Hellooooo again! I had every intention of writing this post sooner but it's been a stressful week (as you'll find out) and whilst the words have been spinning around in my head, I've found it hard to put down in writing.
Some of my Twitter friends may already know about the nightmare mum and I had last Tuesday, but I wanted to share the story again as a warning to others to be more vigilant on public transport.
First, here's a bit of background information about Tuesday. Since 2005, March 8th has been a very sad day for mum and I. It is the anniversary of grandad's passing, and whilst there's not a day that goes by without him in my thoughts, his anniversary always hits home just how much I miss him.
Last year, Kingsland had their album launch party on the same day, and whilst I still felt sad, it was nice to be able to spend the day with so many of my favourite people and actually create a positive memory on what is usually a very painful day.
So this year, when I found out that DNCE were going to do their first ever UK show in London on the same date, I begged for time off work, grabbed one of the last few tickets and jumped at this special opportunity.
For those of you wondering who the flippin' 'eck is DNCE, they're the four-piece band behind the super catchy track 'Cake By The Ocean'. Oh yeah, and the lead singer is Joe Jonas, a.k.a the teenage LOML. He has been bae since I was 16 and my car, which I've had since I was 17, is named after him haha. Not forgetting the time back in 2009 when I was the coolest 18 year old in the land, saying f-you to a big party and opting to see the Jonas Brothers live for my birthday instead.
In the week running up to the gig, I kept tracking social media to see whether there would be any opportunities to meet DNCE in London and I'd worked out a few possible places. I saw that they'd met loads of fans at radio stations, airports and venues during their other European dates too so it's fair to say that I'd built my hopes up quite a bit. We'd even chosen a super early train so that we would have plenty of time to wander round London in case they announced something last minute.
In fact, I'd stupidly dreamt that this post was going to be called 'THAT TIME I MET THE TEENAGE LOML' but instead it's 'that time some wanker stole our case from the luggage rack on the train and subsequently ruined our entire day' - catchy.
Yes, some absolute tosser thought it was okay to help themselves to our suitcase and its entire contents. To be honest, I'm still in complete disbelief at the situation. We boarded the first train in Carmarthen at 3am, before arriving at Swansea. We then changed trains, and boarded the direct service to London Paddington. We had seat reservations, so we stepped into the specified carriage, put our suitcase in the only luggage rack on that particular carriage and went to our seats, which were halfway or so down the carriage, with our backs to the rack. In hindsight, everything about this situation screams alarm bells, but as seasoned travellers for at least four years now, we thought nothing less and trusted our case to be safe in the rack.
At roughly 4am, the train set off, and then arrived into Paddington at 7:30am. With both myself and mum feeling poorly anyway, and being up at stupid o'clock, we slept quite a bit during the journey. As we rolled into Paddington, I allowed all the work people to get off the train first before making my way to the luggage rack, just to be greeted with absolutely nothing.
I've never felt my heart drop so much, I didn't know what to do. After searching the other end of the carriage and speaking to one of the train staff, we were told to go to customer services to arrange to speak to the Transport Police. Lots of long conversations ensued, we did further checks with lost property etc., but the reality was that our case was long gone and there was nothing we could do about it. CCTV was supposedly checked at every station, but there was not enough evidence to secure a conviction. One thing I was quite horrified to learn is that there's no CCTV on board any of the high speed trains to London, which baffles me a bit in all honesty.
Perhaps I'm extremely naïve but as a regular train user, I've never seen or heard of this happening to anyone before. In hindsight, thieving happens everywhere but I've never considered it happening on a train. Of course, there's always messages on the train telling you to be vigilant of your personal belongings but when you have a case, you can't keep it beside you. You have to put it in the racks provided and it's not always possible to sit beside it or keep an eye on it for the entire journey.
I did some googling on luggage train theft a few days ago, and one of the suggestions was to either stand by the luggage rack for the journey or get up at every stop to check your luggage. In all honesty, who does that? You'd get in the way and be extremely uncomfortable if you were to stand all the way, and as for getting up at every stop, you would have to wait until passengers boarded and left the train first, and by then it would be too late anyway. The only benefit I can see of doing this would be the ability to pin point where exactly your case was stolen, however with thieves being so crafty I don't think it would make a difference.
Following the phone call to the Transport Police, we sat down in Paddington and made a list of everything that was in the case. The only 'valuables' were mum's camera and glasses, however the case was also full of clothes (practically half of mum's wardrobe since she always packs the kitchen sink). All of these are materialistic but we don't own masses of clothes so for us it made a huge difference.
By stealing our case, all the thief gained was a camera. Well done lad, I really hope it was worth it because for us, we lost so much more and you ruined our time.
On the materialistic front, we lost a case full of clothes, some of our best and most loved items, some of which we had to try and replace whilst in London as we only had what we were wearing to travel. For most people, this would be relatively easy but when you're big in size, it's a nightmare. I hate shopping at the best of times, but when I HAVE to look for things it's even worse. I managed to get a few bits in Primark but there are other things you just can't buy on the cheap. Even buying toiletries in London is expensive (I was quite grateful on that day that I don't wear make up, the essentials cost far too much as it was!)
On the childhood dream front, having our case stolen and having to traipse round London all day subsequently meant that my opportunity to meet Joe was taken away from me. I stupidly went to reply to a friend's tweet at some point in the morning and saw pictures of DNCE with fans outside Capital FM on my timeline. Our plan had been to head to Leicester Square for breakfast as we had a feeling they would be stopping at the radio station. I was right, but I didn't even get the chance to try and meet them as our plans for the day had to drastically change. I'm still bitter about this - I've been a fan for eight years and this was the first real opportunity I really had to make a dream come true, yet some wanker took it away from me all for the sake of a camera essentially.
As for making March 8th more positive, that went down the pan too. Obviously the person who stole our case had no thought for anyone but themselves, however it just so happened that he picked a day that's already so painful for us and decided to make it even worse.
