Trust is delighted to have the continued support of both Markel and Butlins, two organisations who clearly demonstrate how working together can make an even bigger difference to the lives of young and adult carers alike. We believe this is partnership working at its very best where everyone is a winner especially unpaid carers.’

Helen Walker, Marketing Manager Markel said: "It’s fantastic to see how carers benefit from our support. We are delighted that, along with Butlins, we have been able to bring some excitement and normality to the lives of these incredible young carers, and that for one day they can enjoy the freedom we often take for granted."

FACTFILE
Markel (UK) Limited is a leading specialist insurer providing insurance for a variety of professional, management, social welfare, charitable and speciality property/liability risks for organisations of all sizes. More information can be found at http://www.markeluk.com

The Princess Royal Trust for Carers is the largest provider of comprehensive support services, reaching more than 424,000 carers, including more than 28,500 young carers, through a unique network of 144 independently managed Carers’ Centres, 85 young carers’ services and interactive websites http://www.carers.org and http://www.youngcarers.net.

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One Space website Extends Support for Single Parents with Launch of Family Health Check

The Single Parent Action Network (SPAN) has today announced the launch of its new Family Health Check, an online triage system for family support workers and single parents experiencing difficulties, to help prioritise issues and signpost families to additional and relevant help.

The online Family Health Check has been funded by the Department for Education as part of the Early Intervention programme that aims to support parents through a range of online and telephone services. The Family Health Check can be accessed through SPAN’s www.onespace.org.uk website.

"The Health Check is not a simple search engine, it priorities issues and treats the user in an holistic way, looking at answers given from various parts of their life," confirms Simon Bates, development director, SPAN.

"Although the Family Health Check is available for use by individuals, it is also designed to be incorporated into the practice of workers who support families as an assessment tool or as a way of exploring issues and to help prioritise and take steps to solve the problems identified."

"From our experience of working with single parents, we know that there are several main areas to address when confronted with relationship breakdown: children and parenting being one of the most important, while training and work, income, divorce and separation, health and well-being, and community and social support are also key, due to the consequential effect on the family,” explains Bates. “The Family Health Check guides its users through a series of questions to provide an individualised signposting and advice sheets on completion addressing these main areas."

"However, this is the start of the journey for many single parents," continues Bates. "Practitioners and families will be able to combine this information with other pillars of support such as a searchable tool designed to help single parents find services in their area. In addition, the One Space website also features 'Ask-the-Experts' where professionals can be contacted for advice and information including family law, child support and a relationship counselling. The site also provides housing advice from Shelter and money advice from the Citizens’ Advice Bureau. A new Virtual Learning Centre also offers a range of free courses to support families through difficulties."

"Although divorce and separation is one of the most stressful experiences that children and parents can go through, we believe that the faster interventions can be made, the more chance we stand of preventing poverty and more entrenched difficulty further down the line.” concludes Bates. “For those who work directly with families, we hope that the One Space website can be used to extend the range of support that is offered and help address the key areas associated with the difficulties single parents face."

For more information please see: www.onespace.org.uk

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Nappy Bundles Make the Perfect Gift for New Parents, Says gNappies

Choosing the right present for expectant parents can be a tricky task and can often result in duplication of gifts – but the arrival of the full gNappies range in the UK, providing a hybrid non-disposable nappy solution, means an alternative gift idea is available which also helps protect the future of the planet.

Those shopping for new parents can help invest in the future of the child and choose a stylish and practical gift.

Says Kim Graham-Nye, founder of gNappies who was recently named in the top 10 of the Fortune 100 Entrepreneur list: “A green baby means a happy planet, and with society increasingly trying to reduce its carbon footprint now more than ever, gNappies offers an opportunity for eco-aware new parents to do just that. People often don’t know what to buy new parents and it can result in lots of items or clothing that just don’t get used – so gNappies is a good practical and thoughtful alternative gift.”

