And it's GOLD for Sunshine Radio!!

 Sunshine Hospital Radio are celebrating winning Gold at the National Hospital Radio Awards.-

Presenter Laura Tremelling was thrilled to take the top prize in the Female Presenter of the Year category at the ceremony at the Hilton Hotel in Blackpool.
Organised by the Hospital Broadcasting Association (HBA), the awards invite entries from over 200 stations and is aimed at recognizing and rewarding the very best in hospital radio over the last year.

The Female Presenter of the Year category focuses on the diversity of presentation and listener awareness.

Laura, who has been a volunteer with Sunshine Radio for five years, presents a news show every Monday evening called Talk of the Town.
She said: “I am over the moon to have won, and still can’t quite believe it.
“The competition was very strong, and the other nine people shortlisted were very talented.
“To win gold is such a wonderful feeling, and it is all down to the support I have received from the amazing people at Sunshine.
“The award is just as much for them as it is for me, and honours the tireless work we all do to make patients stay in hospital a little bit easier.
“Hospital radio is so important, and I am proud of every single person who gives up their time to do it.”

Hailed as hospital radio's highest honor, The National Hospital Radio Awards are the leading national award honoring excellence in hospital broadcasting.
Many popular radio and television presenters began their careers in hospital radio including Phillip Schofield, Scott Mills, Ken Bruce and the late Jill Dando who was a volunteer at Sunshine Hospital Radio.

Sunshine Radio Chairman, Jo Newey said "We're all very proud of Laura's achievement which she thoroughly deserves. This has come at a perfect time as Sunshine Radio is celebrating 35 years of broadcasting and Laura is a great role model for new volunteers."

You can hear Laura’s winning entry online at www.hbauk.com.
To find out more about Sunshine Radio, in Weston General Hospital, visit www.sunshinehospitalradio.co.uk

Bath Half training - gym and first proper run!

Training for the half marathon has begun, and so far so good! I am a pretty determined person, and when I say I am going to do something I will give it 100%. Even though the thought of running 13.1 miles (don’t forget the .1!) terrifies me I am determined to finish it in one piece. I don’t want to not put my all into training, and then look like an idiot on the day and not be able to complete it.

The first step of my training was a session with one of the trainers at the gym I go to. Dave was the person who did my induction when I first took the big leap of joining the gym and he is a really nice guy! Not scary and shouty as was my idea of what a personal trainer was like (see blog on joining the gym) He told me that I would be fine, and that a whole year to train was plenty of time. He then proceeded to show me how to work the treadmill properly, as the only other time that I have used one I managed to fall off the back! The plan for me is to incorporate some treadmill running, with longer outdoor runs, and cardio work at the gym, including cycling and the cross trainer. I also have to continue with the weights for my upper body, as it will give me strength when I use my arms to propel myself forward. I felt good after a 15 minute run, 10 minutes on the cross trainer and weights (thought I promptly undid all my hard work by having a Chinese and a few glasses of white wine that evening!)

The following Sunday was the day. The big day when I would head out on my first proper run since school. I admit I was excited, but also slightly worried. Would my legs still work? Is it possible to forget how to run?! And the most important fear - would I fall over and injure myself?! Well, I am pleased to report that it went really well! Joe came with me for moral support, and we ran down to the sea and back again. I was so proud of myself for running all the way there and back (with a little rest when we got there). I find it so much easier running with someone, as there were times when I wanted to walk, but Joe encouraged me to carry on. He told me to work through it, and that I may feel like walking at this point but it would get easier. And do you know what? He was right! (Don’t tell him I said that!) We thought we had run about 2 miles, but when we got home Joe looked on the map and we had done 3 miles! So a good start for a novice runner! My muscles have been aching badly though, and it was painful! Though I have been assured that this is not because I am unfit, but because I am not used to it (and also because I didn’t stretch properly before and after.)

The last thing to tell you is that I have my training plan, put together by Dave. He said he couldn’t give me a plan for the half marathon yet, as it is still a year away. So he has written me a 10k plan, as he said I need to work towards that and then build up. It doesn’t look that scary, and is a help as I like having a plan to follow. That way I know I am doing it right! Also by ticking off the days as I do them I am encouraged to keep at it, as I feel guilty if I have missed a day!

Also I have signed up to do the race for Life 10k in Bristol on July 6. It will be good practice for me! So....let the training begin!

Bath Half training: soundtrack to running

Many people who run have told me that one of the keys to success is to have music to listen to. This is supposed to help me through the pain, and keep me going when I am just about ready to give up. It will also help to drown out the voice in my head telling me to head to the nearest pub and have a nice plate of chips instead. So, as part of my Bath Half preparation I downloaded iTunes, and have created the perfect running soundtrack on my iPod.

Firstly, I will say something surprising and admit that I have never used iTunes before. Can you believe it?! I seemed to have been stuck in the dark ages, and must be one of the only people I know who actually goes out and buys CDs! Well not anymore. After downloading iTunes onto my pretty temperamental laptop I have arrived in the 21st century! And what an arrival it was! Faced with any music I could wish for, I was pretty spoilt for choice! Joe was delighted (hmmmmm....) as the evening consisted of me finding lots of cheesy 90’s songs, reminiscing about times gone by, throwing a hissy fit when I couldn’t figure out how to get the songs on my Ipod and constantly asking for help. But we survived!

So my iPod now includes songs by B*Witched (remember them?!), Spice Girls, Boyzone, S Club 7, and the one and only Peter Andre. I am hoping that these classic songs will keep me going through the pain! Now I just need to buy one of those arm band things to put the iPod in.

One of the songs to inspire me while running:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UvjLgjtJKsc

Yes you heard right - I am running the 2014 Bath Half Marathon!

