Passionate Blog

Have you backed Beacon Centre for the Blind's Second Site appeal yet?

YESTERDAY, thanks to the work we do with Wolverhampton's Novotel Hotel, I was given a guided tour of the city's Beacon Centre for the Blind - a facility I knew was there, had passed many times, but am a little embarrassed to admit, had never stepped foot inside.

Details of an exciting project between the centre and the Novotel are still being finalised, but yesterday's visit has shown me why such an event will be so worthwhile.

So what does the centre do exactly?

It's a local charity which promotes independence and choice to more than 3,000 visually impaired people in the Black Country and South Staffordshire.

New T-shirt design helps plant seeds of change

A STYLISH new kids’ T-shirt motif has blossomed into a money-spinner for a nationwide scheme to plant more trees.

Little Blue Dog’s latest design depicts an oak tree and has the motto: “Plant a seed and watch it grow…”

The design is also being used on a reusable canvas shopping bag, and together with the T-shirt, both are being used to raise cash for The Woodland Trust’s Tree for All campaign, with £1 per sale being donated directly to the charity.

Little Blue Dog director Emma Williamson explained that the company was keen to support the Woodland Trust.

Right royal surprise for Rodbaston

WE'RE delighted to be working with Rodbaston College as of this week - and our first task has been pretty high-profile as we wait with bated breath to see all the coverage generated by a surprise royal visitor.

The college's two-day horse trials, which began yesterday at its site near Penkridge, counted the Queen’s granddaughter, Zara Phillips, 27, among the competitors.

The gifted royal, whose impressive three day eventing achievements led to her being awarded an MBE for services to equestrianism last year, was this year’s professional rider at the event, entering the novice class with four horses.

A big thanks goes to Helen who turned the press release around so quickly and calmly when up against such a tight deadline, helping get the word out to the media. So far coverage has included a front page piece in The Birmingham Post, as well as a story and pictures in the Express & Star, with more planned in for this evening.

You can also check out Daily Mail coverage of the princess taking a tumble here.

Unbowed wheelchair athlete faces biggest challenge yet

WILLENHALL wheelchair athlete Glyn Marston is all set for his biggest challenge yet – a 140-mile trek to raise cash for Compton Hospice.

The 'journey of hope' comes after Glyn, 45, a former marathon runner, ended his running career because of a shattered knee.

On Thursday, June 12, he is setting off from Compton in Berkshire, to Compton in Wolverhampton, in memory of his cousin’s wife Christine Marston. He has gained the backing of Wolves boss Mick McCarthy who has wished him well in his ‘journey of hope’.

He has also won support from supermarket giant Asda and lined up a series of fundraising stops at stores along the route in the journey which will come weeks after Glyn was forced to pull out of the London Marathon because of bad weather.

Carol's 'steely grit' highlighted in feature on disabled entrepreneurs

LINDA was recently commissioned to write about disabled entrepreneurs for Able magazine...and who better to provide an insight, but our very own marketing director?

"WHATEVER you put your mind to, you can achieve, don’t let anyone tell you it’s impossible.”
That’s the inspirational message from Ama Latif, 33, founder of the pioneering website, www.traveleyes.co.uk.

Amar’s Leeds-based business allows blind and partially sighted travellers to experience holidays worldwide thanks to sighted companions.

The company was born from Amar’s own experience. When he found the adrenaline-filled breaks he wanted didn’t exist for blind tourists, he took it on himself to expand the choice available.

Amar’s determination to make Travel Eyes work from its beginnings in 2005, was influenced by his own background of battling not only a debilitating eye disease but also society’s prejudices.

He has the genetic eye condition retinitis pigmentosa, which was diagnosed when Amar was just four and by his late teens, he’d all but five per cent of his sight. But he vowed that his condition wouldn’t get in the way and gained a degree in maths, statistics and finance before landing a high-flying job in corporate accounts.

Coming to Wolverhampton on business? How about some Wii time?

Wiiiiiiiiii!...Executives staying at a Wolverhampton hotel can now relax with a spot of gaming, thanks to the latest stage of an on-going revamp.

The Novotel in Union Street, has already undergone massive refurbishment and is now into another phase which will see cutting edge technology introduced for business travellers.

Plans include the refurbishment of more than 40 bedrooms, and the launch of new conference facilities which include a chance for delegates to get their hands on a Nintendo Wii.

Old mobiles ring changes for youngsters

CHILDREN across Staffordshire are being urged to recycle their old mobiles and win prizes for their schools.

They are being asked to swap their old mobile phones for cash in a scheme that could either boost their own funds or a charity of their choice.

The initiative, run by Cannock-based European Textile Recycling Ltd, also aims to raise money for the County Air Ambulance. And there’s a prize of £1,000 up for grabs for the school that collects the most phones by January next year.

Simon Tracey, from European Textile Recycling Ltd, of Hollies Park Road, explained that the phones would be collected in boxes supplied by the company, before being sold on for re-use in Eastern Europe and parts of Africa or recycled for their parts.

Auction prizes needed to help the heroes...

WE'RE busy planning a huge summer ball for national charity, Help for Heroes, which is going to include lots of wonderful things on the night, including a fantastic prize auction - and this is where your help is really needed right now.

If you can offer any prizes to go under the hammer then please get in touch. Thanks to those lovely people who have already done so.

The charity is aiming to raise £6m this year to provide specialist rehabilitation facilities for the many brave servicemen and women returning wounded from Afghanistan and Iraq.

The Help for Heroes Staffordshire/Shropshire Summer Ball is being hosted by the Commandant Air Commodore Neil Gammon and celebrity guests at RAF Cosford near Wolverhampton on July 12, and hopes to raise more than £50,000.

Fun competition to mark 30 years in business for Colin Lee Opticians

COLIN Lee Opticians is celebrating 30 years in business this year, and we are really looking forward to working with them on lots of events to mark this, not least, a competition which promises to be lots of fun.

Retro Specs is about getting people to dig out all their old glasses - their Deidre Barlow looky likeys from the 70s, cool shades which date back donkeys years - any old pairs will do, be they quite old and historical, with a great story to them, or just plain hysterical.

When the competition is over, the pairs will be donated to Vision Aid Overseas, a fantastic charity helping take eye care to places that really need it in the developing world.

But to get the ball rolling, we really need a fantastic prize to grab people's attention. A holiday would be good! Be it a short break, a weekend away or some pampering time at a spa. If anyone out there can help out, or point us in the right direction, please give us a ring or email me

We are currently sourcing prizes for the competition, so please get in touch if you happen to have something fantastic to offer...

New book out now: Divorce and separation: The Essential Guide

WHERE can you turn when you have to explain to your children that their parents are separating?

What can you say to them to help them to understand what’s happening and that they aren’t to blame ?

How can they still feel loved when Mummy and Daddy are no longer speaking? Linda Jones’ sympathetic and straight-talking guide answers the questions that children ask when their parents go their separate ways.

Whether you are a parent, grandparent, carer or teacher, Linda’s accessible and warm approach will help you reduce and manage the pain and stress for children when a relationship ends.