{"id":95521,"date":"2020-04-17T14:55:17","date_gmt":"2020-04-17T13:55:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stories.qvcuk.com\/?p=95521"},"modified":"2020-04-17T14:55:17","modified_gmt":"2020-04-17T13:55:17","slug":"a-shining-example-to-us-all","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stories.qvcuk.com\/presenters\/julia-roberts\/julia-roberts\/a-shining-example-to-us-all\/","title":{"rendered":"A shining example to us all\u2026"},"content":{"rendered":"
Amongst all the dreadful news we are witnessing on a daily basis throughout this global crisis, there are those moments that truly lift our spirits and restore our faith in our ability to cope in the face of adversity. The biggest example of that this week has, of course, been Captain Tom Moore and his amazing fundraising walk – it\u2019s captured the nation and given many of us the feeling that \u2018if Tom can stay positive with what\u2019s going on around him, then so can I\u2019 – well done, Captain Tom, not only for the millions of pounds raised, but also for the feel good factor you have given us. And it goes without saying, Happy 100th Birthday.<\/p>\n
Lots of us are trying to do our bit, albeit on a smaller scale than Tom, to raise money for a variety of different charities who are specifically targeting the most vulnerable during these unprecedented times. With your help, QVC\u2019s \u2018Together we can make a difference\u2019<\/a> campaign is not far off reaching its target, and remember, for every pound you donate, QVC will donate two. Our original aim was to be able to give \u00a3125,000 to the National Emergencies Trust appeal and we are are around \u00a3110,000 after just one week of the campaign. Thank you if you have felt able to donate – no matter the size of your contribution, it is much appreciated.<\/p>\n On a more personal fundraising note, I was nominated by my son\u2019s girlfriend, Katie, for the \u2018Run for Heroes\u2019 campaign to raise money for our NHS. Obviously, in light of my recent ankle surgery, Katie knew I wouldn\u2019t be able to actually do the run so Dan \u2018volunteered\u2019 to do it for me.<\/p>\n The idea is to Run 5k, Donate \u00a35 and Nominate 5 people, so I was able to get involved in the latter two elements – a double whammy really, as Dan donated too. The \u2018running\u2019 total so far (pun intended) is \u00a33 million!!! Amazing! Amongst my nominees were Jackie Kabler (who loves to run and had already been nominated twice) and Alison Keenan, along with two of Dan\u2019s friends and Sophie\u2019s step daughter\u2026 Katie had already nominated Sophie. Although Dan is a fitness fan, he\u2019s not really a keen runner so his time of under twenty-five minutes was pretty impressive I thought.<\/p>\n\n To put it in perspective, while giving you an update on my ankle, it takes me thirty-two minutes to cover 2.5K at a steady walk. I don\u2019t do this every day as I don\u2019t want to over-tax my ankle but I do spend at least an hour a day doing my physiotherapy and pilates. I\u2019ve been able to increase the weight I lift when doing my leg raises to 1.5kg by strapping a dumbbell to my leg using the velcro fastener from my airboot – it was Chris\u2019s ingenious idea and it works.<\/p>\n I hope you were able to get some enjoyment out of the Easter weekend? I know lots of you were busy buying plants from QVC<\/a>, as at the moment online is the only way to get hold of them. It would be such a shame for all the growers if the plants they have nurtured didn\u2019t find a home, so I\u2019m really pleased that we have been able to take some of the extra plants originally destined for garden centres. That was the case with the Thompson & Morgan plants<\/a>\u00a0that I ordered both for myself and my mum.<\/p>\n<\/a>\n Just a reminder that you can have your QVC purchases sent to a different address if you add a new one online, as I did with Mum\u2019s. Our fabulous display of de Jager<\/a> bulbs has almost finished now but I was able to cut some of the gorgeous peony tulips for our Easter dinner table.<\/p>\n\n