The experience has also made me so paranoid on public transport now. I practically gave myself whiplash on the first train home, as we sat three seats in front of the luggage rack and I kept turning round every two seconds to see if our new case was still there! On the second train, the case was on the bottom rack and we were sat facing it, yet I was so paranoid that I couldn't see it, that I got up to check and moved it higher up the rack twice.
In the future I would consider using a holdall or something for an overnight stay, anything that can be kept by our feet on the train (although we always tend to use a case as it's much easier). On longer stays which involve two cases, we will definitely be splitting clothes so that if one case was to be stolen, we'd still have some clothes left in the second, as surely the chances of two cases being stolen are very small. I will also put the case on a higher shelf on the rack, with the handle facing in. Our case was on the bottom rack, which I imagine was easier to steal as it's more hidden. Learning that there's no CCTV on our London trains has also made me more wary when travelling at silly hours, which we often do. It's scary to think that there's no security on these trains, especially when you barely see staff walking around during the journey, anything could happen.
We've learnt our lesson the hard way and I hope it encourages others to be more wary in the future too. I can only be grateful that valuables were limited in the case and that we were only away for one night - we've done two whole Kingsland tours via train before, imagine how much worse the damage would have been had someone stolen our case then haha.
The only good thing that did happen that day was DNCE's gig. As much as we didn't feel like going by then, it was either that or staying in our easyHotel room, which oozed prison vibes with its lack of TV and windows lol. To be honest, for an hour, DNCE made me forget about the crap day we'd had. They genuinely were phenomenal and I really hope I can see them again soon, and maybe even meet Joe next time lol. You can read my review on the CelebMix website.
The whole case saga made me angry, upset and frustrated, it's put a dampener on travelling for me but it won't stop us from going. The thief will not win and won't put us off from doing something we enjoy, it's just a matter of being a lot more careful in future. I'm adamant that NOBODY will be stopping me from seeing John Newman on the weekend - no thief will ruin my day again if I can help it.
If anyone's made it through this post, I'm interested to know if you've ever had your luggage stolen from a train or know anyone that it's happened to...leave a comment below.
Hwyl am y tro ✌️
Monday, 14 March 2016
Sunday, 6 March 2016
The K Woods Foundation
Hello again! It's been less than a week since my last blog post and here I am writing again...looks promising so far, right?!
Anyway, today I want to talk a bit about a charity that I support called The K Woods Foundation. I mentioned in my last post that I went to the Take That Experience show at The Floral Pavillion last week. I wrote a review about it for CelebMix, which you can read here, however I wanted to take this opportunity to further write about the charity itself.
The show was held by The K Woods Foundation, in support of Dementia UK. The Foundation was launched in 2014 by Adam Woods in memory of his father, who was sadly affected by dementia. The Foundation does not have official charity status yet (although it is something that they're aiming to achieve), therefore all monies raised is directly given to Dementia UK.
Dementia is the name for a group of illnesses that affect the brain. There
are several types of dementia, with the most common being Alzheimer’s
disease. The typical early signs of dementia are someone becoming forgetful and
confused. Other symptoms can include difficulty orientating in time and place
and communication problems such as repeating themselves a lot.
According to The Alzheimer’s Society, over 850,000 people are living with dementia in the UK today. Of those, approximately 40,000 are people with young onset dementia, which affects people under the age of 65. The rates of diagnosing dementia have improved over the years but it is still significantly underdiagnosed.
It is so important to continue to raise awareness of dementia to enable an earlier diagnosis. Funds raised through Dementia UK help towards offering specialist one-to-one support and expert advice. This is done through Admiral Nurses, who are specialist dementia nurses who give expert practical, clinical and emotional support to families living with dementia to help them cope.
Whilst I have always been aware of dementia, it's never been a cause particularly close to my heart and I put that down to the fact that I've not had a personal experience of it. However, last year I became friends with Adam, and it's very hard not to support this worthy cause when you see how passionate he is about fundraising and raising awareness. It's a cause very close to his heart and it's commendable to see someone use a bad situation from their life as a motivation for helping others.
I may not have known Adam for very long, but what I have learnt about him is that he is an extremely determined and selfless individual, who dedicates his life to helping others. He is continuously planning different events and challenges in order to raise funds and awareness for dementia through The K Woods Foundation. He is such an inspiration, and his passion and drive for making a difference is so apparent. Thanks to him I have gained a new understanding for dementia and I realise the importance of raising awareness for this heart-breaking cause.
The Take That Experience night at the Floral Pavillion raised over £5500 for Dementia UK, which is an outstanding achievement. It was a privilege to be a part of such a fantastic night, and amazing to see the outcome of all of Adam's hard work. It was also wonderful to see so many people come together to raise money and awareness for this cause! This was the third Take That Experience night held at The Floral by The K Woods Foundation, and it was a credit to Adam to see how many of the performers and audience members had returned to support the event once again this year.
Whilst there is no cure for dementia, it is vitally important to keep raising as much money and awareness as possible. Dementia is a very heart-breaking illness, for both the sufferers and their families. Admiral Nurses are a wonderful help to families and the support they provide is invaluable during the caring journey.
I also wanted to share this video by 15-year-old Harry Gardner who has released a song in honour of his gran who is living with dementia. The heartfelt song really hits home how the illness affects everyone involved. The song has already raised awareness of the cause, with over 120,000 views on YouTube. You can download the song on iTunes or Amazon. Watch the video for 'Not Alone - Song For Alzheimer's' below.
The K Woods Foundation already has several events planned for this year, including a Black and White Ball, a Gary Barlow tribute night, as well as another Take That night at the Floral next year. No doubt that Adam will also be taking on many more physical challenges too as he loves pushing himself to the limit!! I look forward to supporting the events as much as possible - the concerts are always phenomenal and even more worthwhile as you know that the money raised is going towards a good cause.
If you would like to learn more about The K Woods Foundation then check out their website. You can also follow them on Twitter and Facebook.
You can also read more about dementia on the official Dementia UK website.
This blog post isn't much, but I wanted to try and help raise awareness in some way. I really hope that by reading this, you too can be inspired to help raise awareness of dementia - together we can make a difference to help provide the Admiral Nurses service and to help families who's lives are affected by dementia.
