Hello beautiful people!

As you will know if you have met me or you follow my blog, my grandparents meant the absolute world to me. Therefore when my grandfather past away on the 30th September, then my grandmother passed exactly two weeks later, my whole world fell apart. The last few months have been incredibly challenging for myself and my family, but the one thing that gives me comfort is knowing my grandparents never felt alone, and we were able to share the last few years of their lives with them.

 Unfortunately, many elderly people in the UK do not have close family or friends around them, and can go days or even weeks without even having a conversation with anyone. There is also a disproportionate amount of elderly people living in poverty or with disabilities (two-thirds of over 85's live with a disability or life changing illness in the UK). These people deserve to live the remainder of their lives in dignity and comfort rather than unbearable loneliness and pain. 

Therefore, in remembrance of the two people that helped raise me, and in the hope I can make other older people smile, I have decided to shave my head on New Year's Eve to raise money for Age UK. Age UK supports communities around the UK, helping old people socialise through clubs and even offers a befriending helpline service so that the elderly can escape loneliness and speak to someone on the phone. Furthermore, they offer guidance and support to help people receive the right amount of pension and financial support. In they UK, they also campaign for better quality carers (something that is very much needed), and worldwide they also aim to help 81,000 elderly people in 16 developing countries get eye care in 2016. Overall, Age UK cares about the health, welfare and happiness of elderly people in the UK and all around the world, something I also hold very close to my heart. 

Please donate as little or as much as you can to support me and my big shave. I will also be donating my hair to a charity that creates wigs for people suffering from cancer. Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity. So it’s the most efficient way to donate – saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

Thank you all so much for your support over the past few months. I look forward to sharing my journey with you!

With love from London, 

Davina x