A starter pack such as the gNappy baby bundle contains everything needed for new parents to get started with gNappies. The bundle contains both tiny and small sized cute and colourful little gPants; which accommodate any new-borns growth, complete with the cute ‘g’ logo on the back. The bundle also comes with 80 biodegradable gRefills, which are designed to fit into the little gPants and can be disposed of in an environmentally friendly manner. They can be home composted or disposed of in the domestic waste.

Not just eco-friendly and practical, the gPants are stylish and come in a variety of colours and patterns. The gRefills create biodegradable nappies that are trendy, colourful and nature friendly whereas the washable gCloths can be used over and over again, offering a cloth nappy option. The bundles can also be personalised for boy or girl by adding the new gWipes which are also 100% biodegradable.

The full range of stylish nappy ‘pants’ comes in a range of colours, patterns and sizes, and is now available for purchase via a dedicated gNappies UK website, where buyers can opt for bundle packs or individual gPants, gRefills and gCloths. To see the range visit www.gnappies.co.uk.

Yoomi turns Red for TAMBA this Christmas

Yoomi, the clever people behind the UK’s first self-warming baby bottle has launched a stylish Limited Edition ‘red’ collar to support Tamba and brighten up feeding time this winter! 10% of all red collar sales will be donated to Tamba, to help meet the unique challenges faced by multiple birth parents.

Why yoomi? Have you ever stumbled around the kitchen in the middle of the night trying to warm your bottles or become impatient waiting for hot water to be brought to you in a restaurant?

Well, that doesn't have to happen, now! yoomi have the answer with their self-warming bottle, which warms feed to the perfect temperature of breast-milk at the touch of a button… in just 60 seconds!
• Ideal for feeding on the go
• Great for the night feeds
• Perfect breast-milk temperature, every time

On the shelves in the UK since November 2009, yoomi is the most practical solution to feeding on the go and quickly and easily warms your baby’s feed - whether it be in the car, train, cafe or restaurant! This is a truly innovative feeding system that can be used quite literally anytime, anyplace, anywhere!

Selected as one of the ‘Top 15 Inventions of the Decade’ by the British Library and a Double Gold winner in the Loved By Parents 2011 awards for ‘Best Bottle’ and ‘Best Travel Invention’, yoomi is fast becoming a hot favourite with parents!

An original British invention, yoomi is expanding rapidly and can now be found in 12 countries around the world.

Why Tamba?
The link with Tamba holds a special place for Jim and Farah, the founders of yoomi.
“Having experienced the joys of expecting twins, the complications of a multiple birth and the loss of one of our babies, we really value the support and comfort Tamba provides to parents at such a difficult time. For us, supporting Tamba is a way of helping other families through the joys and sometimes sadness that comes with multiple births” Jim and Farah Shaikh, parents to Danial (…. and now Niall)

Tamba have established a Bereavement Support Group to help families faced with the loss of both or one twin and have also produced a guide for parents on Twin to Twin Transfusion Syndrome.

Yoomi – a real help for parents, especially of multiples…
Yoomi is the perfect time-saving and practical solution to feeding time and is becoming a feeding time essential for parents facing the challenges of multiple babies.

“Yoomi has been a lifesaver! … particularly at night time when there is no more waiting around for the kettle to boil… feeding within a minute has been a godsend. The difference is unbelievable!” Sarah, mum to Ava and Megan

“This is the next stage of baby care and should be handed out to every twin mother on the NHS. It is like having a breast in a bottle. It saved time, money and my sanity.” Sophia, mum to Teddy and Betty

What Tamba say “Our sincere thanks to yoomi. Families expecting twins or more face greater risks during pregnancy and often end up in neonatal care. When they finally get their babies home it can be exhausting but thanks to your help we can make sure even more families have a happier, healthier start to life.” Keith Reed, CEO, Tamba

So support Tamba by turning all your yoomi bottles Red for Christmas!

An itchy subject for parents...

