Olly Murs is patron for childrens' charity Brainwave

Children’s charity Brainwave is delighted to announce that following its Patron singer Olly Murs‘ performance on the Channel 4 Show “Celebrity Deal or No Deal” which resulted in him raising the sum of 50 pence after a disastrous run with the legendary boxes, Olly has made a personal donation of £5,000 to support the charity’s work with children who have disabilities and Development Delay.

Olly Murs said ‘I am glad that I got the chance to promote Brainwave on Celebrity Deal or No Deal and helped to raise the profile of this wonderful charity that I am Patron to. I had a terrible game but will continue to fundraise and donate to this amazing cause’.

Phil Edge Chief Executive of Brainwave commented ‘Olly Murs was so disappointed in not winning any money for Children’s Charity Brainwave on ‘Celebrity Deal or No Deal’ that he has very generously made a personal donation of £5,000, for which we are extremely grateful. We would like to thank him most sincerely for taking part in this programme and raising awareness of Brainwave. There was a humorous suggestion during the programme that Brainwave would have to “sack” Olly as Patron. Nothing could be further from the truth and we are very lucky to have him as our Patron.”

Following the programme Brainwave saw its Twitter feed jammed with messages of support from many of Olly Murs‘ fans wishing to make a donation and the charity is confident that hundreds, possibly thousands, of pounds will have been raised by those who understood Olly’s pain and wanted to support his charity.

Brainwave works with families to deliver home based individual therapies and exercises to help children with disabilities and Developmental Delay reach their full potential. That potential might be anything from a child sitting or walking to feeding themselves or counting. The children on Programme have a range of conditions such as Cerebral Palsy, genetic conditions including Down ’s syndrome, as well as Autism or General Development Delay.

Families are invited to attend an Initial Assessment where the whole family is assessed and a Programme tailor made for that child developed. The parents are then shown how to deliver that Programme, which they undertake at home, returning to the Centre every 4-6 months for it to be adjusted as the child progresses.

The Centre in Somerset was set up in 1982 and Brainwave has also two further Centres in Witham, Essex and in Birchwood, Warrington as well as satellite clinics in Ireland and Scotland so that families can access Brainwave wherever they are based in the UK.

Places on the Programme are available for children at all three Centres. For more information see www.brainwave.org.uk or phone: 01278 429089.

Wayne Hemingway's Vintage Festival 2012

Wayne Hemingway’s Vintage Festival 2012 brings together the ‘Best of British’ culture for one glamorous weekend celebrating the music, fashion, film, art, design and food of the 1920’s to 1980’s. This year’s festival is located on one of the most stunning festival sites in the UK – the grand stately home of Boughton Estate.

Vintage Festival 2012 Line up confirmed so far:

Sergio Mendes & His Orchestra
Aloe Blacc
Chic Ft Nile Rodgers
Nouvelle Vague Performs Dawn Of Innocence
Baxter Dury
Betty Wright
Alice Russell
Swing Out Sister Big Band

Vintage Nightclubs

Torch Club
Ondrej Havelka and his melody makers, James Langton, Jivin Miss Daisy and dozens more of the world’s most authentic performers all curated by Snowboy.

Let It Rock
The Damned, The Polecats, Alien Sex Field, Lazy Lester,  DJ’s Keb Darge, Gaz Mayall, Jay Strongman, Lady Luck.

Leisure Lounge
Buddy Greco, Secret Affair, The Sorrows, Mike Flowers Pop, plus sessions curated by Guilty Pleasures, Club de Fromage, Count Indigo and a DJ set from Martin Green.

Soul Casino
The Impressions, Junior Murvin, Lonnie Liston Smith and Smoove & Turrrell and iconic Soul Casino DJ’s performing exclusively together Searling & Roberts from the Wigan Casino and Levine & Curtis from the Blackpool Mecca, DJ sets from Don Letts, Craig Charles and The Soul Casinos curator Eddie Piller and more.