Hwyl am y tro ✌️
Anyway, today I want to talk a bit about a charity that I support called The K Woods Foundation. I mentioned in my last post that I went to the Take That Experience show at The Floral Pavillion last week. I wrote a review about it for CelebMix, which you can read here, however I wanted to take this opportunity to further write about the charity itself.
The show was held by The K Woods Foundation, in support of Dementia UK. The Foundation was launched in 2014 by Adam Woods in memory of his father, who was sadly affected by dementia. The Foundation does not have official charity status yet (although it is something that they're aiming to achieve), therefore all monies raised is directly given to Dementia UK.
According to The Alzheimer’s Society, over 850,000 people are living with dementia in the UK today. Of those, approximately 40,000 are people with young onset dementia, which affects people under the age of 65. The rates of diagnosing dementia have improved over the years but it is still significantly underdiagnosed.
It is so important to continue to raise awareness of dementia to enable an earlier diagnosis. Funds raised through Dementia UK help towards offering specialist one-to-one support and expert advice. This is done through Admiral Nurses, who are specialist dementia nurses who give expert practical, clinical and emotional support to families living with dementia to help them cope.
Whilst I have always been aware of dementia, it's never been a cause particularly close to my heart and I put that down to the fact that I've not had a personal experience of it. However, last year I became friends with Adam, and it's very hard not to support this worthy cause when you see how passionate he is about fundraising and raising awareness. It's a cause very close to his heart and it's commendable to see someone use a bad situation from their life as a motivation for helping others.
I may not have known Adam for very long, but what I have learnt about him is that he is an extremely determined and selfless individual, who dedicates his life to helping others. He is continuously planning different events and challenges in order to raise funds and awareness for dementia through The K Woods Foundation. He is such an inspiration, and his passion and drive for making a difference is so apparent. Thanks to him I have gained a new understanding for dementia and I realise the importance of raising awareness for this heart-breaking cause.
The Take That Experience night at the Floral Pavillion raised over £5500 for Dementia UK, which is an outstanding achievement. It was a privilege to be a part of such a fantastic night, and amazing to see the outcome of all of Adam's hard work. It was also wonderful to see so many people come together to raise money and awareness for this cause! This was the third Take That Experience night held at The Floral by The K Woods Foundation, and it was a credit to Adam to see how many of the performers and audience members had returned to support the event once again this year.
Whilst there is no cure for dementia, it is vitally important to keep raising as much money and awareness as possible. Dementia is a very heart-breaking illness, for both the sufferers and their families. Admiral Nurses are a wonderful help to families and the support they provide is invaluable during the caring journey.
I also wanted to share this video by 15-year-old Harry Gardner who has released a song in honour of his gran who is living with dementia. The heartfelt song really hits home how the illness affects everyone involved. The song has already raised awareness of the cause, with over 120,000 views on YouTube. You can download the song on iTunes or Amazon. Watch the video for 'Not Alone - Song For Alzheimer's' below.
The K Woods Foundation already has several events planned for this year, including a Black and White Ball, a Gary Barlow tribute night, as well as another Take That night at the Floral next year. No doubt that Adam will also be taking on many more physical challenges too as he loves pushing himself to the limit!! I look forward to supporting the events as much as possible - the concerts are always phenomenal and even more worthwhile as you know that the money raised is going towards a good cause.
If you would like to learn more about The K Woods Foundation then check out their website. You can also follow them on Twitter and Facebook.
You can also read more about dementia on the official Dementia UK website.
This blog post isn't much, but I wanted to try and help raise awareness in some way. I really hope that by reading this, you too can be inspired to help raise awareness of dementia - together we can make a difference to help provide the Admiral Nurses service and to help families who's lives are affected by dementia.
Hwyl am y tro ✌️
Thursday, 3 March 2016
Sorry: Blog Neglect Part Two
Guess who's back, back again....
HELLO!
It's me...
Okay, enough of the lame song jokes... I've dusted off the blog cobwebs and I'm back to grovel over my lack of anything on this blog. I realise that I haven't written anything for over two months. I HAVEN'T BLOGGED SINCE LAST YEAR!! The shame of it.
A few months ago, I wrote 'Sorry: Blog Neglect' and I fully intended on posting more regularly. It turns out that life ran away with me and I've contributed pretty much nothing to my virtual memory box, oops.
That being said, I have been writing lots for CelebMix. I'm nearly up to 200 articles since September which is pretty good going considering that I only write in my spare time. People who know me will remember that by day I'm a full time charity shop manager. By night, I dedicate my time to writing for CM. Literally, the first thing I do when I come home is switch the laptop on and get writing - if I get carried away (which I often do), I can end up writing for hours. Sometimes I even spend my lunch break writing an article - basically I'm whipped af for CelebMix. I wouldn't change it for the world though, it's all experience and hopefully a step in the right direction towards acquiring a 'goals' job.
I've also been busy out and about as per. Before Christmas, I went to the Saturday night of Capital's Jingle Bell Ball which was insane. Capital gigs are always amazing. In January, I did something a bit different and went to the book launch of Jill Mansell's new novel 'You and Me, Always' with Laura and mum. You can read about the experience on Laura's blog. It was a great night and a new experience for me. It was fantastic to actually meet our Queen of Chick Lit - Jill is amazing.
The day after, we also had a Woo Woo Girls reunion in Leicester Square. Myself, Mum and Laura had an added bonus as we randomly bumped into both George Shelley and Mark Wright outside Capital! Seriously, I've spent hours in Leicester Square over the years, secretly hoping to bump into someone, then the day we don't try, two come along at once!
