I’m publishing a book!

~ Being PALL Plastic A Lot Less ~ 2 Comments

I’m very excited (and equally nervous) to announce I’m about to publish a book: Seb and Polly Planet and their Ocean Quest. It’s an adventure story aimed at children age 5+ a illustrated chapter book, which empowers kids to PALL: Plastic A Lot Less.

Meet Sabrina, fondly known as Seb. She’s a spirited, warm-hearted girl who secretly stays up when she’s supposed to be asleep, hardly ever tidies her bedroom and loves adventure.

Seb makes an extraordinary friend and goes on a quest that could just help change the world …

15-Spot-2It’s already had fantastic reviews from children and organisations within the field.

With an emphatic, strong female superhero character (plus narwhals, a leatherback turtle and albatrosses!) Seb learns how to overcome the challenges she faces and the difference she is making.

Seb could see how the tusk twirled, then others joined him, she could see many tusks jutting out of the water. The sea was brimming with sea unicorns – narwhals -thanking Seb for PALL-ing.

21 Double page narwhalsFor anyone who has read my blog, you’re probably wondering how I, someone who struggles to put a sentence together on paper, can write a book?! Answer: with the help of a professional editor and copywriter, and the input of many friends, both personal and professional, who’ve been involved since I started the project back in 2014. They have helped bring my concept alive and given invaluable input & ideas into the story. It’s team work!

So, I’m publishing? Well, self-publishing to be exact, and to get that off the ground I’m crowdfunding in June, and we’re going to need your help! When the time comes, I’ll share the crowdfunder on my social media and on this blog.

You can find Seb and Polly Planet’s new facebook page here the main platform. 

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  • Launch Wednesday 5th June – #WorldEnvironmentDay 🌳
  • to be up and running on 8th June #WorldOceansDay 🐳
  • to finish 5th July during the epic month of #PlasticFreeJuly. Exciting! 🙌🏾

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The illustrator is artist and Mum-of-two Eve Bourrat. A professional illustrator working under the name Creat’eve illustration, based in beautiful Falmouth, Cornwall.

Eve was really keen to be involved in the project after hearing about it through a friend (where I stayed as an Air B&B guest!) I loved her style straight away, it’s vibrant and fun, with quirky characters created using digital media, and I’m honoured to be working with Eve. Her two boys can’t wait to see it in print!

For more extracts of the book, please go to the home page here.

Thank you for joining us in getting Seb and Polly and their Ocean Quest out there!  

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Please follow Seb and Polly Planet on Facebook.

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Second Hand Chic

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This week there is a lot of talk of the cost of Fast Fashion as it’s Fashion Revolution week.

For over a decade I’ve been wearing second hand clobber head to toe. I put some on insta to inspire others of the love of #SecondHandChic ... (and give me an excuse to go to the chazzas more!)

I put loads of shopping tips on insta, find me at @plastic_a_lot_less In 2006 me & my Mum walked around Primark, questioned why it was so cheap, walked out empty handed and I never went back – having only a few years earlier become a fast fashion lover when I discovered Primark when I lived in Newcastle Upon Tyne. I hadn’t watched a documentary, there wasn’t much talk about it at the time, but common senses said it wasn’t right.

It was Being-PALL that actually kept me going, knowing all the clothes arrived in the shops packaged in (hidden) plastic. I still get my fix – by going to the charity shops, finding the odd bargain on e-bay, boot sales and wearing anyones casts offs whose happy to give them to me! Screenshot 2019-04-28 at 13.02.31.pngI put loads of shopping tips on insta, find me at @plastic_a_lot_less and follow me there.

I’ve only had the courage to watch the trailer, of ‘The True Cost’ I’ve yet to watch the film, plastic may stop you supporting fast fashion, but like with many plastic items refused that could have a way bigger impact than we can imagine ….

Get shopping second hand, there are joys in charity shop shopping and it’s not just the bargains! 

Remember, every refusal adds up!

Toilet Tour comes to life

~ Being PALL Plastic A Lot Less ~ 2 Comments

I love it when one of my whacky ideas come to life. Let’s sit on a toilet with our knickers down in the highstreet in Essex and outside Kings College, that’ll get some attention. And attention we got!

On a freezing cold November day we bared (nearly all) on a toilet to raise awareness of only flushing the #3Ps – poo, paper and pee, ‘cos plastic’s don’t belong in the sea! And with over 85,000 views on facebook word is getting out.

#BogStandard is a campaign we’ve been running at City to Sea since 2016. With 8% of plastic on UK beaches coming from our bathrooms*, more people need to know the toilet’s not a bin. Hands up, I was a flusher. I watched my Mum flush, I followed suit. (The only time I ever saw my Grandad angry when when he was knee deep in shit unblocking our drains. So I never flushed cotton wool, that was a no go … but tampons? For some reason they were different and down they went.) I had no idea they were made up of plastic …

As you’ll see from the video we had a lot of fun! It was great to be able to do this on my home place of Essex. Coming up with the concept and sitting on the loo wasn’t my only role. I came up with the the Toilet Times – The Illustrated Poo News designing it on Photoshop.

Harry came up with the name (genius!), we had some fascinating stories in there … Some of which I wrote, and then the word wizz who is Natalie Fee made sense of my ramblings. I edited the video along with a work experience girl, though for this camera man James Light filmed, which was fantastic you can see.

I got to share the joy of getting our knickers down with the wonderful Jasmin Tribe. City to Sea’s campaigns coordinator (who pulled my bright idea together into a proper plan!) and coordinator of Shark Fest.

We ‘ad a laugh! It’s good to raise a smile at the same time as raising awareness.

Working with Anglian Water and some amazing volunteers, our stickers have gone up in 1000s of toilets across the region. So more people will see while they’re having a wee!

I wore #CharityShopChic for the occasion, those coats, love then! Aomething I’m starting to show more on my insta account.

Remember – only flush poo, paper and pee, ‘cos plastic’s don’t belong in the sea!

 

*Marine Conservation Society 2018