Warehouse Party
DJ sets from Norman Jay, Danny Rampling, Horse Meat Disco, Greg Wilson, Terry Farley, Graeme Park, DJ Milo, Sub Club vs Back to Basics

Wayne Hemingway’s Festival Vintage
Where: Boughton House, Northamptonshire
When: 13-15 July 2012
Website: www.vintagefestival.com

Prices & Ticket types

WEEKEND ADULT (Non Camping) – £125*
WEEKEND YOUNG PERSON (Non Camping) – £75*
WEEKEND NUS (Non Camping) – £99

WEEKEND ADULT (With Camping) – £139*
WEEKEND YOUNG PERSON (With Camping) – £89*
WEEKEND NUS (With Camping) – £109

CHILD: FREE*
All Children need to be registered online for a £3.00 wristband fee per Child; Children wristbands will be issued on arrival at the Festival.

Penélope Cruz in Anti-Fur Poster

If anyone who happens to be in New York for Fashion Week (February 9 to 16) hopes to run into Penélope Cruz, all they have to do is look up.

PETA US is running a 70-foot-tall billboard starring the Academy Award-winning actor outside Madison Square Garden. In the ad, which goes up this week, Cruz turns her head to look over her bare back next to the words “Give Fur the Cold Shoulder”. The billboard will remain up throughout New York Fashion Week, and similar advertising blitzes will follow in London and Milan.

“Penélope Cruz has appeared on every ‘best-dressed’ list in the world, and the one thing you’ll never see her wearing is fur”, says PETA Senior Programme Manager Yvonne Taylor.

“One couldn’t ask for a more fitting emblem of the modern, glamourous woman who knows that there’s nothing more beautiful than a woman who has a look that kills without anyone having to die for it.”

Cruz is the latest fashion icon to speak out against fur. First ladies Michelle Obama and Carla Bruni-Sarkozy have declared that they would never wear real fur, as have PETA campaign stars Twiggy, Kelly Osbourne, Pink, Pamela Anderson and Eva Mendez.

For every coat, collar or cuff made of fur, animals suffer immensely. Every year, millions of foxes, minks and rabbits – even dogs and cats – are bludgeoned to death, electrocuted or skinned alive for their pelts.

For more information or to view PETA UK’s Penélope Cruz ad please visit PETA.org.uk.

From fashion to furniture designers, glass sculptors to games developers; all will be exhibiting and selling their works at ‘creative market stalls’ the length and breadth of Dean Street. There’ll be musical showcases, too, from exciting new artists on the City Showcase outdoor stage.

Businesses in and around Dean Street are supporting the event which promises to be one of the
coolest street parties of the summer. Supporting businesses include Soho Estates, The Groucho
Club, The Soho House Group, The Hart Group, Dean Street Studios and Blacks. Terrence Higgins
Trust has also been chosen as charity partner for the event.

Launching the event at Soho House today, co-curator of City Showcase: Soho Flea Market, Karim Ladak (Habitat, Ralph Lauren and now Potassium) said:

‘We’re inviting London’s creative community to come together for one special day in May where we’ll celebrate the capital’s diverse talent in a unique and fun way that also supports up and coming artists.’

Fawn James of Soho Estates said:

‘This vibrant and exciting concept is a fantastic addition to Soho. Soho is about independent and talented creative minds and businesses and City Showcase: Soho Flea Market is the perfect event to showcase the best of what we have to offer to the world.’

Nanette Rigg, Founding Director of City Showcase added:

‘We are proud of our track record for helping and supporting new talent in the field of music and are delighted to be able to extend our work to be able to showcase all creative talent in one of London’s most iconic streets’.

Genevieve Edwards, Director of Fundraising at Terrence Higgins Trust, said:

“We are thrilled City Showcase have chosen us as charity partner. Since the early days of the AIDS epidemic, there has been a great tradition within the creative industries of championing HIV as a cause. We’re delighted to see this support continuing today.”

Anyone wishing to get involved as a participating venue, a sponsor or by applying for a pitch at one of the ‘creative market stalls’ visit www.sohofleamarket.com.

Morrissey Named PETA UK's Person Of The Year

From the moment Morrissey, ex-The Smiths vocalist & voice of an 80’s generation, took the stage at his shows in the UK, US and Europe this year, his fans were hit with the animal rights message in a big way.

At live shows The Smiths wore blunt, pro-animal shirts speaking out against fur, fast food and other industries that abuse animals.  At solo shows Morrissey showed footage of PETA US’ hard-hitting “Meat Your Meat” exposé as he performed The Smiths’ song, ‘Meat Is Murder‘. PETA even had its own booth at Morrissey’s shows – and now, to honour the rock legend’s constant, bold promotion of kindness to animals, PETA UK has named Morrissey its Person of the Year 2011, a designation formerly held by Pamela Anderson (2010) and Sir Roger Moore (2009).

