We wrote a couple of weeks ago about our honour at being invited by Sarah Brown to attend the Downing Tweet Christmas Party on 4th December. Honour quickly turned to excitement, trepidation and a full scale shopping and pampering spree the like of which neither of us had never seen before! And now the party is just a memory - but for posterity we wanted to record the event so we never forget how amazing the 10 days leading up to it, and the party itself, made us feel.
Now, I don’t know about you, but we haven’t been invited to Downing Street before. In fact we haven’t been invited to many places where we’ve needed to get really dressed up. So it’s safe to say we don’t have that many cocktail dresses hanging idly in our wardrobes, which can only mean one thing – SHOPPING! We both bought everything new – dress, shoes, undies, bags, jewellery, the lot – as nothing we had was suitable, and it was the most amazing excuse to splash out and treat ourselves. As mums we often come last when it comes to treats and me-time, but it highlighted just how important it is to treat yourself once in a while – it really is good for the soul!
The other big culture shock was the personal grooming side of things. We are both pretty low maintenance when it comes to beauty regimes – soap and water, a splash of moisteriser, and some rudimentary makeup to cover the bags under our eyes. However the week before the party we defuzzed, exfoliated and moisterised in preparation for our very first spray tans! We had our hair cut and coloured, our cuticles removed and our nails buffed and polished. And the worrying thing is - I think we both actually enjoyed being a bit girly for a change. I fear this could turn into an expensive hobby!
Last but not least we booked ourselves into a hotel for the night, so we didn’t have to travel down to London on the train in our glad rags. This was an expensive luxury as London hotels don’t come cheap, but it proved the perfect excuse to gather together a group of other mummy tweeters, most of whom had travelled down on their own, for some pre-party drinks in the hotel bar. With safety in numbers (and a glass or two of dutch courage inside us) we were ready for our short taxi ride to No 10.
Now practically everyone in the Twittersverse who went on Friday night has already blogged about their experiences so we won’t attempt to reinvent the wheel by repeating what celebrities were there (but yes we did talk to Beverley Knight, Richard Bacon & Brian Friedman) and how amazing walking up the staircase is, looking at all the portraits of previous Prime Ministers (although it was absolutely fabulous and surreal!). Sandy at Baby Baby stayed in the same hotel as us and shared a cab with us, as well as a chat with the Prime Minister himself, so her account of events if almost identical to ours! Gigi at Mums Rock also gives a fabulous account of the night. And finally, let’s not forget the great lady herself, Sarah Brown, and her account of why she gathered us all together in the first place.
What we will tell you about though, are some of the amazing mums we met who are working tirelessly for some truly inspiring charities. @Sarah_E_Milne campaigns on behalf of Live Life Then Give Life, encouraging people to join the organ donor register, after her 5 year old son was given the gift of a bowel transplant earlier this year. This Christmas is the first time she has ever had William at home, and her story was heart-breaking and inspirational at the same time. You can follow her story about William’s second chance at life on her blog.
We also met @only1lucylocket, aka Lucy Smith, who, in 2007, founded Thomas’s Fund – a charity that provides music therapy in Northamptonshire for children and young people with life-limiting illnesses or a disability. Lucy started the fund after her own son Thomas died, aged 10, in 2004 of a life-limiting neuro-degenerative condition. His 11 year old brother Harry has the same condition and is the fund’s junior ambassador. You can find out more about the work Thomas Fund pays for and donate at www.thomassfund.org.uk
All in all our visit to No 10 was undoubtedly one of the most exciting experiences of our lives. It was an honour to meet the Prime Minister and Sarah, as well as all the amazingly brave and giving people who work tirelessly for their own charity’s and campaigns, in addition to the Million Mums Campaign which ultimately brought us all together. The atmosphere in the room was just so positive – there were no egos amidst the eclectic mix of bloggers, journalists, techies, campaigners, celebrities and polititians – and everyone seemed as thrilled to be there as we were.
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