Pick Me Up! 14-Nov-2019

Sitting on the sofa watching TV, a Macmillan Brave for Shave advert came on. ‘Mum, I want to do that,’ my daughter Freya said. ‘Why don’t we think about it for a little bit?’ I suggested. Freya has always been very caring and is no stranger to fundraising for charity. She’d previously sold her teddies and has done little bits to raise money for the Nightingale ward at Chesterfield Royal Hospital. So, when she heard that her dad’s colleague had been diagnosed with cancer for the second time, she started asking us some questions. She’d heard of cancer before, but something had clicked inside her. I had no problem with Freya shaving her hair, in fact I was all for it, but she was only eight, and I was worried…

Are you fed up of constantly seeing models in the media who you feel don’t reflect who you are? Well, we all know how you feel! So why not help us make a difference? We are on the lookout for women, just like you and your friends, who would like to model for us in the magazine. The good news is, this is not a competition and we’d really love you all to get involved with it. To find out more, check out page 32 and enter online at goodtoknow. co.uk/REAL.…

HAVE YOU HEARD OF…? Rushing around and tidying weeks of chaos to make your house pristine before a visitor arrives – we’ve all been there and done it. That last mad rush to pretend that you are actually always organised and presentable, even when you’re really not... Well, we bet you didn’t know that it’s got a name! Scurryfunge (verb): Old English, to rush around cleaning when company is on their way over. Usage: I scurryfunge when I see my mother-in-law coming over. So, the next time you have a desperate dash around the house, try to use it in a sentence! GOOD DEED OF THE WEEK With Remembrance Day just around the corner, people will be showing their support for the Armed Forces by wearing poppies as a symbol…

Six-week-old Millie upholding girl power! Jade Yeoman, Essex Here’s me and my daughter Maila at a fundraiser! She’s not too happy about the size of the trophy… Sian Magee, South What a lovely day out at Bolsover Castle Derbyshire. I met my knight in shining armour, a true gentleman! Jane Russell, Nottingham My daughter recently met Prince Harry when he visited Sheffield. She shook his hand and we posed for a photo! Kirsty Allen, South Yorkshire Here is my son Arthur, 19 months, very engrossed in reading your magazine. Sharmaigne Spencer, Norfolk If your letter makes Star Letter of the week, you will receive some beautiful blooms from Flying Flowers. With over 30 years’ experience of helping celebrate life’s special moments and FREE delivery by post, a gorgeous bouquet by…

As I walked through the front door of my flat, my phone started to buzz in my pocket. Glancing at the message, I noticed it was from my friend, John Painter, 23. ‘What does he want?’ I sighed to myself, dumping down my bag and flopping onto the sofa. It was 12 August 2014, and I’d been out for the day at Drayton Manor theme park in Drayton Bassett, Staffordshire, with a guy I’d been seeing. I was exhausted, and now I was ready for an early night. I’ve been kicked out of my parents’ house, John’s message read. I’m on the common and I’ve got nowhere to sleep. I couldn’t help but feel sorry for him. I believed what he was telling me, and with nowhere to go, he…

Dear Caitlin, I will never forget the first time I saw that cheeky smile of yours. Laughing with your mates in the park, your red hair bounced in the wind as you smiled at me when I walked past. ‘Come sit with us,’ you said, so confident. In that moment, I knew we had a connection. It was 2008, and at 14 years old, we became best mates. Living just a few streets away from each other in Brisbane, Australia, we spent every day together, meeting up after school to start right where we’d left off the day before. You were so fun, vibrant and full of life, such a ray of light. So it was no surprise, then, that just four years later, when we were 18, our friendship…