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Video is the way to go

      It’s not often you get to meet a real-life princess, but I had the pleasure of enjoying the company of Princess Aderemi Sijuwade in Mistley village a few weeks ago. Here, she’s more commonly known as Remi Morrison, videographer and creative director and founder of Red Cactus Media. Her position as the […]

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How NOT to avoid a heart attack… or how my sister came back from the dead  

  With the whole world focused on COVID-19, it’s not surprising that cardiovascular diseases have been relegated to the back burner this year. Yet they are the world’s biggest killer, responsible for almost 18 million deaths annually, 85% of which are due to heart attack and stroke. My eldest sister Loraine could have been one […]

Posted in Ageing, Beauty, Brand values, Diet, Diversity, Exercise, Health and fitness, Silver Foxes, Style | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Good ads never die as long as they surprise you

  When I’m not PR-ing, I work with Louise Dyer, founder of Dart Design, as a brand consultant. I love it, because I love the whole process of branding. And that started at Ogilvy & Mather, a great ad agency, my first job, and where I stayed for 10 years, it was THAT amazing. Promoting, […]

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Skin-deep branding

                  The vast majority of us understand the importance of building and maintaining a brand. I was 20 and working at ad agency Ogilvy & Mather when the principles were drilled into me. That was the 80s and, while the comms landscape continues to change, the rules […]

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Undergrads under lockdown

A few years ago I handled the PR for Colchcester Institute and the launch of University Centre Colchester (UCC). It gave me the opportunity to see the tremendous output of their departments. For me, the jewel in the crown of their degree courses was  the BA (Hons) in Fashion and Textiles and, as much as […]

Posted in Diversity, Fashion, Interiors, Saving money and saving the planet, Style | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

The best sex is in your 60s. Are you ready? Is your body ready?

If orgasms were available on the NHS, we’d be a far healthier and happier nation. Orgasms boost the secretion of endorphins, oxytocin and dopamine, a powerful cocktail of sex hormones and associated neurotransmitters, that not only make you feel ecstatic, they help to regulate appetite, sleep, attention span and memory, while reducing stress and giving […]

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Good things come in small packages!

Well I wouldn’t exactly call a domestic boiler a “small package” but what would any of us do without a boiler to keep our homes warm and our water hot? (Well, if you’ve ever had your boiler break down during the coldest snap, you do know.) Recently Intergas Heating, a Dutch boiler company, has been […]

Posted in Brand values, Diversity, Don't lose reputation, Energy Saving, Honest broker, Saving money and saving the planet | Leave a comment

It’s World Alzhiemer’s Day today. Some of us know, or knew, a friend or relative who has or had dementia and this poem by Owen Darnell resonates so perfectly…     Do Not Ask Me to Remember Do not ask me to remember, Don’t try to make me understand, Let me rest and know you’re […]

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Ultimate multi-tasking

The East Anglian Daily Times ran my article on what some of us do when the going gets tough. I’ve reproduced it here for you: As single mum of three teenage kids, one at Uni, two about to go, and still paying off a huge mortgage, job insecurity was the last thing I needed. Then […]

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Sticks and stones

Whoever said “sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never harm me” didn’t really understand how the world works. I’ll never condone violence, but today, thanks to the ease with which anyone can post an unkind remark or wage an unrelenting bullying campaign, thousands of people can behave in the most appallingly violent way. […]

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We are all born originals - why is it so many of us die copies?
Edward Young