So.....in a moment of madness I have pledged to run the Bath Half Marathon next year! Now I have one year to kick my butt into shape. I need to go from complete novice who just about runs to her car when it is raining to stop her hair from going frizzy to someone who can run 13.1 miles around the streets of Bath. I accept this (daunting) challenge, and for the amusement of all of you I will be blogging about my progress!

If you would have told my teenage self that one day I would be doing a half marathon I would have laughed hysterically and thrown my barely used trainer at you. I was the girl who faked notes from my mum to get me out of PE, and when I was rumbled and forced to participate I would mess around and chat with my friends. The worst day of the school year for me was the dreaded cross country day, when we were made to run around the school field - a pointless activity in my opinion! If my PE teacher Mrs Fox could see me now, embarking on a training regime for a half marathon she would laugh. That or be stunned into silence! The reaction I expect that a lot of you are having!

So, I expect that many of you are wondering why I have suddenly decided to do this. Have I gone mad? Going through a mid life crisis early? Or fallen and hit my head, waking up believing I am the female Usain Bolt? Well, it is none of them. The truth is that for a while I have wanted a challenge. And what could be a bigger challenge for me than this? Also, I was so inspired after the Bath Chronicle Pride in Bath awards. I met some amazing people there, who do so many good things, and it made me want to do something! I have also admired people who run a half marathon, but thought I would never be able to do it. But I have been writing about people doing the race for four years now, and people in all shapes and sizes do it! I think that with (a lot of) training I can do it! And I am looking forward to the achievement of crossing that finishing line!

One great thing about doing the Bath Half is that my brother Jon is running it with me. He has done it before, and is also planning to do the Bristol Half this year. I know that running with him will keep me going when I want to give up, and he has promised to help me train. Another thing that will keep me going is the fact that we have decided to raise money for The Stroke Association in memory of our granny. She had a series of strokes, and it was horrible to see. She was reduced to not being able to do anything for her self, which was awful to watch. When she died I vowed I would raise money for The Stroke Association in her memory. So if by struggling around the 13.1 miles I raise lots of money to help others in that position then the pain will be worthwhile!

Over the next year I have devised a plan to help me kick the half marathons butt:
* Join a running club
* Keep on at the gym 3 times a week, incorporating the treadmill
* Go on runs in the evening gradually building up the distance, with a longer run at weekends.
* Do the Race for Life and Clevedon Boxing Day Run to get experience

So wish me luck!!

11 random questions

1: If you could change one thing about yourself what would it be?
I would give myself better coordination as I am so clumsy! I trip over thin air, drop most things I try to carry, and constantly injure myself. Life would be a lot easier if I had even a small bit of coordination (though would be a lot less funnier for all my blog readers!)

2: If you could be anyone else for the day, who would it be?
Hmmmm....interesting question! I think I would be the Queen! It would be fun to see inside Buckingham Palace, and also to wear the pretty jewellery and tiaras! So Queenie, if you need someone to do your job for a day, I am free. Maybe we could job swap?! I would love to see her writing stories at the Chronicle!

3: What's your favourite thing about blogging?
I enjoy blogging as I can write about anything I like! I love writing, and I am also quite a random person. So for me the best bit is having a space to put all my thoughts, which (hopefully) people read and have a little smile. I like entertaining people and making them laugh. Hopefully my blog achieves this!

4: What's your favourite hobby to do besides blogging?
Radio! I have been with Sunshine Hospital Radio for 5 years now, and I love it. It is so lovely to be able to spread a little cheer to someone in hospital - an often scary and isolating experience.

5: Do you have any pets? If not, what would you have if you could?
I have only had four pets in my life. First was my little Russian hamster when I was eight. He was called Cement (or to use his full name Cement Concrete Tremelling) Hey, don’t laugh, it is a perfectly logical name! He was the colour of cement! Then came my goldfish, Paddington and Philip first (named after Paddington Bear and Phillip Schofield) and after they died it was my little Weasley (after Ron Weasley). So the one thing I have learnt from my pets is that I pick weird names for them! The pet I want is an elephant. Joe won’t let me, apparently it is not practical!? So I would settle for a seahorse or a parrot. Joe - make your decision now! ;)

6: What's been your favourite age to be and why?
This is a tricky one, but I think I would say 21. I was in my last year of Uni, which was stressful as it was dissertation time. But I lived with a great bunch of people, and had some wonderful friends (many who are still in my life today). It was also the age that I went to Africa for a month, which was one of the best months of my life! 21 was a good age, as I was just finishing my degree and was all excited about what lay ahead, and what I could end up doing as a career.

7: What mobile phone do you have and do you like it?
I have a Blackberry, and I hate it! I have had one for years, and loved it at first. However when Blackberry went weird, leaving us without internet or text for a few days it all went downhill, and now I can’t wait to get a new phone! My contract is up in July, and I am trying to decide what to get. Current favourite is HTC, but still not 100 per cent sure.

9: What's your idea of the perfect day?
It would be a summers day, and would start with a lie in (as I wake up at 5.30am for work normally which sucks!). Would have a nice breakfast, and then do a spot of shoe shopping in Jimmy Choo (oh yeah, I have lots of money so can buy what I like). Then would go to the beach for a picnic with lots of my favourite people before going to the zoo to see the elephants. Then I would have an Indian take away (my favourite) before catching a musical at the Hippodrome.

10: Sum yourself up in three words.
Crazy, funny, blonde

11: If you could be any type of animal which would you be?
Elephant! Everyone knows that they are my favourite animal, and I have so many elephant items dotted around the flat! I just love them! I would be an elephant as they never forget - something that I constantly do! I have to leave myself little notes everywhere prompting me to do things, and I would be completely lost without my diary!