I also went to the Strictly Come Dancing tour in January. After initially missing out on tickets, I managed to grab a pair last minute on Stubhub - I'm SO glad I did! I've never been to a Strictly tour before but it was phenomenal! Obviously, the main attraction for me was seeing Jay McGuiness, Strictly Champion 2015 and bae since 2010. His jive was absolutely insane! After watching it countless times on the telly, it was unreal to actually get to see it in person. To top off the trip, I even got to be reunited with him! (Albeit for all of two seconds haha)
In February, I went to a gig in Birmingham which was full of unsigned artists. I went to support the wonderful David Bulley, who is an absolute gem. He's incredibly talented - check him out if you haven't already! Aside from him, the rest of the line up was pretty dire. I'm all for supporting unsigned talent, but it winds me up when so many pretentious, tone deaf wannabes get exposure these days. Soz to be a bitch but I genuinely spent 90% of the gig either laughing awkwardly or being horrified at the 'talent' on offer. The only positive was that the diabolical ones made me appreciate the real talent in the room even more!
The most recent concert I've been to is The Take That Experience, in aid of The K Woods Foundation last weekend. I'm going to write a separate blog about this over the next few days, but I have to mention how incredible it was. For now, here's a review I wrote about it for CelebMix.
I've also got loads to look forward to in terms of gigs this year. March is a bit manic as usual - I'm seeing DNCE next week (Joe Jonas. Childhood LOML. Already. Can't. Cope!!!), followed by David supporting Joey Devries on the 12th, then Ellie Goulding and John Newman on the 19th (I.AM.SO.EXCITED.TO.SEE.JOHN.NEWMAN.THAT.I.MIGHT.SPONTANEOUSLY.COMBUST!) I've also got The Vamps, Charlie Puth, Take That and David's headline tour later in the year so you can expect long rambly posts about that type of thing haha.
Since I came to the conclusion that my dream job is writing for a site like CelebMix on a full time basis, it's more important than ever for me to keep writing as much as possible. Therefore, in the future I AM going to make a conscious effort to keep this blog updated regularly. Gosh, I might even venture into posts outside of my gig adventures! I'm not going to be a super blogger with schedules and all sorts (that actually requires someone to read the shit I write lol), but I'm going to try and improve myself, for myself.
The first step to improving myself should probably consist of rambling less, so on that note...
Hwyl am y tro ✌️
HELLO!
It's me...
Okay, enough of the lame song jokes... I've dusted off the blog cobwebs and I'm back to grovel over my lack of anything on this blog. I realise that I haven't written anything for over two months. I HAVEN'T BLOGGED SINCE LAST YEAR!! The shame of it.
A few months ago, I wrote 'Sorry: Blog Neglect' and I fully intended on posting more regularly. It turns out that life ran away with me and I've contributed pretty much nothing to my virtual memory box, oops.
That being said, I have been writing lots for CelebMix. I'm nearly up to 200 articles since September which is pretty good going considering that I only write in my spare time. People who know me will remember that by day I'm a full time charity shop manager. By night, I dedicate my time to writing for CM. Literally, the first thing I do when I come home is switch the laptop on and get writing - if I get carried away (which I often do), I can end up writing for hours. Sometimes I even spend my lunch break writing an article - basically I'm whipped af for CelebMix. I wouldn't change it for the world though, it's all experience and hopefully a step in the right direction towards acquiring a 'goals' job.
I've also been busy out and about as per. Before Christmas, I went to the Saturday night of Capital's Jingle Bell Ball which was insane. Capital gigs are always amazing. In January, I did something a bit different and went to the book launch of Jill Mansell's new novel 'You and Me, Always' with Laura and mum. You can read about the experience on Laura's blog. It was a great night and a new experience for me. It was fantastic to actually meet our Queen of Chick Lit - Jill is amazing.
 |
| me, Laura and mum || myself and Laura with our books || Queen Jill ♥ |
The day after, we also had a Woo Woo Girls reunion in Leicester Square. Myself, Mum and Laura had an added bonus as we randomly bumped into both George Shelley and Mark Wright outside Capital! Seriously, I've spent hours in Leicester Square over the years, secretly hoping to bump into someone, then the day we don't try, two come along at once!
 |
| Mark Wright, George Shelley and a Woo Woo Girls reunion |
I also went to the Strictly Come Dancing tour in January. After initially missing out on tickets, I managed to grab a pair last minute on Stubhub - I'm SO glad I did! I've never been to a Strictly tour before but it was phenomenal! Obviously, the main attraction for me was seeing Jay McGuiness, Strictly Champion 2015 and bae since 2010. His jive was absolutely insane! After watching it countless times on the telly, it was unreal to actually get to see it in person. To top off the trip, I even got to be reunited with him! (Albeit for all of two seconds haha)
 |
| favourite person ever (excuse my moon emoji/windswept look) |
In February, I went to a gig in Birmingham which was full of unsigned artists. I went to support the wonderful David Bulley, who is an absolute gem. He's incredibly talented - check him out if you haven't already! Aside from him, the rest of the line up was pretty dire. I'm all for supporting unsigned talent, but it winds me up when so many pretentious, tone deaf wannabes get exposure these days. Soz to be a bitch but I genuinely spent 90% of the gig either laughing awkwardly or being horrified at the 'talent' on offer. The only positive was that the diabolical ones made me appreciate the real talent in the room even more!
The most recent concert I've been to is The Take That Experience, in aid of The K Woods Foundation last weekend. I'm going to write a separate blog about this over the next few days, but I have to mention how incredible it was. For now, here's a review I wrote about it for CelebMix.
I've also got loads to look forward to in terms of gigs this year. March is a bit manic as usual - I'm seeing DNCE next week (Joe Jonas. Childhood LOML. Already. Can't. Cope!!!), followed by David supporting Joey Devries on the 12th, then Ellie Goulding and John Newman on the 19th (I.AM.SO.EXCITED.TO.SEE.JOHN.NEWMAN.THAT.I.MIGHT.SPONTANEOUSLY.COMBUST!) I've also got The Vamps, Charlie Puth, Take That and David's headline tour later in the year so you can expect long rambly posts about that type of thing haha.
Since I came to the conclusion that my dream job is writing for a site like CelebMix on a full time basis, it's more important than ever for me to keep writing as much as possible. Therefore, in the future I AM going to make a conscious effort to keep this blog updated regularly. Gosh, I might even venture into posts outside of my gig adventures! I'm not going to be a super blogger with schedules and all sorts (that actually requires someone to read the shit I write lol), but I'm going to try and improve myself, for myself.
