Winston Churchill was touring a part of London which had been severely bombed the night before. Seeing an old Cockney women in good spirits, he asked whether she had suffered much from last night's bombing?
"Nothing to speak of, Sir," she replied. "There's one thing to be said for these air raids, they do take your mind off the war."
Now there is no rhyme or reason for this quote, I just read it and it made me laugh out loud, but I really think it summed up not only the spirit of Londoners during the war, but also ofthe British people as a whole very well. This spirit and humour hasn't diminished over the last 60 years and this couldn't have been demonstrated to me more than my second opportunity to meet many of wounded service men and women during an event for one of my chosen charities, Style for Soldiers at a Christmas dinner in London last week.
If you've forgotten or don't know about Style for Soldiers, it is a charity set up by Emma Willis - a Jermyn Street shirt maker - as a thank you to injured servicemen and women recovering at Headley Court Rehabilitation Centre.
Emma visits the centre, accompanied by her assistants, to make injured troops a complementary monogrammed, bespoke shirt. They also give - to those who use them - a hand-carved ebony walking stick with a buffalo horn handle and silver band, engraved with their regiment and initials.
Talking to the injured servicemen, they are so very proud of their bespoke shirt and all tell me how much confidence and self assurance it gives them to wear it whilst they are now trying to re-integrate back into civilian life. One injured soldier, who was a double amputee along with having a severally injured face and hand, bravely made a speech about how they do not want sympathy and in fact will tell other injured servicemen to "man up". This, to me, was an incredible leveller and I for one will certainly think twice the next time I am whinging or moaning about the most mundane matters. It genuinely put many things into perspective.
Emma called me the following morning after the party to thank me for staying until the end - or as she put it, "until they started clearing away the chairs." The fact is, I didn't even notice that I stayed that long, I was simply having such a wonderful evening with the guys that I could have stayed for hours more.
Style for Soldiers comes under the auspices of The British Forces Foundation and so far the cost of the shirts and sticks has been funded by generous donations from Emma's customers and friends. But in order to continue making as many shirts and sticks as possible, more donations are needed and would be gratefully received. These can be made by sending a cheque payable to 'Style for Soldiers' to Emma Willis, 66 Jermyn Street, London, SW1Y 6NY or by donating online by clicking here. All proceeds go towards making shirts and sticks, not towards any administration costs. For more information visit Emmawillis.com.
What the injured service men and women also require are opportunities, not only for work and jobs but also for thrill and adventure. Many of them told me of the truly astonishing ideas they have for 2014 - competing in downhill skiing and motorboat racing are just a few things.
One such brilliant opportunity is Capstar Chauffeurs Ltd. Capstar calls itself: "The first commercial venture of its kind to actively train and recruit former servicemen and women who have been wounded, providing employment in an industry where an injured soldier can compete on equal terms. Our mission is to inspire ex-service personnel who are injured, disabled or facing adversity, providing them with a new career and a certain future."
Now, it may be that their fleet of cars are provided by Jaguar Land Rover (I may be a little biased with my love of Jaguars!) but I am in talks with Capstar to collaborate with them for numerous transfers and travels that I take and hopefully if all works out I will be very proud to have a former serviceman or women driving me.
To go on and take a look back over the things I've done in 2013 after seeing and talking about the incredible bravery of the servicemen and women, all seems a little unremarkable. However, I have been lucky to have enjoyed another incredible year and certainly my idea of not travelling and working so much didn't really prevail. I haven't counted how many flights I have taken this year, but four visits to LA, not including the trips to Milan and Madrid over just the last five weeks might explain my rather hectic schedule - and also why I have been a little behind with my columns and blogs.
There have of course been many, many highlights over the year. My first Mille Miglia which I have described as some of the most incredible days of my life, was astonishing. Starting my foundation, the Bluesteel Appeal and raising in excess of £250,000 through its first initiative will obviously take some beating for the next event. Thank you for all your support.
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The wonderful travels with the brands I work for have added to the many wonderful memories I have already and to finish the year with the M&S christmas Magic and Sparkle commercial, has been a great end to a great year.
There are of course a few thank yous to many people that I don't think everyone realised have such a huge impact on my career. Firstly Select Model Agency and all my wonderful bookers. I have been with them for 13 years now and if my predictions are correct, 2014 will be our strongest year yet. Charlotte Hickson (Monsta) - my publicist but I also say therapist, fellow giggler and close friend - is and has been for the last few years a real powerhouse behind many of my activities including the Blue Steel Appeal, my involvement with LC:M and of course this blog. Lastly Laura Terhune and Sim who look after all my social media and without them the many ways people follow and hear about everything I do just wouldn't be possible.
Lastly I would love to thank you all for not only reading my ramblings in 2013, but also helping me support all my charities. I wish you all a VERY Merry Christmas and a wonderful 2013.
x
