Dress for Success

I have the very exciting task of moving house in a few weeks time (I could count down the days but you might find that boring) and part of the task of moving is involving having a good clear out of some of my belongings. I do like to think of myself as quite a tidy person but lately, with all of the craft fairs and such like my organisation has gone to pot and so this is actually a good time to have to sort through and declutter.

I am moving in with my boyfriend in Cambridge and there is only room for so much of my "stuff" including all of my craft supplies. It is really hard to get rid of them but I am destashing craft supplies slowly on my website.

I also have a lot of clothes I need to sort out. My Mum volunteered a couple of times in a local charity shop and was quite surprised how many of the clothes they just get rid of because they are not current fashion or have a missing button etc. Knowing this, I wanted to find somewhere else to donate some clothes and I came across Dress for Success.

Dress for Success are an international charity who help women on low incomes get back to work. Trained stylists help dress women in a smart professional outfit ready for a job interview. The women also receive interview training from a recruitment advisor.

In a recent Sunday Times Magazine article on Dress for Success, the Prime Minister's wife Samantha Cameron said  "People say that employers make up their mind about a candidate in the first five minutes. If you are on a low income, have no smart clothes to wear, no interview training and no confidence, it is very hard to make that good first impression. I've seen the difference those few hours at Dress for Success make to each clients confidence. The woman who walks out the door with a smart outfit is completely different from the woman who walked in"

I have found that giving work-appropriate clothes to Dress for Success really easy, I just popped them in the post and that was it, but you can also drop them off in person and the staff are happy to discuss what is easiest for you.

It feels good to declutter and help a charity at the same time.


Monday 29 October 2012 | 1 Comment

Early Christmas Craft Fair

If you live in Hertfordshire, start your Christmas shopping early and purchase some unique and hand crafted gifts at the Early Christmas Craft Fair to be held at the Standon & Puckeridge Community Centre, Puckeridge, on Saturday 27th October.

Open between 10.30am and 4pm there will be over 20 of stalls by local crafts people and artists including handmade cards, soap, jewellery, fabric gifts, woodware, photography, ironmongery and much more. It will be a great opportunity to purchase unique handmade gifts for Christmas from local crafts people and talk to them about their crafts.

Admission is free and there will be a charity raffle in aid of Help for Heroes with prizes donated by some of the stall holders. The refreshments will be organised by the Standon & Puckeridge Guides.

Wednesday 17 October 2012 | 0 Comments