The first step to improving myself should probably consist of rambling less, so on that note...
Hwyl am y tro ✌️
Thursday, 24 December 2015
People That Made My 2015
With 2015 coming to an end, for the past few days, #PeopleThatMadeMy2015 has been trending on Twitter. I always like to get involved with this type of hashtag as it's nice to show your appreciation for the people that have positively impacted on your life during the year. However, the more I thought about it, I realised that 140 characters were nowhere near enough for me so I thought I would share my gratitude to my faves here instead.
FYI, this is likely to be a long, rambly and soppy post, you have been warned!
2015 has been quite an odd year for me. On reflection, both good and bad things have happened that I could never have foreseen but they do say that everything happens for a reason. However what I'm most grateful for this year is being given opportunities to make incredible memories, most of them with some of the most wonderful people by my side.
Kingsland and the girls
The start of 2015 provided me with some of the most memorable occasions, as Kingsland released their album through Pledge Music, therefore, any pledges we made were fulfilled. From the studio session, guitar lesson, listening party, the canal and the album party, I have no regrets whatsoever in pledging for these things as they were all very special in one way or another. The guitar lesson was my highlight, being taught to play by one of my favourite people and actually not being half as rubbish as I thought I would be! The canal boat was also brilliant as there were only 4 fans in our particular session, and we had such a laugh. I have #KingslandConfessions videos on my phone which I should upload at some point as they're hilarious.
 |
| guitar lesson with JJ (always will be Thomps to me) |
Of course, there was also the tour. It was literally the most fun week trekking across the country! There was something about every date that made it memorable. Manchester was one of the best as I spent it with some of my favourite people. However, I still cringe at the time we spent in the nightclub afterwards hahaha. In Newcastle, we had the dressing room meet and greet which was really funny and surreal. Norwich was just the most bizarre gig, whilst London was the most lively, made even better by Jay/Jamie/Shaun making an appearance! I should also probably mention the awkward m&g haha. Brighton was probably the least memorable gig however I adored the place itself, my inner child couldn't cope with all the amusements on the pier! Lastly, Birmingham which was a bit sad as it was the last time I saw them as a group, however, I will never forget that there was another gig on that night, a band called Flatbush Zombies and the Underachievers. Their fans were grown men, who were fangirling so hard, I swear we've never looked that ridiculous lol. We googled them outside the venue and it was just so weird but hilarious too.
Obviously, with supporting a band, you come across a lot of people and make friends along the way. I'm not going to name every single person as I'll probably forget someone, however, everyone I've spent time with this year at gigs has made 2015 special for me. KL/solo gigs would not have been the same without any of you. I've always tried to be open and friendly and make time for everyone, so in that respect, I've met so many great people. There are a few people that I should mention specifically.
There's Dannii, who is my all time favourite person to go and meet bands/singers with, as she is so caring and always takes photos for you when hugging/chatting to said artists. She's also one of the most fun people, I always have a great time when she's around. There's Nikki, who I've shared many times with this year. We facetime a lot and talk about the same old things 90% of the time but it never gets boring. I've lost count at how many times I've listened to her be shouted at by her mum or watched her cooking food at stupid o'clock. There's Charlotte, who's like a little sister to me. I can't remember how we became friends as the first time I saw her at Connor's meet up, I took an instant dislike as one of her pals was SO annoying but I'm really glad that I actually got to know her, as she's one of the sweetest people. I've also got to mention the northern trio, Rach, Chelle and Jo. They're so much fun to be around. I'll never forget the day Chelle got to meet Nathan Sykes for the first time - it was the most precious thing, so much so that I cried along with her ha!
Everyone else that's pictured has made my year so special too. There's also people that aren't pictured - there's some who I haven't got around to taking selfies with, whilst Jakie, one of my favourite people ever, sadly lives across the pond. Nonetheless, as cheesy as it sounds, the people I've made friends with through Kingsland will always mean a lot to me.
The only bad thing is that shortly after the tour, the band split which of course upset me a lot. As well as not getting to see the boys regularly anymore, it also means I get to see less of all the girls. The best thing about Kingsland gigs was knowing pretty much everyone that was there. When I go to smaller gigs now, I barely know anyone which is just weird to me. Of course, the fact that some of the boys have gone solo gives us opportunities to see them, but it's really not the same. Whether together or as individuals, Thomps, Con, Josh, Matt and Jay made this year really special, and the memories made will stay with me for life. Supporting KL has been one of the most incredible/expensive/crazy/fun/frustrating times but they'll always have a place in my heart and they'll always have my support. I miss the KL boys and all the fam so much, but nonetheless I'm grateful to them for making 2015 such a special year.
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| ♥ |
Sarah
I've been friends with Sarah for around 5 years now. We met in University and she is the only person that I properly keep in contact with. We instantly clicked and we've remained close ever since. Ever since we left Uni, it's been more difficult to see each other and this year she moved to Cardiff, so I've probably seen even less of her. However, it then makes me appreciate the time I spend with her even more. Despite not talking all the time, we can meet up or start a conversation and pick up exactly where we left off. I value her friendship so much, I know that we will be lifelong friends. She's had a really tough year and I just hope that 2016 sees her get the happiness, health and security that she truly deserves.
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| that windswept time at Bracelet Bay |
Em
I had to include the little one, as she's very important to me. This year I got to take her to see Kingsland perform for the first time, and I've seen her on a couple of other occasions. Whilst we don't speak as much as we used to, she's always a little ray of sunshine and she definitely made this year great for me. This year she also got to meet Joe Root, one of her favourite people in the world, and that in itself made my year as I know that meeting an idol brings you so much happiness. It's so lovely to see her grow into the beautiful person that she is, she makes me proud to have her as a little sis.
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| tour times with the little one! |
Laura and Nicole
The terrible twosome haha! Again, I haven't been able to see much of these two this year, however, they have still been very supportive and made my year. They came to watch me do my charity climb (more about that later on), which meant the world. It was so nice of them to be cheerleaders for the day and to spend time with them afterwards. Of course, Laura also started her book blog this year which Nic and I write guest reviews for. I'm so proud of what she's achieved with it so far and can't wait to see the blog develop further in 2016. I'm also dead excited for our little meet up in January, as well as Laura and I meeting one of our favourite authors, Jill Mansell, eep!
