ASAP – Update
Beautiful Brides
It was a very busy week last week with press and radio interviews for the Savvy Cinderella/ASAP dress appeal. The local press excelled themselves, and did a full front page coverage of the story, for which I am very grateful. I hoped we would get a mention somewhere in the paper, but front page was more than I could have hoped for. The event was very stressful, as I am not one that likes having a picture taken, I shy away from photo’s on holiday, so the thought of the local paper didn’t sit easy with me. Luckily for me the wonderful Catherine was at hand to help, not only to help volunteer to sort dresses, but also to have a picture taken with them. I did agree to have mine taken with her in the end, but instantly regretted it, but I cleverly concealed 90% of myself behind a dress, so only unleashed my head on the unsuspecting public, and Catherine’s loveliness more than distracted people away from me. Then it was BBC Radio Cambridgeshire, with Sue Dougan. Again, I had hoped to get a mention for ASAP somewhere during the day, but Sue came over to Savvy Towers and saw for herself some of the dresses etc,. and interviewed me here in amongst the dresses. When I say ‘in amongst the dresses’ I do really mean it, she must have thought me very strange, as she was trying to conduct a serious interview with a woman who was backing away so far from the microphone, that I ended up inside one of the dress rails. I have not heard the interview myself, but I have been informed that it went well, and was also played throughout the day, with the appeal being mentioned on the News Bulletins. The response has been very good, and from not just Cambridgeshire. A lady from Cumbria, is rallying the Mothers Union up there, and will be donating dresses also, as the interview was picked up by other BBC stations. I can’t thank everyone involved enough for your support.
I have spoken to Abi today from ASAP and she should be on the TV soon, explaining more about her wonderful charity. Good Luck Abi, you will be wonderful I am sure. If my radio interview was good, then it is down to the skills of Sue Dougan’s cutting room techniques. I babbled away, and was mortified to hear myself talk about how the ex-prostitutes would run the hire business, and it would keep them off the streets. My Dad is to blame for that, as when I was younger he told me that prostitution was a good honest occupation as it kept the girls off the streets. It was a stupid joke, which I didn’t understand at the time, but obviously it stuck in my head, as I heard myself repeat it in all seriousness – and then realised my stupidity as the meaning of it suddenly became clear. I want to help Abi all I can, but I draw the line at television appearances. Appearing in my own wedding video was traumatic enough, so much so I have only watched that back twice. Mainly because of the shame of seeing myself laughing hysterically all the way through what should have been a dignified and serious ceremony. The only way I would appear on TV now would be to have a wig and dark glasses on, and filmed from behind, with my voice disguised (they did that for Radio Cambridgeshire, again as with the Jeremy Vine Show they went for the voice of a 12 year old cockney girl – I do not sound like that in real life! ).
So far we have had donations from wonderful ladies who have been married for many years, and want to pass on the love and happiness that their wedding dress has given them, and the dresses have be fantastic. Lovingly kept over the years, they are still in perfect condition, and can be used again, or recycled to make a new dress. We have also had dresses donated from more recent times, with a lady donating her dress that cost her £900 only 12 months ago. She could easily have sold it, but chose to donate it to this wonderful cause. Other dresses have come because the husband is no longer required, so there isn’t much point in keep the dress. Donating your wedding dress can be quite cathartic. (as one lady put it, ‘if only I could put him in box and send him to Zambia, but I suppose they have enough to deal with’. So donations are being made for happy and for sad reasons, but all will be making a difference to beautiful brides wanting to get married in lovely dresses.
Please keep them coming. We welcome anything wedding related, that you think would be useful to a Zambian bride, but we have to draw the line at ex-husbands, there isn’t a plane big enough.
Enjoy the week,
Sue x
BBC NEWS – SAVVY CINDERELLA AND ASAP
UPDATE: THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO HAS DONATED TIARA’S, VEILS AND DRESSES, PLEASE KEEP THEM COMING, WE WILL SEE IF WE CAN GET PHOTO’S SOON. THE ARTICLE BY THE BBC HAS BOUGHT IN LOTS OF ENQUIRIES, AND WE THANK YOU FOR THE LOVELY LETTERS TOO, WE APPRECIATE PARTING WITH YOUR DRESS CAN BE A DIFFICULT DECISION, AND WE ARE VERY GRATEFUL THAT YOU CONSIDER THIS WONDERFUL CHARITY. SUEXXXXX