Robin Hood Marathon, Nottingham

A couple of weeks ago, some of the girls from my cheerleading squad and I were asked to cheer on those running in the Robin Hood Marathon. Therefore in the early hours Sunday morning we put on our pinkest lipstick, tied our bows in our hair and crawled sleepily into cars which drove us down to Nottingham.

Once there, we were given little cute outfits (with pompoms!) and were placed up and down the route. We then got ready to cheer our hearts out and encourage the brave runners on to glory.

Our first placement was quite near the start of the race so we got to see many of the runners, still with their happy smiles firmly in place, power past us. However our second placement was much closer to the end of the route and by this point, only the hardiest had survived. It was amazing to see the amount of effort people put into the marathon- some runners looked as if they could keel over where they stood but still they pushed on, whether at a jog or a walk. It was an impressive sight to behold indeed! What made it rather special however was seeing how a little encouragement could spark people back to life. We'd see a runner looking as if they were about to stop but after a big cheer from us and other spectators, they all managed to pick up their feet and push on forwards.

Around 4pm the last runner made it across the finish line to huge applause from the remaining spectators. The look on his face was one of relief and happiness and it struck me then that the runners were a good metaphor for life. On your own, there may become a point where it's just too hard to push on. But with a little encouragement from others, you'll have the support to get to the end.

A huge congratulations to everyone who ran in the marathon on Sunday and an especially big well done to all those who didn't just do it for themselves, but for charity! You were all truly inspirational.

V Festival 2013: Queen B, The Script, Jessie J and more!

It's that time of year again. That time when you dust off your wellies from their summer hibernation, grab your camping kit, adorn yourself in floral headbands and dig out copious amounts of hand sanitizer. Festival time!

Lu and I are lucky enough to live relatively close to V Festival and so decided to have a day of sister bonding while listening to track after track of popular music. Therefore on Saturday morning we rose early and headed off for a day of exactly this.

The weather forecast (typically) predicted heavy rain and so we left with a bag packed full of festival wet day essentials- bin bags with arm and head holes and extra socks... Oh, and wellingtons of course! Armed, we excitedly drove to Chelmsford, animatedly discussing exactly what we wanted to see that day.

Bin bags at the ready!

After an initial quick mooch around the festival grounds, we started our day in the Glee Tent. I have to say this was a first for me- I've never watched live comedy at a festival before and have, quite frankly, never felt the need to. With the risk of sounding miserable, I find it rare that a comedians can make me laugh at most of their jokes. There are some exceptions of course, but these tend to be few and far between. However, my sister and I found Eddy Brimson and Katherine Ryan absolutely hilarious! We ended up spending a good hour or so giggling along with the crowd before moving on.

On our way to the next stage we had a quick bop in the 'Our House' warehouse party before bumping into some friends and stopping for a quick chat. One of the main things I love about festivals is the social aspect. People are always so friendly to each other, whether they are strangers or old acquaintances. Not only that but somewhere in the crowd there will be someone you know!

After our chance meeting, we headed off to the main stage to start the process of claiming our spot for Beyoncé! From here we listened to Two Door Cinema Club, Jessie J, The Script before finally, B!

But before the Queen takes the stage, a quick word on some of the other artists.

Jessie J gets better every time I'm fortunate enough to see her (and I've 'accidentally' seen her three times now!). She has such a powerful voice and a friendly stage manner which combined with her well known songs, really draws you into her performance. She was one of my favourite performers of the day and I'd really recommend seeing her if you ever get the chance!

The Script doesn't really play my sister's and my type of music. Initially we started nodding off during their first few songs, but tuned back in when they started interacting with the audience. During a rendition of their song 'Nothing,'  Danny O'Donoghue took a fan's phone and sang the song to the fan's ex boyfriend! Later, much to security's despair (and his bravery- the front row girls wanted to eat him alive!) he decided to jump over the barrier and sing in the crowd- a reckless feat for any artist. Essentially in the end, they became unexpectedly entertaining.

But Beyoncé was in a league of her own. She dazzled with her passionate voice, invigorating dancing and spectacular costumes. Her performance was a mixture of new and old songs, with all the firm favourites making an appearance and causing the entire crowd to dance along. Her set was broken up by etherial video clips which really set the mood for her entire performance. She was, simply put, amazing and the entire crowd adored her. What was also incredible however was her stage manner- she seemed genuinely please to be there and humbled by the adoration she was receiving. A true queen in the making?

After the last act, Lu and I dragged our aching feet back to the car while singing all the way.

My sister and I had a wonderful time at V. Not only did we get to see some great artists, we got to soak in a spectacularly alive atmosphere (even if the day was a little damp!). I would highly recommend V for future years and getting yourself to any kind of festival before summer is officially over.

Go on then, what are you waiting for?

P.S- apologies for the poor photo quality but our camera doesn't fare too well in the festival environment!  

Future Cheer!

One of the best things you can do at university is get involved with a society- I play lacrosse and more recently, I've taken up cheer!

We've all seen the movies- the inescapable mix of catty girls, death defying stunts and romances with a quarter back. I have to say my experience with cheer hasn't quite been this. The girls have been amongst some of the nicest I've met, the stunts are definitely tricky but when you fall, someone (nearly) always catches you and well, there's been some mingling with the American Football lot but there's definitely no obligation to bag yourself a player!

(Sorry this isn't the best of pictures!)

As you may or may not know, cheerleading isn't a widely practiced sport in the UK. The majority of people in my squad (myself included) had never done it before and so were very excited to try it out when we realised we could take it up at university (although we all admitted the super cute uniform was what attracted us in the first place).

Most universities have a squad and compete in competitions, which is exactly what mine did this weekend. Luckily for me, my squad doesn't conduct tryouts so anyone can join but other universities however aren't always quite so nice!

Anyway, at 5am on Sunday morning we all met in our uniform and dragged ourselves onto the coach to Loughborough so we could compete at Future Cheer. We were all pretty nervous but very excited- this was the first time the sqaud had ever competed in this particular competition and for many of us, our first competition ever!

We were competing at level two, which means we could only put certain moves into our routine as befitting our standard. We had to perform twice which was exhausting and absolutely terrifying. Despite this, getting out on to the floor and cheering for a room packed with spectators and other squads was totally and utterly exhilarating.

Our hours of practice (we'd been cheering for 3 hours a day, 5 days a week over the last two weeks!)  pulled off and our performance ranked 19th over all. Although not the most amazing placing ever, we were all very proud at being in the top 20 (especially since we'd been convinced we'd be last when we saw all the other much more polished squads perform!) and are already looking forwards to coming back next year!

Us about to perform!

I'd definitely recommend giving cheer a go- it's great for confidence and personally, I have met some fantastic people and have loved every minute of it!