We’re humbled by how much help and support there has been: to all at The Body Shop International, the suppliers of the company, all the staff, departments, team and all the trekkers friends and families – a heartfelt thanks.

Check out what some of our trekkers are thinking and feeling, their fundraising tips and also why they are doing it in a series of short videos.  Click on the link at www.facebook.com/thebodyshopfoundation for their updates.

Between us all, we’ll change lives and communities forever. Thank you for your part in it.

As requested, pleasase find below the list of winners – all of which should have been contacted by now.

If you still haven’t managed to pick up your prize, please contact Tracy Lees or 01903 731500 or Tracy.Lees@thebodyshop.com to arrange pick up.

Thank you!

• Christmas Bouquet from Sweetpeas Florist – Mary Bye
• 2 x full 12 month memberships to the Gourmet Society  – Anthony Coston & Sue from the Care Centre
• £150.00 of bike vouchers from Cycle Solutions – Jocelyn O’Neil
• £100 Red Letter Day Experience from Team Rewards – Hazel
• L’Oreal VIP goody bag – Gemma Burdfield
• 2 tickets to Holiday on Ice at Brighton – D Carter
• Two night’s accommodation for two at The White Swan Hotel, Arundel – Helen Blizzard
• Overnight accommodation & dinner at Baliffscourt Hotel – Jeannie Smith
• Dinner, Bed and Breakfast for two at the Deve Grand Hotel, Brighton – Jane Perry
• Overnight accommodation  & breakfast at Goodwood, Chichester – Carly Kneller
• 10 handmade Christmas cards – Iain Rubli ?????
• Fruit Basket – Tracy Carrick
• Chutney selection from Funky.Chutney – Marta Santos
• 2 x Body Shop Hamper – Cathryn Barty & Charlotte Lamb
• Body Shop advent calendar filled with product – Aldingbourne Trust, Stephen
• £20 Capital Bond voucher – Nicole Savage
• Dinner for two at the Seattle Hotel, Brighton – Kim
• Bottle of champagne – Mulcock
• Year’s worth of L’Oreal Spray tan – Peto
• Dinner at The Bermondsey Square Hotel, London – £75.00 – Sue Blaney
• 1 weeks worth of free lunches in the Diner – Catherine Borland
• 10 free hot drinks from the Diner – Simon Ramskill
• Extra Large Carte Blanche Teddy – Chris McLarnon
• Shellac Manicure and removal, worth £20 – Zara O’Sullivan
• Bespoke Body Shop Products! – Helen Bridge
• Bottle of champagne – Emma from the Diner
• Semi-permanent eyelash extensions worth £40.00 – Laura Cheal

And you know by now, we like to really get to know our intrepid trekkers so we tried to find out a little more about Mark with the 10 questions we ask absolutely EVERYONE…..

Apart from your home and car, what’s the most expensive thing you’ve ever bought? A Retirement Home in Hull, UK (don’t ask why!) I also bought a very expensive watch in Malaysia because I miscalculated the exchange rate (at least it was not fake)

What’s been the most embarrassing moment of your life? When I was really young my friend and  I was trying to entertain a crowd of insurance company employees for their annual x-mas party, they were very drunk took over the scene and did very naughty things on the stage

If you could change one thing about the world, what would it be? If every color, religion and part of the world could be more respectful of each other and a bit more humble that would be great start

If you were invisible for a day, what would be the first thing you’d do? I would sneak into Ikea’s Exec Committee’s full day brain storm event and be a fly on the wall

If you had a pound to give to charity, which collection tin would you pop it in? Hope Now, a small grass root charity organization working in Denmark on the streets, supporting trafficked women and victims of prostitution

When was the last time you cried? I mostly cry laughing as it happens, on a serious note I did have tears in my eyes when I saw a picture of my good colleagues’ baby girl in her arm – she was born 2 months early and had a lot of tubes attached to her…

Who did you last receive a text from and what did it say? It was from Xavier Vidal saying: No, you are not going to get that pay raise, I already told you…honestly looking at my phone it was from a lady named Linda Thorslund from the United Nation Foundation in Sweden, saying that she would meet me in 2 minutes!