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| 2016 goal is to take more selfies haha |
Musicians
A lot of musicians are included within people that made my 2015. I've spoken loads about Kingsland, but there are a whole lot more that have given me happy memories this year. Firstly there's Take That. I went to four of their tour dates this year, and every single one was just an incredible experience. They are phenomenal showmen and never fail to put a smile on my face. I even held hands with Gary and Howard during concert walkthroughs which added to the experience. The Britroyal boys were also a prominent part of my summer. We had our pledges with Kais and Mazin, one day out in London and another in Windsor. I've genuinely not laughed so much in a long time. The banter was flowing all day and they are genuinely such nice people. There wasn't ever an awkward moment. Through them, I also got to meet J.R Richards and his lovely wife Min, as we pledged for one of his studio sessions. We went to AIR Studios in London and it was the most incredible experience, what a stunning place! After several years, I got to meet Aston Merrygold again at Sunday Brunch, he was so nice as I remembered and certainly made me smile this year! (The only thing that saddens me about that day is that I was too scared to try and meet John Newman who was also at Sunday Brunch haha). I've also got to know Concept a bit better this year, and their visit to Cardiff supporting Only The Young was one of the highlights of my year. They care for their fans so much and spent ages making sure they met and chatted with everyone. Their weekly covers always make me happy too.
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| Britroyal, Concept, Aston and Nathan |
As a The Wanted fan, a few members have made my year too. I got to go to Nathan Sykes' first headline tour which was incredible, his vocals are unreal! I also met him again recently at a signing and his attitude towards fans is something of which he should be credited for. He has so much time for everyone. Jay McGuiness also made my year - I miss the bugger more than words can say, but seeing him dance his heart out on Strictly every week made me so happy. Is it normal to cry watching him every week? Probably not, but he managed to reduce me to tears with every single performance. His Pulp Fiction jive was the most captivating thing I've ever seen - I've watched it back a million and one times, his mum makes me sob so hard when they show her going "oh myyy god!!". Of course, I had no doubt that my boy would win, but it didn't stop me from deafening the neighbours with my screams and frightening my mum with the inability to breathe for crying lol. I even won £70 after placing a bet, cheers Bird! I've also got to mention Tom Parker but more about him later on....
Mam
I'm so lucky to have the mam that I do. This year has been extremely testing at times, for her more than me, but it's made us even closer. We're inseparable most of the time, and I love having her as a gig buddy. She's crazier than I am, that's for sure! Not to mention an extremely bad influence when it comes to gigs etc. haha! We're so similar, always finishing each other's sentences, saying stupid things or singing really badly (and loudly ha). I am so proud of her - she's one of the most caring, hard working people and doesn't get enough credit for it. She has such strength and despite feeling like the world is against her at times, she always ploughs through. She's a fighter, and I couldn't ask for a better inspiration or role model in life. I'm not the best daughter out there, but she's certainly the best mum. You can't pick your family but I count my lucky stars everyday that I have her as a mum. It'll always be the two of us against the world. I hope that 2016 brings her the happiness that she deserves in abundance.
The O2 Climb supporters
One of my biggest achievements this year was climbing the O2 Arena for charity in memory of my grandad. Anyone who knows me is probably sick of hearing about it, but you can read about it here if you wish. What made the day so special, was the incredible support I received from friends on social media. I raised over £560 (before gift aid) but none of that would have been possible without those generous souls who donated towards the cause. I will forever be grateful to every single person who supported in any way. Not everyone can donate, which is completely understandable. That's why it also meant just as much to me when people took the time to wish me luck or give me words of encouragement. It meant the world to me and is something I'll never forget - there aren't enough thank you's in the world! It was also amazing to have Laura, Nicole, Kais and Mazin there to support on the day, as well as being able to climb with Mim.
David
Yes, a musician, but he deserves his own little bit. At the beginning of this year, I started listening to a singer called David Bulley after watching one of his YouNow's with mum. His voice blew me away and I became a fan instantly. A few months down the line, I got to meet him at a gig. Bless him, he was so quiet and shy, I'd never met a singer that was like that before. However the minute he went on stage, he transformed into this confident performer, the crowd lapping up every note he sang. Since then, I've been to see him perform several times and it's a pleasure watching him grow in confidence with every show. I've also had the chance to get to know him on a personal level, he's one of the funniest people I know, as well as being super caring and genuine. I hate it when fans say that they're friends with singers because to me that sounds silly, but I really have found a friend in David. He's been so supportive of me during the year and I can't thank him enough for that. Through him, I've also got to know Rob, who is hilarious, and Adam, who is the only person I know that is just as much of a Take That fan as I am! Without a doubt, he is one of the people that made my 2015 and I can't imagine not knowing him now. I look forward to seeing him smash his own headline tour next year. I'm so proud of what he's achieved so far, he really does deserve the world.
Mim
My twinny, where would I be without her?! Mim most definitely was a part of making my year great. I've managed to see her a few times this year, but I'm most thankful for the fact that she did my O2 charity climb with me. I would have struggled so much more without her - the fact that she's fearless made me push myself to be a little fearless too (even though I felt physically sick haha). It was such a special day for me and getting to climb alongside my best friend just made it even better. This year I even got to see One Direction with her, and it was cute to see her in an environment where she's really happy. I'd be lying if I said that our friendship was perfect this year because it wasn't. However, at the end of the day, it's made our friendship stronger. (I couldn't ever not be her friend anyway, she knows too much lol!). This girl knows more or less everything about me and she puts up with my ramblings/sitches over weird people ha. She's one of the most important people in my life - this year made me realise that even more and I hope that she's someone that will always be in my life! The only crap thing about being friends with Mim is that we live miles away from each other so I don't get to see her very often. I really hope that I see more of her in 2016, and I hope that next year is amazing for her. She's a very special person and deserves the best in life always.