“If you love animals, obviously it doesn’t make sense to hurt them”, Morrissey explained in an interview with PETA US. “Please don’t kill anything. These are pathetically basic words but get through your life without … killing animals and dragging animals down … it’s not anything that anybody really needs. We were all raised with that concept that animals are there to be used, but they’re not. It’s just the dreadful industries that do it.”

“Morrissey shows us the benefit of boldness – when he opens his mouth, people pay attention”, says PETA’s Yvonne Taylor. “Moz is a rebel with a very real cause – encouraging everyone to re-examine their attitudes towards animals and the industries that abuse them.”

As far back as Meat Is Murder’s 1985 debut, Morrissey has been promoting kindness to animals. He has teamed up with PETA and its overseas affiliates to speak out against forcing baby elephants to perform as tourist attractions in Thailand; against Iams’ intensive laboratory tests on animals and against the Queen’s Guards’ bearskin caps. And two years ago, he made international headlines when he walked off stage at a US music festival, stating that he hoped the “burning flesh” he smelled was human.

For more information, please visit PETA.org.uk.

That time of the year is just around the corner.  The Christmas festivities have come and gone, the New Year’s Eve party is just a blur, everyone in the office has a case of the post-Christmas blues, and this year, yes this year, you will get the body of your dreams!  But how?

Yes, January signals a UK-wide dieting frenzy.  However, with so many diet books and celebrity-endorsed fitness DVDs on the market, who’s cashing in and who’s worth checking out?

The BDA receives literally hundreds of calls from the media every year on this subject and they come across a huge range of weird and whacky diets and diet claims.

Based on telephone call volume and other contributing factors, here are the top 5 dodgy celeb diets to avoid in 2015.

5. The Baby Food Diet
Celebrity Fans:  Lady Ga Ga, Gwyneth Paltrow and Jennifer Aniston are reportedly fans of this diet.

What’s it all about?
This diet calls for eating just up to 14 jars of pureed food or baby food every day or mostly pureed food or baby food and one adult meal or pureed food or baby food instead of snacks.

BDA Verdict:  The Ga Ga should be for babies only!  This diet works on portion control and guess what?  Yes, restricted calories, as a jar of baby food has very few.  Although fruit and veg are included they are pureed so have much less fibre and texture.  Chewing food is associated with feelings of fullness and satiety, so reach for an apple or a carrot rather than a jar. Also, how anti-social would you be whipping out your jars of baby food and a top restaurant?

4. Raw Food Diet
Celebrity Fans:  Demi Moore, Natalie Portman and Woody Harrelson are reportedly fans of this diet.

What’s it all about?
It’s the practise of eating raw uncooked food and non-pasteurised/non-homogenised dairy products. This diet can be used by vegans and meat eaters.

BDA Verdict:  This hits a raw nerve!  A raw diet can be low in fat and calories but can also be low in calcium, vitamin D, iron, zinc, and protein.  Many foods can only be eaten cooked, like rice, pasta, bread, potatoes, beans and pulses, so these are excluded.  The diet is unsuitable for pregnant women, children and other at risk groups.  In fact some foods are more nutritious if cooked, like carrots and tomatoes.  This diet is time consuming, socially isolating and you’ll have an awful lot of chewing to do.  For those who use meat in a raw diet, they put themselves at risk of food poisoning and gastroenteritis.

3. Blood Group Diet
Celebrity Fans:  Cheryl Cole, Sir Cliff Richard and Courtney Cox-Arquette are reportedly fans of this diet.

What’s it all about?
This diet is completely based on pseudo-science.  It claims that different nutrients are broken down in the body based on the body’s blood type.

Blood Group A – No dairy products allowed and a vegetarian-based diet.

Blood Group B – A more varied intake of food and the only blood group able to ‘manage’ dairy products.

Blood Group AB – Combination of diets A and B (confused yet? Yes or no to dairy?)