If you had to change your first name, what would you change it to? Never thought about that, but my favorite name for my son that I never had (but two girls instead) was Sixten (Old Swedish name), so that is going to be it

What is your favourite thing about The Body Shop Foundation? That you locally through nomination and market board representation can have a direct impact on which organization The Body Shop Foundation can support.

What one skill or talent do you have that no-one knows about? I can light a camp fire in no-time!

If you agree with us that Mark is a bit of star and needs supporting with his fundraising, please dig deep in your pockets and donate via his Just Giving website by clicking on the following link : http://www.justgiving.com/Mark-Hermann

We are able to support these small – but vital – community funds through a number of initatives, thanks in large part to the company donation and the income generated by our Fundraising Team.

Demand for our support and help has never been more pressing, due to the current global economic climate. To meet this growing demand, we are refocusing our structure and set up to expand our services and initatives – making an impact on even more lives.

At this pivotal moment in our history we are seeking to strengthen our services by recruiting two people who will add real value. We are looking for exceptional applicants with a proven record of skills & achievement for the following roles:

• Fundraising Manager – Full Time Position :  Job Description & Person Specifications here -fundraising-manager-uk-dec-2011 & person-spec-fundraising-fr-manager
• CV with a covering letter to Lisa Jackson, Chief Executive. The Body Shop Foundation, Watersmead, Littlehampton, West Sussex, BN17 6LS.  Closing date – 31 December 2011.  First interviews will be held on 11 Jan 2012 and second interviews will be held on 17 Jan 2012.

• Grants Administator – Part Time Position: 1 year contract, start date approx 1 March 2012: Job Descrption & Person Specification here - grants-administrator-1-2012 & person-spec-grants-administrator-feb-2011
  
• CV with a covering letter to Debbie Osborne, Grants Manager, The Body Shop Foundation, Watersmead, Littlehampton, West Sussex, BN17 6LS.  Closing date – 7 January 2012.  Interviews will be held on 7 February 2012.

‘Information’ because it is jam packed full of facts and stats about the impact and success of the grants awarded over the last financial year.  We really have changed lives and habitats.

‘Pleasure’ because it is thanks in large part to your contribution that we have enjoyed such success over the past year.  There are so many factors to this success; the company donation, direction from the trustees,  staff nominations, administering the programmes, our Zone Panels deciding on grants, selling of products through the fundraising avenues to bring in more income and every volunteering opportunity that was co-ordinated to bring in more assistance – they all add up and have given us a report and a year to be collectively proud of.

We are a truly global Foundation, finding and funding some wonderful small global groups and projects with your help – thank you all so much for your continued support and enthusiasm.

Please take some time to look through this report and bask in its success – you all thoroughly deserve it!

Since 1990, we’ve funded over 2,500 projects around the world, donating just over £18.3 million.

We look for groups with enthusiasm, energy and drive, who work at grassroots level. These projects – however dynamic – sometimes get overlooked. Sometimes – because of the unfamiliar or pioneering nature of their work – conventional funding is hard for them to get.

To us though, being different and daring deserves to be recognised. We look for progressive charities and groups which fall within our remit and invite them to apply for funds.

We’re proud of the groups we support and the difference they make to thousands upon thousands of lives and habitats around the world.

In order to find and fund these innovative projects, we have a committee of driven, experienced, passionate Trustees who agree the funding remit for the year ahead and meet twice yearly to award grants and apply the strategic direction.  Our Board of Trustees is a combination of staff from The Body Shop International and external trustees – all of whom have a special skills set to help move us forward.

Our Board Meetings are conducted at either London or Littlehampton, West Sussex.

