This Summer, Abigail took part in the National Citizen Service, a 4 week programme designed to make the teens of today better citizens and which helps them become better individuals.  She undertook a 4 week programme during the summer holidays which started with the first week at an outward bounds adventure type place and ended with committing to a social action.  I just want to say a big thanks to everyone who did NCS with her for granting me the usage of these photos, apparently I became a bit of a legend when they discovered I was verified on Twitter (apparently an easy way to impress the teens of today).

If you've not heard of the National Citizen Service or NCS as it's now more widely known here's the information straight from their mouths.

About NCS

NCS is a government backed programme established in 2011 to help build a more cohesive, mobile and engaged society. By bringing together young people from different backgrounds for a unique shared experience, NCS helps them to become better individuals, and in turn better citizens.

NCS is open to 16 and 17 year-olds across England and Northern Ireland. The two to four week programme, which takes place in school holidays, includes outdoor team-building exercises, a residential for participants to learn ‘life skills’, a community-based social action project and an end of programme celebration event.

To date:

• Almost 500,000 young people have taken part
• Twelve million hours of community action have been completed
• For every £1 spent, NCS’  2016 summer programme delivered between £1.15 and £2.42 of benefits back to society

It costs participants just £50 or less to take part in NCS and bursaries are available on a case by case basis. Support is provided for young people with additional needs.

To find out more visit NCSyes.co.uk.

I cannot say enough good things about NCS, Abigail loved every minute from the white knuckle activities in week one when she was staying in Yorkshire, then onto a week spent living in student accommodation and learning to be more independent and finally social action, through the Inspire Network Abigail connected up with Michelle Robson from Smart Works, a UK charity which provides women in need with interview clothes, styling advice and training to help them get the job of their dreams. Together their social action was about ending period poverty and they raised over £100 which went on a 3 month supply of much needed sanitary products to give to the charity.

When it came round to the celebration, Abigail was one of the hosts, she shared her experience in front of the whole wave, my brilliant teen had achieved so much again and all whilst waiting for her GCSE results which she also excelled in. The experience was so transformative for her, perfect for a girl who's always looking to fulfil her next goal, I know the friendships she made at NCS have remained and without a doubt the experience will stay with her always, I still can't quite believe it's only £50. This autumn during half term is your chance to sign your teen up for the autumn edition for only £25, it's 4 days away from home, 3 days learning new skills, 30 hours of social action on an issue they'll feel positive about, a time to chill out, make new friends and pick up some new skills for the future, you really should sign your teen up for the autumn NCS, I promise they will thank you for it. To sign up for only £25 for a limited time when you enter code AUTUMN25 visit NCSyes.co.uk

This is a collaborative post with the NCS

The scariest most exciting decision I've ever made

8 years ago I went along to my first Inspire Network meeting, I met ladies who would become friends, clients, colleagues and in some cases, all three things.  The Inspire Network was founded by one of those amazing ladies, Julie who saw a gap in the market for a networking association which was child friendly, over the years we've grown from one small meeting to several around the region, we've inspired women to take the leap into their own businesses and we've seen businesses grow and become forces to be reckoned with.  We bucked the trend by not having any advertising and as a not for profit we grew to over 10,000 members in our Facebook group.

In June of this year I will be the CEO, I'm taking us into a whole new era with a team of trusted advisors behind me, late last week as the news was announced, I'd already chosen 2 of my new board of directors and my 3rd and final director and shareholder is in the works.  Together under my leadership The Inspire Network will be making the leap from not for profit to a company which will make a profit but with our community of the most amazing women at the heart of it.  

From June we are opening up our group to women all over the country and I won't stop working until we are a global brand.  We are working with our members to increase the number of groups we have and will be moving over to a licensed/franchised business model.  We will be offering new sponsorship and advertising opportunities and we'll continue to support our members at every level of business or entry into business.

For me this is a whole new challenge, it's unlike any job I've ever had before, I have been a director in name for the last 3 years but now this becomes my company, my fight, my mission to succeed.  I still have to get from no profit to turnover to profit so that I can myself even start taking a salary but I'm able to do this because I have Mandy Charlton Photography which is a success in it's own right and which will continue it's path of being known as one of the regions best photographers.

I've never been afraid of hard work, try shooting 300+ photography sessions in one year and tell me differently, try running a business for any length of time and you'll know what you have to do not only to survive but also to flourish, from small acorns grow huge oaks.

I've blogged about most aspects of my life and so it feels right that I should share this news, this journey, this monumental battle with you my readers.  I'm doing this not just for me but for my daughters and for every girl who has a dream that one day she's going to have her own business, as women we continue to break glass ceilings every day but in a world still dominated by the patriarchy our fight to be accepted as equals has only just begun.

As women we are fierce and wonderful in business, we are brave, we are daring but whatever happens we care, we are after all filled with not just business sense but we have the EQ to go with the IQ and so when you have an organisation of women supporting women in business, the most amazing things can happen and as my old mentor, the great Jane Graham MBE once told me, there's no such thing as competition only collaboration.

Bathroom Painting, Frozen Christmas Jumpers and other miscellaneous items!!

The house decoration started in earnest yesterday with some painting of the bathroom, and the painters and decorators of the world need fear nothing, I am quite possibly the worst at painting in the world, thankfully though after 2 coats on the wall that bit is done and I'm doing the second coat on the coving and bathroom door tonight.  Looby helped to paint last night when I got home from Slimming World and for that I am so grateful, apparently she likes painting, maybe she has a future career as a painter and decorator, actually don't tell her that or she'll be horrified that I would suggest anything other than a farmer!

So, I've been thinking about helping you all with your Christmas shopping, it's no secret that I am, well a bit of a bargain hunting shopaholic so I thought I would try and post bargains that I find and then that's your Christmas sorted really, I keep filling my Amazon basket, at the moment it's got 3 very expensive games in it for Iain, lets hope they last him longer than a day!

Mandy's Christmas Bargain - Olaf Christmas Jumpers which start at £5, yes the cheeky snowman from frozen has his own selection of Christmas Jumpers for sale on Amazon and they start at a fiver which is cheap at half the price!  If Olaf doesn't take your fancy, I honestly think you won't find a better selection than the second link and they're all so much cheaper than I've seen on my travels.

You know I mentioned Fenwicks Christmas Window a couple of blog posts ago, well on the official Fenwicks Facebook Page I noticed that there's a big thing on Friday when it's unveiled at 5pm, and yes of course Looby and I will be there, we may even manage to drag along Iain and Abigail if she's here that day.

Sad kitty news as Abigail is moving Cupcake the cat to her dads, it's only fair really as it's her cat and she pines terribly for her on days she's not here, she also doesn't like anyone else apart from Abigail and I suspect that she's always wanted to be a lone cat, I will miss her but much like Abigail I'm rarely her favourite person.  I do think though that if we are down to just 2 kitties and 1 part time woofy that we may have to consider some new paws in our house, probably just a kitten though as Petunia is the best dog in the world and I am definitely not a 2 dog lady!

This morning I am off to my Inspire Network meeting and we've got ourselves a Christmas showcase so I am taking along some exclusive framed prints which are going to make perfect and excellent home gifts for Christmas, what I don't sell will go on my wall and I may even do a giveaway so if you would like to win one of them stay tuned for more news, if I sell them all don't worry, I will get more frames and still do a giveaway very soon!

More bathroom painting this evening, more catching up with work this afternoon but I am nearly there now, just a couple of album tweaks and I will finally be caught up for the first time in forever to pinch some lyrics from Frozen, well everyone else does so why not?

May all of your Wednesdays be wonderful!