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| at the top of the O2! |
CelebMix
Finally, something that's made my 2015 particularly special is joining the CelebMix team as a writer. I wrote a post about CelebMix last month, but for anyone that doesn't know, in September, I applied to be a voluntary writer for the site. I got accepted a few days later, and the rest is history. What makes CelebMix special to me is the freedom to write about the celebrity world, whether it be music, film or TV stars. As an avid fan of celebrity culture and a lover of writing, the experience I'm getting is both priceless and ridiculously enjoyable - it never feels like work. At the start of December, I got to interview Tom Parker from The Wanted on his new solo project. I arranged everything myself, and as a TW fan from day 1, this was the ultimate experience for me. I begged for a day off from my full-time job so that I could go up to London - only an idiot would have passed up on such an opportunity! It was so surreal but extremely worthwhile, for sure it was a moment that made my year and one I will never forget.
Another thing I love about writing for CelebMix is that we are different to other news sites. We pride ourselves on being positive about celebrities instead of fighting them like some press do - of course, a lot of stars come with controversies in abundance, but there's good in everyone. Some people make money from writing crap about people, whereas I'm proud that our writers steer away from this. Being a part of CelebMix has made me realise that I would like to do this as a full-time career, and while I have a long way to go, it's something that I'm determined to work hard towards. I can't thank Jack enough for giving me the opportunity to join the team, and for giving me additional responsibilities which gives me so much valuable experience. The rest of the team are also a joy to work with, we have such a nice community of writers that help each other with ideas and how to improve. I can't wait to see how the site grows and develops next year, I truly believe the future is bright for CelebMix.
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| interviewing Tom = life goals! |
2015 has been one of the best on the whole. Experiences and memories made have been priceless and I'm really grateful for the good things that have happened. I have no idea what 2016 will throw my way but I hope it involves all of the people that made this year so special.
Hwyl am y tro!
Monday, 23 November 2015
Chain Reaction
Timehop's got me feeling (happy) emosh today and I try not to be as overly cheesy and soppy anymore if I can help it but sometimes you just have to and this is one of those times so soz in advance. (I also don't know if any of this will make sense as I'm just offloading to myself ha)
November 23rd 2012 was a day that changed a lot of things for me, in the most positive way. I didn't do anything particularly earth shattering, or possibly important for some of you reading but meeting three people for the first time on that day changed and defined me as a person.
I posted this a year ago, reminiscing about a night that'll always have a special place in my heart. Times Red were the first band that I grew a proper personal attachment to, in terms of getting to know them as people. I've lost count of how many times I met them as a group, but this one night in Cardiff three years ago today kick started everything. I'll always have so much to thank that band for.
First and foremost, and most importantly of all, without them I wouldn't have met two girls that I know are lifelong friends. They're not even friends anymore, they're family. I made a lot of friends during the TR days, and despite not always keeping in contact as much, the friends I made are still very precious to me. However I'm fortunate that these two have stood by me through everything and are subsequently stuck with me for life ha. It's rare to find people who positively impact your life so much, but I've got two gems in Twinny and Sis.
Secondly, supporting TR opened my eyes to living for the moment. You don't know what's ahead of you in life, which is why mum and I would often do something that we love and decide to go and see them in a random place at the spur of the moment. We had road trips, travelled to the strangest of places and have the best memories to look back on.
After a while, anything we did for them became our sort of barrier, "is it acceptable to go to *such and such place?*" and this continued into our time supporting Kingsland. Had we not pushed our boundaries so much when supporting TR, we would never have gone so mad for Kingsland - the first time we did the entirety of their six date tour was a novelty, the second time was just a given that we had to do haha. I've been extremely fortunate (so far) that every job I've been in is flexible when it comes to holiday leave - just another reason why I make the most of things now, before I'm truly tied down.
Of course, in turn, supporting another band in extreme measures meant getting to know even more people and making new friends along the way. There are people that I love all across the country, even across the ocean in Australia.
Kingsland are long gone by now but obviously some of the boys have moved on to solo careers which I've tried to support as much as possible. It was during Jay's (can't call you Shaun soz) first gig that I got to meet and see a singer called David Bulley perform for the first time. I'd been a fan for a little while before hand but in all honesty, the fact that he was on the line up was just an added bonus. However, since that day, he's become someone very dear to me and it's heart warming to see him grow as a person and performer.
It's like the six degrees of separation, as everything leads back to when I first supported Times Red. Had we not gone so mad over TR, we would never have gone crazy for Kingsland, thus I wouldn't have been supporting any solo careers and stumbled across David along the way.
Over the past three years I've learnt to live life to the full by doing something you enjoy. I've travelled the country and met the best people along the way. I'd like to think that loyalty is a personal trait associated with me, as I've always tried to support both bands and friends alike as much as physically possible. It's funny how supporting one band can be the catalyst to a chain of mind-blowingly brilliant events and memories that really have impacted my life.
Scott, Staz and Luke - I miss those TR days SO badly but yanoe what, I'm happy to have the memories than not to have lived them at all. Thank you for everything 💗
Hwyl am y tro ✌️this
Thursday, 29 October 2015
Sorry: Blog Neglect
Anybody there??
To the few people that actually read this blog, I want to apologise for neglecting my little adventure-land recently. Despite still going to as many gigs/events as usual, I've been major slacking on writing them up on here. I do feel really lazy, even though this blog was only ever really a memory box for myself, however what some of you may not know is that I have still been writing about most things, but I've crossed over into the scary but exciting world of an actual celebrity website. Yes, someone's been stupid enough to let me write for them!!!
In September, I saw one of my Twitter followers talk about a site called CelebMix so naturally intrigued, I went to have a nosy. What I was welcomed with was an awesome celebrity news site that just happened to be looking for voluntary writers. After debating with myself for a few days, I decided to apply - the worst that could happen was rejection, something of which I'm used to by now!
Within a few days, my application was successfully processed and I joined the team. Without doubt, it was one of the best decisions I've made in my life. It's given me a new perspective in terms of thinking about future careers.
