If you suddenly have the urge to head off for a break which you haven’t yet planned, why not have an ‘adventure’ which could be the holiday of a lifetime.
You may feel restricted by pets or children, but that should not be an excuse for something a little bit ‘outside the box’, even if in this country. Have an adventure, not just a holiday.
mohamed_hassan / Pixabay
So let’s start with kids and pets – how about hiring a Campervan and driving to some of the more rural parts of Scotland the Cornish coast, there are some exciting places to discover, – fabulous dog walks and brilliant kids activities and prevent them from being bored. You can also check into one of the child and pet friendly cottages across the country which are geared to give you everything you need for a family break.
peagreenbean / Pixabay
Check out Waterside Breaks www.watersidebreaks.co.uk – a family run business – and speak with one of their holiay gurus who will give you personal advice on where to go and what to do when you are there. They really do some excellent ‘bespoke’ packages, with no time spared in talking you through your options.
If you have teenagers and have trouble in keeping them entertained then consider a teenager friendly vacation in Croatia with Responsible Travel, www.responsibletravel.co.uk. This is the perfect Family multi activity holiday. Set on the Adriatic sea, sits the stunning Croatia. A hugely varied country with isolated islands, sweeping meadows, vineyards & crystal clear rivers.
Based along the Split Riviera, 30 minutes from Split Airport, you’ll have access to many wonderful pristine areas from gushing rivers & canyons to stunning beaches and old towns. Your adventure base has swimming pool, sun terrace, wifi throughout, rattan loungers and is minutes walk to the beach.
KatarzynaTyl / Pixabay
It’s the perfect family active holiday location, to enjoy a wide selection of land & water activities. Try: sea kayaking, white water rafting, cycling, easy panoramic walks, and canyoning! They are extremely good at age/gender matching – just ask the travel manager. They will always try to bring like minded families together.
Experience nature up close, both enjoying the tranquillity of the area and enjoying the rush of adventure activities.
If you like the idea of an authentic holiday experience, where each day offers exciting adventures, great Croatian cuisine and stunning scenery – then you’ve found your dream trip! Just read the reviews of returning guests.
If you want to go further afield, and really want to ‘travel adult only’, then why don’t you fulfil that lifelong ambition and go on one of the adventure holidays from www.exodus.co.uk.
We spotted a great one in Botswana, a country very close to the hearts of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle who reportedly fell in love in this romantic country. Check these out and see if it ticks any boxes for you.
Botswana is a vast, sparsely populated country, mostly desert but with the most prolific wetlands in Africa. Holidays in Botswana are thrilling, and it’s well worth the effort required to reach some of its more remote places. The reserves of Chobe, Savuti, the prolific Moremi and the unique Okavango Delta are sensational, both in the summer, for birds especially, and in the dry autumn, winter and spring months, for bigger game. It is the largest elephant corridor in the world and the herds along the Chobe River can number in their thousands. The Okavango is the biggest inland delta anywhere; paddling through its reed-lined channels in a Mokoro (dugout canoe), watching the pristine wilderness slip by, is a most memorable experience.
jeanvdmeulen / Pixabay
Or why not try a Tailormade Adventure?
They can tailor almost any holiday to suit you, perfect if you’d like to change the dates, itinerary, or simply want a private adventure with a group of friends, family or fellow enthusiasts. All Tailormade Adventures still get a local guide where appropriate and all the other Exodus benefits. So if you’d like to celebrate your birthday at the top of a mountain, or visit a particular beach, let them know your dates, and they will do the rest.
To find out more visit Exodus to arrange your ownTailormade Experience or call: 0203 733 4849
We have recently been introduced to this spectacular new magazine called EQUAL by the King of Introductions, Richard Selwyn-Barnett (see recent article).
EQUAL is published online and also as a magnificent high end journal that you can read and keep, showcasing Fashion, Art, Culture, and Music with a heavy emphasis upon diversity and uniqueness.
The charming and down to earth Shelley Rodgers, who is at the helm of EQUAL lives in a sleepy coastal village in between Dublin and Belfast with her musician partner Kieran Sherry and her daughter Maya.
Her stunning photography is shot through her own creative eye and embraces all aspects of our Planet and its people, from sub-cultures to those who have been excluded, with a particular emphasis upon the environment with cruelty free makeup, recycled jewellery and eco fashion.
EQUAL is also the perfect platform to promote both established and up and coming artists to showcase their work while also nurturing their talent. They have live fashion shows in iconic and historic buildings. Their most recent was held in Belfast Castle in February of this year, where they presented artists like Skyler Jett (the Commodores) with a life time achievement award for his career in music and other emerging creatives.
On Saturday 19th October at Belfast Castle there will be another ‘alternative’ fashion show with live music and a captivating catwalk featuring some stunning new designs like the new Bruno Tilley collection of T shirts, models from the LGBT community and those with severe injuries – the physically challenged.
Our very own Dee Anderson will be walking the catwalk and modelling a jean jacket in glittering Swarovski crystal, which has been designed by Rachel and Dean Mayhook, and their son Josh at jeanjacketdesigns.com
Dee will be performing her new song written especially for EQUAL entitled ‘You are Unique”.
Ticket sales will be announced in the next few weeks – watch this space and keep a close eye on EQUAL magazine.
