Most of you will know that I hold a fundraising event every year to celebrate International Women’s Day on March 8th. “But that’s been & gone?” you say… & right you are. But I was recovering from a bilateral wrist operation in March, so the usual fundraiser was off the cards. You’ll also know I’m not afraid to be controversial…
So, what am I up to?
I’ve decided to mark both International Men’s day (19 November) & Movember in one go, with a side of Mental Health awareness (I also couldn’t mark World Mental Health day last week (10 October) either as I had too many bookings!) by holding 2 fundraising events for 2 causes: Burnt Chef Project & Movember. Burnt Chef Project is a not for profit supporting Hospitality professionals with mental health education & resources, aiming to eradicate stigma in the industry. Movember is the leading charity changing the face of men’s health: mental health & suicide prevention, prostate cancer & testicular cancer through research & changing the dymamic of men’s health services. International Men's Day is marked to focus on the health and well-being of men, celebrate the positive contributions men make towards society, promote and encourage positive male role models to create a better and safer world.
And why am I doing this?
I’ll be honest: I’ve never once batted an eyelid at Movember & didn’t even know International Men’s day existed until recently. And that's my point: how can I raise awareness and support charitable causes? My business gives me the ability to reach an audience of several thousand. I may only be small but I believe in making a difference. Whilst I am a fierce feminist, & a lot needs to change for women & gender equality it may seem a little odd for me to be doing this. But I realise I have more male friends than female & that, over the years, many of them have experienced physical & mental health struggles and how much impact this has had on my life.
I spent 15 years in a male-led working environment, from restaurants to food development. I experienced at the age of 15 what working in kitchens was like. Hours are long & antisocial (anyone remember an 11-close split shift & having a nap on the banquette seating?), service is stressful, exhausting, & the imaginary restaurant phone rings in your head at 1am when you want to sleep. Tight margins & economic pressures lead to even tighter staffing rotas, leading to even more strain. It may shock some of you that a “tea with 2 sugars” from the head chef meant “pour some lager into a teapot” & that chefs fighting out the back door or making female colleagues cry was pretty common. The pressure of working in a restaurant is immense & I actually thought that post service drinks was “normal”. Burnt Chef Project didn’t exist back then. If you've watched 'The Bear' or 'Boiling Point' you may begin to understand what food professionals experience.
When COVID19 hit, I experienced anxiety, stress & depression for the first time, in a high pressure job in a decimated industry. I eventually recognised I wasn’t operating like a normal human being (when I physically couldn’t eat any of the food I had developed for a new menu for fear of throwing up). My request for sick leave was met with, “Who’s going to cover you?” Knowing full well there was no other development chef, I chose to look after my body & take time off. Two weeks later I was suspiciously “made redundant”. I filed for tribunal, hired a lawyer, & 17 months later I had some degree of closure. This was over 5 years ago, but it still stings. I didn’t know about Burnt Chef Project until later - I didn’t have the support I needed at the time, & wish I had.
I also spent 20 years in a male sporting environment, coxing men's rowing at national level, spending more time with my male rowers than my family (me + a squad of 20 men!). We lived & breathed rowing together during the majority of my 20s & endured the highs, lows & mental pressure that high performance sport brings, but also the impact that is has after you stop competitive sport. Many of my close family & friends have experienced or been affected by various mental health difficulties or suicide for various reasons as well as prostate problems. On average, men will die 4.5 years earlier than women & for largely preventable reasons. A growing number of men – around 10.8M globally – are facing life with prostate cancer. Testicular cancer is the most common cancer among young men & males account for 69% of all suicides. Movember is uniquely placed to address this on a global scale.
How can you support?
Organisations like Movember & Burnt Chef Project rely on donations to fund their work. Charitable events, big or small, play a crucial role in continuing to grow awareness, supporting those who need it, & improving lives for future generations. I can't grow a moustache & I'm sure many of you can't either, so...
I’ll be holding 2 separate events this year with 20% of the profits being donated to these 2 charities:
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A nationwide postal shipment to arrive on Wednesday 19 November - International Men’s Day, in the same format as my cake tasting boxes, containing four of my Great Taste Award winning flavours. You can purchase these on my webshop.
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A pop up at Television Centre, White City, on National Cake Day, Wednesday 26 November. Whilst this is technically in the offices of Publicis Groupe, the pop up is held in the foyer & has public access from both entrances, so anyone in the area can pop in! I’ll post further information on this in due course.
I hope you can join me in marking International Men’s Day & Movember, by buying some cake whilst supporting two important causes. Send a delicious box of cake to a friend, family member, yourself (!) or anyone who might appreciate it. Share some love & raise some awareness through a piece of cake & a cup of tea. Well done for making it to the end of this very long blog post… thank you for making it this far!