Blood Group O – High meat intake, no dairy, no wheat, no grains (think Atkins).
BDA Verdict:  Blood and sweat won’t make this work!  Cutting out food groups is never a good idea (unless medically advised to do so and with help making substitutions from a Dietitian).  This diet could lead to significant deficiencies such as calcium.  You lose weight on this diet because your calorie intake is very restricted and this diet is not sustainable in the long term.

2. Alcorexia / Drunkorexia Diet
Celebrity Fans:  It is widely thought that many top models and other celebrities are fans of this diet.

What’s it all about?
It’s when people eat very few calories during the day/week and think they can save all the calories they have not eaten then use them to binge drink alcohol.
For example, if you favour a VLC diet (very low calorie) to follow the Alcorexia Diet, you could be banking around 1,500 calories a day, which then gives you 10,500 calories to drink during the week.  This amounts to:

45 pints of lager (based on a single pint being around 230 kcals).  With a pint of lager being 2 units, this gives you a weekly alcohol intake of 90 units.

201 shots of spirits (based on a single shot being around 52 kcals).  With a single shot of spirit being 1 unit, this gives you a weekly alcohol intake of 201 units.

52 alcopops (based on a single alcopop being around 200 kcals).  With a single alcopop being 1 unit, this gives you a weekly alcohol intake of 52 units.

131 glasses of red wine, or 26 bottles (based on a glass of red being around 80 kcals).  With a single glass being 1 unit, this gives you a weekly alcohol intake of 131 units).

To put this in context, the safe weekly alcohol unit intake is 28 units for men and 21 units for women.

BDA Verdict:  You must be blind drunk!
Following a VLC diet alone is madness, as you will most certainly not be getting the calories, vitamins and nutrients your body needs to survive and function.  In addition, you will feel weak, tired have no energy and will become very irritable very soon.  Alcohol has little nutrition other than calories.  To do this in order to ‘bank’ your calories so you can go a use them on alcohol is pure madness and could easily result in alcohol poisoning and even death.  The BDA has received a significant increase in media calls about this diet and it is a worrying trend.

1. Dukan Diet
Celebrity Fans:  The Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton (and her mother Carole Middleton), Jennifer Lopez and Gisele Bundchen are reportedly fans of this diet.

What’s it all about?
A complicated four-phase diet that starts off with a protein only approach that promotes weight loss of around 7lb per week.

BDA Verdict:  The Dukan’t Diet is Offal!  There is absolutely no solid science behind this at all.  This works on restricting foods, calories and portion control again.  Once again, cutting out food groups is not advisable.  This diet is so confusing, very rigid, full of very French foods that most Brits would run a mile from like rabbit and offal, and even Dr Dukan himself warns of the associated problems like lack of energy, constipation and bad breath – lovely!

Speaking about these and other fad diets, Sian Porter, consultant dietitian and Spokesperson for the BDA, said:

“Sadly, there is no magic wand you can wave.  There is no wonder diet you can follow without some nutritional or health risk and most are offering a short-term fix to a long term problem.  It may be obvious, but if you want to lose weight you need to eat a nutritionally balanced and varied diet with appropriately sized portions and burn off more calories than you consume. In short speak, eat fewer calories, make better choices and move a bit more!

“On a serious note, glamorous images of celebrities saturate our daily media in all forms.  These celebs have an army of people to help them to keep looking good, which is essential to their livelihood and plenty of money to do whatever they think it takes.  You need to remember too, a lot of these images are airbrushed and retouched to give celebrities an unachievable body image that does not exist in real life, yet many aspire to.  Some people look at these images and will try anything they think will help them achieve the ‘perfect’ body. “If you have some weight you need to lose, then do it in a healthy, enjoyable and sustainable way.  In the long term this will achieve the results you are after.”

For more information and tips about healthy weight loss, please visit www.bdaweightwise.com.

Mencap’s Little Noise Sessions

Mencap’s Little Noise Sessions, curated by Jo Whiley announce Coldplay’s Chris Martin and Jonny Buckland will be headlining on Thursday 24 November, completing the line up for the series of atmospheric gigs. Joining the bill for what will be a night to remember are: Ben Howard, Emile Sande, Michael Kiwanuka and Bebe Black. Tickets go on general release from 7 November with an exclusive presale for subscribers from 4 November.