We currently have TWO opportunities available to join this Board; we are looking for a new Trustee and also a Chair of Trustees (please see Job Descriptions attached for both roles).  If you are interested in either of these roles, please apply in the first instance with a CV and covering letter to Lisa Jackson, Chief Executive at lisa.jackson@thebodyshop.com.

Closing date for both these opportunities is 31 December 2011 at 5.00pm.  Expected interview dates are 23-25 January 2012

Job Description (Chair of Trustees) – please click attached link: job-description-for-chair-of-trustees

Job Description (Trustee) – please click attached link : job-description-for-a-trustee

Any further questions or queries, please contact Lisa Jackson, Chief Executive, in the office on 01903 844039.

STET aims to educate and train young people in vital work and life skills, by arranging work experience placements.    We are thrilled to announce that at the inaugural Camden & Islington Business Awards, STET won “Charity/Social Enterprise of the Year” award.

STET have helped over 250 individuals to gain vocational qualifications and get into work – including young people who left school without qualifications, homeless people, ex-offenders and people living with mental health problems.

STET, we salute you!

For more information on this group, please visit them at http://southerntaskeducationaltrust.org/

Expectations:

Well here we are again, another little blog. I thought it might be interesting to try and capture a few thoughts about expectations.  As I write this we have 119 days to go, or 17 weeks, until departure for the Sahara.
With over 100k ahead should I be worried I find it a challenge already to try to merely articulate my thoughts at this time?  Perhaps it will be more entertaining to revisit this little blog on the 3rd of March 2012 when I am back on The Mainland.
To be honest, I have mixed emotions. Excitement, ambition, trepidation – they are all in there.
I am trying to keep them all simmering and under control. It seems like a long time coming, or does it ?
I switch from ONLY 17 weeks, ANOTHER 17 weeks to go if that makes any sense ?
Since I saw the call to action, I have been considering and then looking forward.  That Dear Reader, was mid April. That means I have been pondering this trip for over 6 months already.

Why volunteer ?

I am grateful I have secured a place on to the trip for sure. From the off, and for those that know me, I felt this had my name on it.  It appeals to my sense of adventure, my interest in different cultures and the chance to meet other communities face to face and gain, if only a snapshot, and idea of their lives. It’s an opportunity to support The Body Shop Foundation and individually raise some much needed funds.
This is not the normal tourist path. It’s a chance to experience this part of the world  – off the beaten track. I absolutely think we are privileged to be ‘minority’ travellers through this part of the world. Not so many of us will be passing this way for certain.
Let’s keep in mind that this trip is a fantastic opportunity to raise funds for some very worthy charities.
If you are reading this, you already know what The Body Shop Foundation is all about.  Our partners on this adventure – Charity Challenge – is also an incredible organisation. The work they do, and the difference they make globally, is inspirational. They are also vastly experienced in these kinds of projects so I think we are in safe hands.

I say safe hands, there is always the danger of ‘an idiot abroad’.  Safe hands provided of course  I don’t do anything daft like forget to pack my painstakingly Internet researched, and subsequently purchased boots. Or go berserk in my ‘winter’ training and pick up an injury. Or perhaps I will start thinking that the prospect of limited diet coupled with calorific burn from the heat and exertion of the Trek will subconsciously make me overcompensate over the Christmas period. Come January I will be as big as a proverbial house, with an extension, decking, double garage and room for a pony.
Who ate all the (mince)pies ? Me – but only because ‘I am doing a sponsored walk in the Sahara and thought I best fill up’.

