Rosie Scribble

Tesco Charitable Mum of the Year 2012

Here's a moving, inspirational story to kick off your week, which we would never have known about if one young boy hadn't decided to nominate his mum.

The prestigious Tesco Charitable Mum of the Year Award has been won by Sharon Sambrook from the West Midlands. Sharon has raised £90,000 for The Samantha Dickson Brain Tumour Trust Ben Sambrook Fund – an umbrella group she set up in her son’s name – to help fund clinical trials into brain tumours. She also works to support families whose children have been diagnosed with a serious illness or disability.

Sharon was nominated by son Ben who at twelve years old has already experienced more than many. Ben was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumour aged just seven. Sharon and her husband faced the trauma of caring for their son as he went through a six-hour operation to remove the tumour followed by radiotherapy and, due to the kind of tumour Ben had, adult chemotherapy which had to be administered at home by Sharon.

There is currently no cure for Ben’s type of tumour, but against the odds he has been clear for four years, and goes for regular scans to ensure the tumour has not returned. On nominating his mum for a Tesco Mum of the Year Award, Ben said:

“I survived the brain tumour with big thanks to my mum and dad. My mum just wants other parents to get support and not feel so alone.”

The staggering fact that brain tumours account for more deaths among children and those under the age of 40 than any other cancer propelled Sharon into action, making her determined to generate funds for research into brain tumours in the hope of a scientific breakthrough. Since 2007, Sharon has raised a staggering £90,000 through a continuous stream of events including themed charity balls, tribute nights, sponsored sporting events and tea parties.

The Tesco Mum of the Year Awards is now in its seventh year. The judging panel, including Michelle Mone OBE, Arlene Phillips OBE, Denise Lewis OBE, Emma Forbes, our very own Tara Cain and Tesco magazine representatives, reviewed thousands of entries before selecting the winning mums.

Sharon, along with seven other winners, will be presented with her Tesco Mum of the Year Award at a glittering star-studded ceremony in London in March 2012. Many congratulations to each and every one of them.

Visit Tesco Mum of the Year Awards for more information.

Sponsored post.

Tesco Mum of the Year Awards 2012

Do you know an amazing mum who deserves a special thank you? Tesco Magazine are looking for incredible women to honour at their Tesco Mum of the Year Awards next year and are now inviting nominations.

Now in its seventh year, the 2012 awards will be the biggest yet so Tesco Magazine are keen to find the unsung heroes of our local communities, the extraordinary women who make an incredible difference to the lives of those around them and who deserve special recognition.

Do you know a mum who has:

• Made a difference
• Done something great for their community
• Raised money for a good cause
• Inspired kids to achieve through sport
• Built up a business and helped others
• Campaigned for change.

Why not make a nomination today and celebrate the extraordinary women in our lives who deserve to be honoured for their incredible achievements. You can nominate your own mum, a friend, a colleague or a neighbour who has inspired you.

At this year’s awards Tesco Magazine celebrated women who had developed community centres, worked with the Forces Children’s Trust, set up support groups, joined community rescue teams and even set up charities, and there are so many more inspirational out there with a who deserve recognition.

Nominating is very straight-forward. Simply complete the Mum of the Year nomination form before September 23rd 2011.

Every entry received will be carefully read before a panel of judges and the winning mums selected. The names of the categories are decided once the shortlist has been drawn up. The finalists and their guests will be given a trip to London, where they’ll attend Tesco Magazine’s glittering awards ceremony and lunch, and enjoy a weekend to remember.

This is a sponsored post.

The Divine Women Awards: Who inspires you?

Divine Chocolate, a leading Fairtrade company, recently sent me a batch of absolutely delicious chocolate and news of their recently launched awards celebrating women who have gone above and beyond the call of duty to make a difference in people’s lives.

To mark the centenary of International Women’s Day and to celebrate the amazing achievements of women across the nation, they have joined up with ethical jewellers Ingle & Rhode to launch the first ever Divine Women Awards.

Divine Chocolate and Ingle & Rhode are inviting public nominations in a search to find the most Divine Woman in the UK, between the 8th of March and 8th of April 2011. They have enlisted the help of ethical-campaigner Livia Firth to help select a winner.

The aim is to give inspirational women, who are so often taken for granted, the recognition they deserve. If you know someone who inspires you and deserves recognition, why not consider nominating them. Just log onto the Divine Facebook page, watch the short film, and follow the instructions.

The ultimate winner will be awarded a truly divine prize of a bespoke pendant worth over £1,000, made with Fairtrade and Fairmined 18 carat gold from ethical jewellers Ingle & Rhode.

Divine Women can be any age and from any walk of life. Everyone and anyone can nominate a woman they believe to be an inspiration.

For more information visit http://apps.facebook.com/DivineWomenAwards

A thank you

A huge thank you to everyone who voted for me in the Brilliance in Blogging Awards. I am thrilled, surprised, amazed, gob-smacked and very proud to have won an award in the ‘Make a Difference Blogger’ category for my work in Cameroon with Pampers and UNICEF.

Not unlike those people who stand up at award ceremonies and ramble on a little excessively, I would like to say a few words.

18 months ago I decided to give up blogging. My plan was to log off and hit delete.

I didn’t. One month later I was invited to my first ever bloggers event – a lunch where I listened to Natascha McElhone talk about her recent trip to Angola with the Pampers and UNICEF team.

Moved by what I had heard and feeling privileged to have been invited to hear the talk, I carried on blogging.

Fast forward one year.

Instead of Natascha talking about her overseas trip, it was me standing in front of a group of bloggers at that very same Pampers and UNICEF lunch talking about my trip to Cameroon.

Who would have thought it?

Certainly not me.

I was too nervous to talk at the first bloggers lunch. One year later I stood up and gave a presentation.

That is what blogging has done for me: given me a boost, given me a voice, and given me so much to write about.

So to anyone who gets ‘bloggers wobble’ once in a while and thinks of giving up. Don’t. Blogging may not take you around the world or buy you a house in the country, but it will give you access to a world of opportunities and a fabulous network of people.

So, once again, thank you.

In which I behave totally out of character

Some people are a little guarded, a little introverted; they tend to keep themselves to themselves; feel uncomfortable being in the spotlight and often like to sit on the outside looking in.

They’re a little cautious, wary of criticism; take things a little too personally at times and have a tendency to be oversensitive.

So they don’t make big announcements on their blog.

Normally they don’t.

But today is an exception.

Normally I wouldn’t do this.

I wouldn’t post something really obvious and say ‘look at this.’

But today I’m saying look at this:

Because I’m a little bit pleased.

I’ve been short-listed in two categories in the Brilliance in Blogging awards – Making a Difference Blogger 2010 and Outstanding in their Field 2010.

It can’t be right but I’m not demanding a re-count. I don’t know who voted for me but I’m touched that they did.

Some of us spend a little too much time online; our blogs are probably more important to us than they should be. But for that reason, this means a great deal to me.

Congratulations to all the finalists. You can cast your vote here.