Due to unprecedented demand Mencap have also released additional tickets for the following SOLD OUT shows: Tuesday 22 November with Elbow, Maverick Sabre and Ren Harvieu. Friday 25 November with Goldfrapp and Alpines. Saturday 26 November with Example, Ed Sheeran, Birdy and Fenech Soler. Also performing at this year’s Little Noise Sessions are Marina & The Diamonds, Icona Pop, Spark on 23 November and Sinead O’Connor and King Creosote on 27 November.

This year Mencap’s Little Noise Sessions are heading to a new home St. John-at-Hackney to once again showcase a series of stunning stripped back performances from some of the hottest names in music. Our new iconic venue is set in the heart of Hackney, with over 700 years of history and now plays host to it’s FIRST EVER music festival.

Chris Martin said; “Jo does amazing work for Mencap, we are thrilled she asked us to play and are honoured to be part of this special night”

Mencap ambassador Jo Whiley said; “We are delighted to welcome the return of Chris Martin and Jonny Buckland to headline an extra special night for Mencap’s Little Noise Sessions. With a week of unbelievable shows, this year is set to be one of the most exciting and inspiring we’ve had to date. I can’t wait!”

Subscribers to the Little Noise Sessions website have exclusive access to a host of great content including; priority ticketing, backstage footage, audio, photos and all the latest news from the Little Noise backstage blog, for just £6 for six months. Your subscription fee will go directly to Mencap to raise vital funds to support people with a learning disability.  Visit www.littlenoisesessions.org.uk to subscribe now!

To keep up to date with all the latest information on Mencap’s Little Noise Sessions follow us on Twitter @little_noise or stop by and check us out on Facebook www.facebook.com/littlenoisesessions.

There are 1.5 million people with a learning disability in the UK. Mencap works to support people with a learning disability and their families and carers by fighting to change laws and improve services and access to education, employment and leisure facilities. Mencap supports thousands of people with a learning disability to live their lives the way they want.

MenCap’s Little Noise Sessions
St John-at-Hackney Church
22 – 27 November 2011

Tuesday 22 November
Elbow, Maverick Sabre solo performance, Ren Harvieu

Wednesday 23 November
Marina & The Diamonds, Icona Pop, Spark

Thursday 24 November
Coldplay’s Chris Martin and Jonny Buckland, Ben Howard Emile Sande, Michael Kiwanuka, Bebe Black

Friday 25 November
Goldfrapp, Alpines

Saturday 26 November
Example, Ed Sheeran, Birdy, Fenech Soler

Sunday 27 November
Sinead O’Connor, King Creosote

For more information visit www.littlenoisesessions.org.uk.

The Shelter Cymru Presidents Concert brings together a stellar line-up including Bryn Terfel, Rebecca Evans and Cerys Matthews to celebrate the charity’s 30th birthday.

The three, who are long time supporters of Shelter Cymru, are joined by Shaheen Jafargholi (Britain’s Got Talent) and The Three Welsh Tenors (Rhys Meirion, Aled Hall and Alun Rhys-Jenkins ) for a musical extravaganza at St David’s Hall, Cardiff, on Thursday 17 November 2011.

Bryn Terfel said: “For 30 years, Shelter Cymru has been working tirelessly to prevent homelessness in Wales and myself as President and Rebecca and Cerys as Vice Presidents are very proud to be involved with a charity that has such a long history of helping some of the most vulnerable people in our society. The current economic situation means that Shelter Cymru is busier than ever and needs all the help and public support it can get to ensure that its services remain available to anyone with housing problems. The 30th birthday concert is a great way to mark such an important milestone, but amid the celebrations I ask people not to forget the thousands of families who would not have a home if it hadn’t been for the work Shelter Cymru does every day across Wales.”

The concert is sponsored by Grwp Gwalia and the artists will be supported by Sinfonia Cymru.

Shelter Cymru is Wales’s people and homes charity. We prevent people losing their homes by providing free, independent, specialist advice. Last year we helped nearly 15,500 people in housing need, preventing homelessness in 90 per cent of relevant cases. We believe that everyone has the right to a decent, secure home. Through our campaigning and lobbying work, we are calling for more homes that people can afford, greater support for anyone with housing problems or facing homelessness and for empty properties to be brought back into use.