After coming home from a long day at work, I actually get excited at the thought of switching the laptop on and getting my CelebMix head on. I've thrown myself into it as I enjoy it so much. I've done roughly 60 of my own articles so far, including gig reviews, email interviews and general news stories. I also have admin privileges to check over other people's work and am the Senior Social Manager who deals with their Twitter account.
I haven't really spoken to many people about being a part of CelebMix. I've always been reluctant to shove my work in anyone's face as I'm very self conscious - I always worry about being judged or ridiculed for what I write. This is something I've been through with this blog. I was too scared to share posts on Twitter in the beginning (and I wouldn't/still don't dream about sharing on Facebook). I did post an article I wrote for CelebMix on Facebook recently and I regretted doing so straight away as someone thought it was nice to belittle what I'd done. The particular article in question was something I'd done under my own initiative, one of the reasons why I love writing for CelebMix, and I only shared it as it was going to be of interest to many of my friends. I'm fully aware that for most, writing for a site isn't a big deal however it means a hell of a lot to me.
After graduating from University, my dream job was working in marketing but I couldn't get my foot in a professional organisation as I didn't have enough experience (the old vicious circle). I then applied for my current job, which is a charity shop manager. Don't get me wrong, I love my job so much and I'll always be grateful to my employers for taking a chance on me and giving me the opportunity. However I also know that I don't want to work there forever.
With my quarter life crisis fast approaching, I feel as if I've been plodding along for some time now but CelebMix has given me a new lease of life. What started off as a hobby has made me reconsider what I'd like to do in the future - being able to combine my love of music and all things celebrity with writing on a full time basis would literally be a dream come true. It sounds so silly but I really do owe them a lot for giving me the opportunity to rediscover my passion for writing and potentially giving me other career options in the future. I know that I'm going to need to work so hard if I want to build this type of career, especially as I don't think my writing is particularly good enough, but for the time being I'm having a ball, getting experience and learning every day.
I used to love writing as a kid, I would write stories and poems and I won small creative writing competitions. University definitely put me off writing - after turning in continuous assignments, including my dreaded 20,000 word dissertation, I didn't write anything of use for a while afterwards. That was until I went to a Britroyal gig last year and Kais encouraged me to start a blog about my gig travels. Without taking his advice and writing here for over a year, I definitely wouldn't have even dreamed about applying for CelebMix.
After coming home from a long day at work, I actually get excited at the thought of switching the laptop on and getting my CelebMix head on. I've thrown myself into it as I enjoy it so much. I've done roughly 60 of my own articles so far, including gig reviews, email interviews and general news stories. I also have admin privileges to check over other people's work and am the Senior Social Manager who deals with their Twitter account.
I haven't really spoken to many people about being a part of CelebMix. I've always been reluctant to shove my work in anyone's face as I'm very self conscious - I always worry about being judged or ridiculed for what I write. This is something I've been through with this blog. I was too scared to share posts on Twitter in the beginning (and I wouldn't/still don't dream about sharing on Facebook). I did post an article I wrote for CelebMix on Facebook recently and I regretted doing so straight away as someone thought it was nice to belittle what I'd done. The particular article in question was something I'd done under my own initiative, one of the reasons why I love writing for CelebMix, and I only shared it as it was going to be of interest to many of my friends. I'm fully aware that for most, writing for a site isn't a big deal however it means a hell of a lot to me.
I get the biggest buzz when people acknowledge the articles I've written. I always get a bit anxious when writing anything, so to get a few retweets or positive feedback makes me really happy. Simple things please simple minds eh?! Confidence is something I struggle with but I know that if I want to turn this hobby into a career, I need to have more self belief! One of my fellow writers posted this quote the other day, I think it's pretty sound advice to live by.
I think I've rambled on enough now....but I have a couple of posts coming shortly. For the time being, here are a few links to some articles I've written about recent gigs.
Dan Hadfield as Gary Barlow - The K Woods Foundation gig
Joe Conaboy Headline Gig
Concept Headline Gig
Jingle Jangle Jungle guest blog on Unsigned Acts in the UK
Joe Conaboy Headline Gig
Concept Headline Gig
Jingle Jangle Jungle guest blog on Unsigned Acts in the UK
Hwyl am y tro ✌️
Monday, 12 October 2015
"Oh My God, I Just Met Olly Murs!"
On Saturday we went to Birmingham to meet Olly Murs at his Waterstones book signing. The first (and last) time that I met Olly was back in 2011 so it was long overdue!
We arrived in Birmingham quite early in the morning and got to catch up with Em for a bit which was lovely. We then went for food before heading over to Waterstones.
The whole event had been ticketed beforehand so we were guaranteed entry. We started queuing around half past one, with the signing due to begin at 3pm. Due to the number of people already in the queue, they started the signing early. To be honest I was really pleased about this as initially one of the Waterstones employees told us that we wouldn't be allowed posed photos with Olly. The queue snaked around the bookshelves on the upper floor of the shop and as we got closer, we could see that despite the initial message from staff, people were actually getting pictures with him!
The nearer we got to Olly, the more excited everyone became. We were told to leave our bags on the right hand side and to get our phones out and books ready to be signed.
Eventually it was my turn to meet him. As with any signing, it was so quick but well worth the wait. He was so lovely, just as I'd remembered, and thanked me for coming. The Waterstones staff were responsible for taking our photos and I must applaud the lady who took mine as my camera roll was full and made it look as if I'd been with him for ages haha! After we posed for a picture he gave me a hug and a kiss goodbye which was cute. In typical male celebrity style, I can say that he smells really good as his scent lingered on my top for hours afterwards haha.
I was excited for mum as she got to meet him for the first time. We have a running joke from many years ago when we went to T4 On The Beach and saw Hollyoaks being filmed. There was a character called Liberty who was a singer and I remember her running towards Ethan and Theresa going "Oh my god, I just met Olly Murs!" in the funniest way so we always joke about it, but now mum can actually say it!!
I was so pleased to get to meet Olly again after four years. I think the years have been a bit kind to us haha (why I was let out in public with that hair??)
Hwyl am y tro ✌️
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