Kit list ? like many men, I am putting great store in the all essential ‘kit’.
We are hard wired this way.  It’s what we do. Don’t judge.
The phrase ‘all the gear, no idea’ was coined for a reason. And I am no exception. Deep in my male mammalian brain, along with a  fight or flight instinct, is the desire to have the best spear, the best trap, the best cave. This has already manifested itself in my aforementioned Internet research re; boots. I know my mantra should be: ‘less is more’, and even ‘you gonna carry that are you ?’
For the welfare of the camels that will be taking the camp gear, we are limited in the weight for our main bag. That leaves us with a ‘day pack’. Everything we need for trekking. Having waved off our camp pack on the camels in the morning, we will not see those creature comforts until the end of the day. So everything else goes in the day pack on our backs. I was originally thinking 35 litres capacity. Then 45 litres. I am now thinking possibly 75 litres – technical mountaineering equipment ? I believe there exists the very highest pinnacle of technical rucksacks, made from fabulous and exotic ultra light materials,  entitled the  ‘Summit Range’ from one particular brand. I had for a while convinced myself I need just such an article to carry my sun cream, camera, muesli bars, Touchpod and solar charger, toilet roll and anti bacterial gel. Fortunately reality has now kicked in and I won’t be making that particular purchase.

Training : Instead of my fantasy kit list, I would be far better switching my focus to my training schedule. So far so good here. I am trying to get some core miles under my belt. My plan to date is to improve my overall fitness, and then start to progress to more difficult training (hills !) as the departure draws closer.

A more in depth read of the itinerary provides clues :

‘enjoying the panoramic views of Jebel Saghro – a volcanic massif’

‘walking by the rose dunes and, traversing the Maider El Kbir plateau’.

‘you will climb Jebel Lamrakeb’ or even ‘You traverse the col of Bab n’Ali’

My Moroccan – French is ropey at best, and totally inept at worst, but even I know that massif, plateau and traverse the col do not translate to a walk in the park. This is the Sahara after all ! I would do well to remember this when I feel reluctant to get out of the chair for a training walk during the cold dark and dank winter months to follow.

Maybe I need that high-tech ‘ summit’ rucksack after all ?
The North Face, if you are reading this and feel like making a donation, you know what to do . . .
Or anyone else for that matter:
http://www.justgiving.com/Michael-Richardson3 <http://www.justgiving.com/Michael-Richardson3>

Rob Sked, Global IT Department at our Sussex Head office answers a couple of questions about what volunteering really means to him:

How long have you been at The Body Shop?
I have worked at the Body Shop for just over 8  years, having started in 2003.

What is your passion in terms of volunteering?
I really love getting out and working with our local charities. For me, knowing that few hours that I give make such a big difference to them means so much. It’s also great to learn about the amazing people that work and volunteer locally. Every person I have met & worked alongside whilst volunteering have been extraordinary – it’s their spirit and passion that really inspires me to go out and lend a hand.

What is your favourite volunteer moment?
It’s so difficult to choose! From helping to build a website, to being on my hands and knees picking out weeds, to growing produce, to wheel barrow races in the mud and smoking out the chickens – each time it’s been fantastic. I’ve always left with a smile on my face and warm glow around me. (Ok, on a few occasions, the glow is also accompanied by a pretty rotten smell too *wink*).

What does it mean for you to work for a company that allows you to support the community?
Being able to go and work closely with the local community is a fantastic opportunity, and knowing that there is the support from The Body Shop makes it even more special.  What’s even better, is that it isn’t just limited to a week each year. Knowing that I can help out many times throughout the year, with complete support from the business means so much – it’s one of the many reasons I love working here.

Anything else to add?
It doesn’t matter if you give half an hour, or half a day – the time you give means so much to community. So pull yourself away from your desk and go get a happy glow!

Rob, along with the rest of our Global IT Department in Sussex, are huge supporters of LCT Homelink, believing (as we do here at the Foundation) that this is a great example of a small but vital community project with far reaching effects.

If you’d like to know more about LCT Homelink and the work they do, visit their website at http://www.homelinklct.org.uk/ and support them in whatever way you can.  As Rob himself says, do it – the charity will benefit, the community will benefit and you get yourself a happy glow!

Click the link here to see Selene’s report : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ublc4NrW2KM&feature=feedu