Shelter Cymru 30th Birthday concert
Thursday 17 November at 7pm
St David’s Hall, Cardiff
Tickets range from £15 – £50

A VIP package can be purchased directly from Shelter Cymru at a cost of £120. The package includes a premium Tier1 seat of the auditorium. Also included is a drinks reception on arrival in the Viscount Tonypandy Suite, an interval drink followed by a post concert three course dinner where you will have an opportunity to meet the artists. 

Contact 01792 469400

For more information visit www.sheltercymru.org.uk.

For celebrities, who are constantly confronted by their own likeness, in newspapers, magazines and the results of their own work, lumps, bumps and problem areas can become a real issue, which is why so many people in the public eye decide to go under the surgeons knife in pursuit of perfection.

For those of us on the outside looking in, surgery can seem like an easy solution to body image issues, and more and more people are heading for places such as the Hospital Group to research cosmetic procedures, spurred on by images of celebrity perfection.

So just who is it that is inspiring us to make these permanent amendments? What have they had done and how has the world received it?

Michael Jackson

The late “King of Pop” was an early convert to the world of cosmetic correction; reportedly undergoing a number of procedures that dramatically altered his appearance over the years. While “Whacko Jacko’s” approach may have been a little over the top, he showed how possible it was to metamorphose into a totally new you by going under the knife.

Katie Price

Britain’s favourite glamour-girl-slash-reality-star-slash-author is a walking advert for plastic surgery and cosmetic procedures, having admitted to a number of surgeries and interventions over the course of her career. While breast augmentations undeniably increased her assets, it was the rhinoplasty that corrected a bump on her nose that has made the most marked impact on her appearance. The mum-of-three has also admitted to having undergone liposuction early on in her career as well as being a well-known devotee of the Botox injection to banish wrinkles.

Heidi Montag

The Hills star Heidi was propelled into the tabloid pages after reportedly undergoing 10 different appearance-altering surgeries in one day. The reality star, who is married to co-star Spencer Pratt said that she lacked confidence in her appearance before the surgery and simply wanted to look more attractive.

To that end, she underwent a brow lift, nose job, facial fat injections, Botox, chin reduction, ear pinning, breast surgery, two rounds of liposuction on her neck and lower body and buttock augmentation within the space of just 24 hours in her quest for perfection.

The blonde bombshell, who was just 23 at the time of the operations and has been criticised by some for succumbing to the Hollywood peer pressure, however she has defended her actions saying it is not for others to judge such personal decisions on matters of appearance.

While not all celebrities admit to their surgeries, for some the results (if that’s what they are) are so subtle that they don’t ever have to. Starlets Jennifer Aniston and Michelle Pfeiffer are both rumoured to have has successful nose jobs early in their careers, while recent speculation has asked whether the naturally youthful Drew Barrymore may have had a little help to stay that way with a brow lift or eyelid surgery.

Lee Newell of Viva Brother

With Viva Brother’s debut album, Famous First Words, on radios everywhere and their tour underway, singer Lee Newell is busier than ever. But that hasn’t stopped him from teaming up with PETA UK for a brand-new pro-vegetarian advert in which he proclaims, “All animals are equal, and they feel pain and fear just as we do. Going vegetarian is the best decision I’ve ever made”. A copy of the advert is attached.

In an exclusive PETA interview, Newell explains the two main reasons he decided to go vegetarian. “The first thing that really made me go veggie was actually when I got my dog, Oscar”, says Newell, whose new single with Viva Brother, “Time Machine”, was released this week. “And I just thought to myself, there’s no need to eat animals when you can happily survive without it. You know, it hurts them. Why do it?”

And Newell’s other motivation was none other than fellow PETA supporter Morrissey. “I’m a huge Morrissey fan, and we were actually lucky enough to go on tour with him recently”, Newell explains. He adds, “If you’re looking for good footage to sort of really put you off eating meat and becoming veggie – [try] the footage that Morrissey plays before ‘Meat Is Murder’ in his live show”.

Viva Brother’s previous singles include “Darling Buds of May”, “New Year’s Day” and “Still Here”. Famous First Words is the band’s first studio album; its producer, Stephen Street, is known for his work with The Smiths.

Lee Newell joins a growing list of celebrities, including Joss Stone and Sir Paul McCartney, who have teamed up with PETA and its affiliates to promote a vegetarian lifestyle.

For more information, please visit PETA.org.uk.