Over a third (37%) of all of school children under 16 (4.06 million) now experience at least one head lice infestation a year, rising to 48% among four to 11 years-olds, according to a new study. Yet only 39% of parent are managing to successfully get rid of these infestations, even though £23 million2 is spent on over-the-counter and prescription head lice treatments every year.

Of the 1,000 parents surveyed by head lice treatment NYDA® 92% Dimeticone Dual Formula – an innovative treatment clinically proven to kill head lice in under five minutes and their eggs (nits) within 8 hours, It found many parents still failed to check their offspring’s heads regularly for head lice, leaving infestations undetected. Just 35% of parents said they check once a week, 9% check once a month, and 12% say they only check when they notice the child scratching its head. A further 6% of parents said need the motivation of a school letter with a lice warning.

Nearly a third of parents (29%) still use chemical head lice treatments based on neuro-toxic insecticides, to which a high percentage of lice – up to 80% in certain cases – have in fact developed resistance. Many parents seem to remain unaware that this is the case, or that a treatment like NYDA® does not encounter resistance, since it works by suffocating the lice rather than poisoning them.

Finally, manufactures and healthcare professionals are failing to take note of and communicate to parents the Department of Health’s recommendations on eradicating lice. The British National Formulary, used by health professionals, states explicitly that “a contact time of 8–12 hours or overnight treatment is recommended for lotions and liquids 7”, but many branded treatments – though not NYDA® – claim to be able to clear head lice and their eggs in 30, 20 or even just 15 minutes.

In practice, this is too short a time to kill louse eggs, which are more stubborn to treat. Indeed, some treatments are unlikely to be able to kill the eggs at all. In these circumstances, a second application after seven to nine days becomes essential to kill newly hatched nymphs (larvae) and thus break the lifecycle before the nymphs reach maturity and in turn start reproducing. (During its 50-day lifespan, a female louse can lay up to 300 eggs.)

Babs Young, Independent Nurse Consultant, Children and Young People’s Public Health and NYDA’s public health expert, commented: “Although head lice are not considered a major health hazard, infestations can have a physical and psychological impact on children and their families.

"The results of this new survey make clear that, because head lice infestations are a common occurrence, health professionals and pharmacists need to provide clear information and guidance to parents on the methods of detection and treatment. This should be based on the guidelines from the Department of Health (BNF) which will enable parents to choose the most effective treatments for their child.”

Which products are parents using in their attempts to eradicate lice?

36% of parents surveyed had treated their children on average 7.13 times in the last three years, yet only 39% reported treatment success in eradicating head lice:

• 29% of those parents had used a chemical treatment containing an insecticide with neurotoxic action. Not only are these treatments ineffective against eggs younger than four days, but in up to 80% of cases, lice are resistant to the insecticides they contain.
• 38% of parents had used a treatment that works physically. These lotions contain dimeticone (like NYDA®) or cyclomethicone and work by coating the lice and killing them through suffocation or disrupting their water balance.
• 34% had used mechanical combs (wet combing or ‘bug-busting’), employing a head lice comb and hair conditioner to remove the head lice and their eggs manually over several sessions
• 13% had used natural treatments containing herbal oils e.g. coconut oil. (There is no clinical evidence of efficacy for these measures.)

Hippychick Wins Prestigious Somerset Business Award

Hippychick is over the moon to have won Business of the Year (5-50 employees), at this year’s Somerset Business Awards. Around 300 people from the county’s top businesses attended the ceremony, with event organisers commenting that the standard of the entries this year had been exceptionally high and very competitive.

The judges were particularly impressed with Hippychick’s sales growth, particularly in a tough trading year and with one of the key members of their team out of action!

Julia Minchin, Joint Director of Hippychick said, “We are delighted to have received this fantastic award, it is a huge honour and well deserved recognition for the whole Hippychick team.”

For more information on Hippychick and its innovative range of products, please visit www.hippychick.com or email trade@hippychick.com.

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