As a public speaker on PTSD, this is one of the questions I am always being asked. Some of the other questions are ‘what makes me an expert? How does PTSD manifest itself in the workplace? What makes a seemingly “normal”, well-adjusted and often “super” salesman/woman suddenly and inexorably crash and burn, often ending up taking their own life and leaving everyone, including their nearest and dearest, scratching their heads.’ I hope that the following article will help you understand these issues.
First thing, let’s try to establish my credentials. I’m not an expert or a trained counsellor — I’m a survivor and I hope the following background will go a long way to explaining why I’m so passionate about making more people aware of the devastating effects of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.
I was born on the 8 May 1958 and had two loving parents, an older sister and a younger brother. Looking back, I realise to many I had a privileged background. Not that my parents were wealthy, but we lived in a large house, and my mother, was always looking for ways to earn extra money to subsidise my father’s income, and for a time she was one of the bestselling Avon ladies in the business. She then created the first ever mail-order company selling collectables and was seen for many years as the foremost expert in this field. My sister was a gifted student with an excellent memory and became a solicitor.
For the first 14 years of my life I had a great time. Yes, I failed my 11 plus, but wasn’t traumatized, and I was lucky that my parents decided to send me to a private school, and after this closed down, I attended a Secondary Modern. In the first year at this school, I made friends and joined the athletics squad, as I could throw the discus further than most. Then when I returned to school in the September, aged 14, my life turned upside down.
One of the school bullies realised that I was Jewish, and the reaction was a huge shock to me as the year before some of my class had been at my Bar Mitzvah and there hadn’t been an issue! Nevertheless, this discovery led to me being on the receiving end of a daily barrage of name-calling. Unfortunately, Anti-Semitism, along with other forms of religious discrimination was and still is a huge problem.
In addition to this and according to my class mates, I had committed a far worse crime than my religion, which was to have secured a Saturday job at the local hairdressers. I had also stopped throwing a discus, and gave up my paper round and going to football. This all added up in their book to me being gay, which was actually not true, but illustrated how much prejudice there was across the board.
As anyone knows who’s been bullied, once you’ve given up trying to stand up for yourself, you learn to hide your pain and brush off the dirt from your clothes or recover your property, which often would be used instead of a ball in a game of ‘piggy in the middle’. Some of the bullied become jokers, or in some cases become bullies themselves. Those that are bullied find it very hard to let people know the pain they’re in for fear of what will happen if they reveal or stand up to the bullies.
Regardless of our age, we brush ourselves off and stand up, dry our tears and get on with life the best way we can. That’s how the majority survive.
Unfortunately for many, when they leave school and make their way in to the world, they seem to have developed an aura that a bully picks up on. How do I know this? Because it followed me as my working life progressed?
There came a day, shortly after my 39th birthday. As a family, we’d been through a great deal of trauma, and I suddenly became overwhelmed by the pain of my life. I sat in my car looking at a brick wall, trying to decide what speed I needed to reach if I were to drive my car at it so I could stop the pain. I started to write a note, but then I began to think of the ripples that my action would create and shoved the pad in the glove compartment, dried my eyes and went to work.
By this stage, I was on autopilot. My work was suffering, and I was receiving daily encouragement from my bosses to either shape up or shape out. It was only when one of the directors needed to use my car that my half-written letter was found, and the cat was out of the bag. Between them and my wife, I was dragged kicking and screaming into counselling. It was this action that saved my life, as I was forced to face the many demons that had haunted me.
Whilst counselling was the start of the healing process the journey from despair to happiness took many years. There were times when I could have easily slipped back into desolation, but with the encouragement of others I have reached a ‘Happy Place’ knowing that whatever happens in life, it cannot take me back to the where I was. So yes, I feel I am an ‘expert’.
I hope that you now have a better understanding that PTSD is not solely the preserve of the military or emergency services, but it can and does affect far more people than we realise.
So what are the signs we should be looking for as an indicator that someone is having an emotional crisis? The problem is that, as we know, every person is different, and therefore the triggers can be too numerous to fully understand.
However, warning signs can be seen, if you’re prepared to look for them.
Has the person changed from someone who’s happy to someone who’s going through the motions?
Does the person display swings in personality?
Has the person begun to drink slightly more?
Has the person’s family been involved in any emotional situation — for example, death of a ?loved one (including a pet), an illness or maybe an accident?
Have they suddenly been confronted with an unexpected bill?
All of these, with the exception of drink, did affect me at one time or another. However, as I’m not a clinician, I can’t list every conceivable situation. ?So what should you do if you become aware of any changes? ?Start by being human. Suggest that you have a coffee together and chat. If they don’t want to or feel they’re unable to discuss what is “going on”, as they can’t articulate why they feel like they do, suggest they speak to a counsellor. If they are a work colleague, speak to your line manager or boss and advise them of your concerns. Make sure you make time to spend a few moments every day with them until they feel ready to confide in you. If and when they do, there are at least three things that you can suggest:
1) Recommend that they see their GP.
2) Direct them to our website, www.the365challenge.org.uk where we have an ever-growing directory of help and advice.
July 12, 2026 100 BC Julius Caesar 1854 George Eastman 1895 Oscar Hammerstein II 1927 Frank Windsor 1928 Kathy Staff 1935 Roy Barraclough 1937 Bill Cosby 1943 Christine McVie 1947 Gareth Edwards
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