Alder Hey Hospital Appeal

Today it is time for my charity of the month post and I cannot think of a more deserving one than this.

When you think of hospitals caring for sick children, the first one that comes to mind is always Alder Hey Children's Hospital.

Alder Hey were founded in Liverpool in 1914.  The hospital become an NHS Trust hospital in 1991 and they treat on average 270,000 children every year.   After its centenary year in 2014, a new hospital went into construction, with the new hospital Alder Hey in the park opening its doors in 2015.

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Alder Hey and the University of Liverpool officially opened the first phase of a state-of-the-art dedicated research, education and innovation centre in March 2016. 

The unique Institute in the Park is a world-leading centre for research, with leading clinicians, healthcare professionals and scientists working in partnership with young patients and their families to produce remarkable life-saving and life-changing results.

The Institute in the Park is home to around 100 research, education and clinical staff and has facilities that no other UK or European children’s hospital can offer.  The building features two lecture theatres, a boardroom seating, a state-of-the art Library, dedicated e-learning suite and quiet study room. Video conferencing equipment enables Alder Hey to beam events, meetings and teaching seminars around the world and the facility has technology for live streaming from the hospital theatres.

Alder Hey Children’s Charity Appeal

Alder Hey Children’s Charity is raising vital funds to build the second phase of the Institute in the Park.

This appeal will allow the hospital to extend the current Institute building and develop even better treatments for children and young people. The second phase of the Centre will allow the hospital to double the space available to undertake world class research and innovation.

Within this building, Alder Hey’s researchers and clinicians will continue to work with partners in academia, technology and pharmaceuticals to develop safer, better medicines and therapies for children to use in the NHS and throughout the world.

Here are some of the most remarkable feats accomplished by Alder Hey since it opened its doors.  It has been the first to:

• Test Penicillin, saving a child from Pneumonia in 1944
• Establish a neonatal unit in the UK 
• Cure the UK’s most commonly encountered congenital heart defect
• Pioneer various splints and appliances, including the Thomas Splint
• Introduce ‘liquid glass’ to reduce infection 

Alder Hey Children’s Charity works in conjunction with NHS funding to cover the running costs of the hospital, Alder Hey relies on charitable support and the money is spent directly in order to benefit patients. 

In 2009 as a result of charitable support Alder Hey was able to buy Europe's first 3T intraoperative MRI scanner.

Alder Hey Children's Charity needs our support in order to carry on its amazing life saving work and important research.   You can find out more and discover ways that you can donate by clicking here.

Don't be a Resenter As a Renter

Unlike the baby boomer generation who could buy a house on just one wage, nowadays, the younger generations are finding it increasingly harder to get themselves onto the property ladder. Renting is at an all time high, especially in inner-city locations such as London, where the chances are that unless you’ve won the lottery or have held down a very well-paying job for a long while, you won’t be looking at buying a property outright any time soon. I know that this is certainly true for me and I don't even live in London!

This can make putting our stamp on things tricky, as well as our care for what we are meant to be keeping safe. There are certain limitations to being in let accommodation, including decorating styles, holes in walls to hang pictures and other decorations, and even hanging wallpaper ( I have also talked about large scale wall murals a few weeks ago), but there are some things to exude your personality that you may never even have considered.

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Plants For All Occasions

There is a whole lot that plants can give to a space that you may never have previously considered. Looking at your rental contract, they’re probably just about the only other living thing apart from yourself that you’re allowed to keep. Not a pet of sorts, but they still need attention and looking after. There are the obvious succulents, which have seen a massive rise in popularity over the past few years, and these are generally a good go-to plant for first-time plant owners as they require little watering and attention but still provide great results. If you’re looking for something a tad more dramatic, the Philodendron plant is one that heavily culturally referenced in prints on clothing, books and wallpaper currently, so you can’t go wrong with plonking one of these in a space that needs brightening up.

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Showing Off The Fancy

You may not have the space to specifically dedicate to what you’ve got to display, but that doesn’t mean that they need to hide away. You can get portable display cabinets from http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/products/storage-furniture/cabinets-sideboards/display-cabinets/ which don’t have to be fitted or fixed against walls, and ones that are specific for the item that you intend to have on show, such as bespoke wine racks from wineracks.co.uk. Instead of getting annoyed that you can’t do as much as you are able to do in terms of decorating and attached furniture to walls, simply look for the more free-standing option!

via Pexels

Stick On, Peel Off

With the boom of the rental generation come businesses who know that what these people are looking for are temporary alternatives to what would otherwise be long-term measures. This sounds complicated, but it’s really not. Want different tiles to go in the bathroom? No worries, stick-on ones to temporarily cover the ones that have already been laid down are available. Want/need a new carpet but aren’t allowed to put in your own? That’s fine - rugs are being made bigger and more affordable to cover this. You just have to have a hunt around for something that you may think is a permanent fixture that you can get charged for. Chances are that somebody has already thought of a rent-friendly alternative!

*A collaborative piece 

Moringa Oil Review

Hey everyone!  I have a review today of a product called Moringa Oil.

Moringa Oil comes from the seeds of the Moringa Oleifera Tree. Moringa Oil is well known in the beauty and skin care industry for the many benefits that it offers.  The oil is a great moisturizer for the skin and also works as a disinfectant.  

The oil can also be used to treat acne and improve the overall condition of your skin, getting rid of blackheads and improving the look of scars.  It also works great as an anti-inflammatory so is great for massaging swollen ankles and knees.

I have been trying out the oil for two weeks now, using primarily on my face (although I have lent it to my mother on a few occasions also to massage her knees which suffer from arthritis).  In my mum's case, the oil helped with the swelling that she sometimes experiences and she said that oil sunk well into her skin without becoming greasy.

I decided to incorporate the oil into my daily skincare routine to see what differences it made.  I used my normal moisturizer in the morning (Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel) and then in the evening when I had taken my make up off, I applied a small amount of the oil to my face before I went to bed.

I have to say, I have been very impressed.  You need a minimal amount and once the product has been applied and massaged in which takes only seconds, your skin has a lovely feel to it and is not greasy as I would have expected. 

I have combination skin which can be dry as a bone in places when I first wake up in the morning to then later in the day the same areas of skin turn greasy.  I cannot win!  In addition, at my ripe old age of 38, the area around my eyes is usually puffy in the morning, creating wrinkles which (as yet haha) disappear after an hour.

I noticed the difference after the second day of application.  The puffiness was reduced, the patchy dryness which previously would mess with my foundation was gone.  It also seems to be helping to heal the burn scar I have on my face from being a little too over excited with my hair straightners.

Overall, I would highly recommended.  Moringa Oil costs £16.95 for a 100ml bottle that I would estimate would last you 2-3 months.  You can buy the product here  

*This product was gifted to me but all opinions are my own.