Why: I’m a Believer

Not sure if you’ve noticed but all of my blog post titles so far have been songs. Well here are two (thanks Annie Lennox & the Monkeys) to explain the reason I hit the juicy path, the inspiration behind Juice on Wheels and what will keep me going through those 10 marathons.

In 2014 I had the worst birthday ever. My mum was taken ill and into Kent & Canterbury hospital. Over the next month, her health improved and deteriorated in equal measures and after spending our family Christmas in hospital, we were relieved to bring her home. New Year’s Eve mum was seen at home but was so desperate not to go back in, we begged for her to stay home and had Oxygen fitted in the house that day. That night, as midnight struck I sat with mum reflecting on everything that had happened, grateful that she was still with us. It was such a wake-up call.

The way we live our lives, treat our bodies, the habits that are ‘the norm’ are, however slowly, making us very ill.

And it’s not our fault, the processed foods, the refined sugar in everything, the ‘health & diet’ snacks that are actually bad for us – all of these foods are highly addictive! Yet we blame ourselves when we can’t resist them. Not to mention the mixed messages about what’s good and what’s not; “high fat, low fat, drink, don’t drink, high protein, no carb, meat gives you cancer, avoid caffeine, drink coffee….AAARRGGGHHH”

We don’t know where to start and what to believe.

When did eating whole, fresh foods become a rarity or an effort and when did the other stuff become normal?

Mum got rushed back into hospital after the turn of New Year. After a very fraught couple of hours, thankfully Intensive Care said they thought they could save her. Those first few days were the longest days of our lives as a family.

I lived in the family room of that hospital for weeks only going home to shower. It dawned on me how it difficult it was to eat healthily while I was there. There were some ok-choices for lunch in the canteen but after that it was dinner from the vending machine or tuck shop for visitors.

Until this point, I’d been on Jason Vale (aka The Juice Master)’s 28 day juice programme and while I was visiting daily, I’d been able to prepare all my juices each morning and take them with me (and some for mum). I’d also been reading at this time Jason’s story, about his beloved mum, who sadly passed away. A lot of the things he bravely talked about resonated with me, remarkable similarities and it struck a frightening chord. If we got another chance, I wanted to do everything I could to help mum get well again.

It got to a point where Mum couldn’t eat the hospital food and was so weak. Then she couldn’t eat anything. Eventually she was given nutrition intravenously and within 12 hours, I literally saw her come back to life. There it was, the difference nutrition can make before our very eyes. Another penny dropped.

It felt like a miracle was happening when Mum started to improve. We were so relieved and grateful. When she was allowed to come home, I was to be her primary carer. I asked what help would be available when she was strong enough if I went back to work and was horrified to hear that food-wise, the service would be microwave meals. I knew the importance of nutrition for her recovery.

I know that this ready meal service has been in place for years and has filled a need, but TIMES HAVE CHANGED! We have learned so much about diet and nutrition and we know that fresh, non-processed, whole foods are the best way to fight disease, illness, to heal. To improve energy levels, strength, mental wellbeing, mood. No disrespect to the services already in place, of course they serve an important purpose, but these alone aren’t enough to help people IMPROVE and GET STRONGER.

I knew I had to do something to make some kind of difference and opened Little Pep, a juice and smoothie bar, which has evolved into healthy food too. I set it up to offer a healthy choice in a place where there aren’t many and to have a home from which I could have a voice about making healthier changes and showing people that healthy could be tasty too!! That it shouldn’t be something to be scared of! I also wanted a place for people to come to talk about health, juicing, wellbeing and to get families interested in juice and smoothies.

It’s been amazing, I’ve served people from their 90’s to a 5-and-a-half-month-old. I see parents encouraging their children to take the healthier choice but more often than not, it’s the children introducing smoothies to their folks!

But I knew I could do more.

One wet and rainy day I will never forget made me realise where I needed to head.

I met a wonderful lady who was sadly very ill. Her son had brought her and her husband out for a day at the seaside and the weather was atrocious. She’d never has a smoothie before but wanted to try. Because of her condition she could only consume liquids at a certain thickness so had to add a powder to everything she consumed. Any lumps or anything too thin could be fatal so she was so restricted as to what she could have. I made her a healthy smoothie packed with nutrition thickened with Avocado so it had a creamy sweet flavour.  She loved it and her son came back and ordered more to take home for her, this time I made something different, thickened with banana. It made her really happy. We talked about whether she or her husband could make these at home. Neither of them could, she was unable and her husband was blind. But imagine if they could be delivered fresh for them! They could even be delivered in bulk and they could take them out of the freezer each day.

JUICE ON WHEELS.

So, with the help of my good friend; Joanne Harrington-Holland, I intend to set up a juice & smoothie delivery service with the purpose of helping those who are unable to provide adequate nutrition for themselves. We want to help the elderly, sick, disabled, homeless, people with limited facilities, people in care, families on limited income unable to afford healthier choices – basically anyone in need. We want to help people recover, feel better, get stronger, healthier and live longer and learn a little about it along the way.

The aim is to work alongside charities, health care centres and the NHS in order to reach as many people as possible. The intention is to start small and local and build on this for the future to bring a simple, healthy option to as many as possible.

To raise awareness and funds, we are completing the 10in10 Saxon Shore Marathons this November. Yep, that’s 10 marathons in 10 days. 26.2 miles each. Jo is bookending the challenge by completing the first and last ones with me and maybe one in the middle somewhere, one of the very bleak ones!! THANKS JO. The first Marathon starts in Herne Bay on 25^th November. The others follow the coastline line around and the last is in Dymchurch on 4^th December, three days before my birthday, 2 years on from where this all began.

Mum is an incredible inspiration and is doing amazingly well. We are so grateful and proud of her. If I possess a tenth of her determination and fight, I know I’ll get through this challenge and many more.

From left to right: Jo from Beer on the Pier, mum, my niece Poppy and me

What you can do to help

Well firstly, you’re doing it by reading this, thanks for your time!! But also;

• Spread the word! Please tell people what we’re doing and why.
• Social media us up! Share all of this stuff like mad using the hashtag #juiceonwheels All social media will be shared through Facebook / twitter from the @littlepepjuice accounts so please encourage people to like/follow us so we get a nice big audience.
• Any attention is good attention. Know any celebs/press contacts/infuencers? Please put us in touch.
• Offer time & skills. Anything that helps increase admin power will lighten our load and make us more efficient.
• Offer expertise – any physio/sports massage/training advice offerings or discounts much appreciated.
• Promote your business – we have business packages starting from £15 for a logo on our t-shirts plus much more. Please get in touch.
• Donate – be assured, every single penny will go straight to making this happen. Our time is for free.
• Ideas – always welcome.
• Cheerlead – its gonna be a long road. Smiling faces and outrageous whooping really help. 25^th November to 10^th December. Wrap up warm.
• Run one of the marathons with us. There are 10. Take your pick. You can choose  and purchase entry here. Remember, 1 and 10 will be primarily walked at a 4 mile per hour pace.

OK thanks for reading, it was long.

It’s not been easy to write this and I’m sure won’t be easy for my family to read. But I wanted to be honest about where my motivation and passion for this cause comes from. I believe in it more than I’ve believed in anything my whole life and will do everything I can to help people give themselves the best chance. Including running 262 miles in 10 days in the freezing cold along a wintery Kent coast.

https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/juiceonwheels