NOW 2018: Meet Our Organisers & Donate-A-Day explodes!

NOW National Organising Week is in its fifth year and was founded by APDO as an annual focus to inspire people to think about the clutter they are living with and take action to do something about it: NOW!

Each day during NOW National Organising Week 2018, APDO published an interview with an APDO member. Read on for great insights, hints and tips from professional organisers around the country.

Heather Tingle of Untangled by Tingle in Sheffield

Jenny Duffield of Spark Serenity in Bristol

Juliette Harding of Tulips De-Cluttering Services in North London

Krista Thompson of Zen Den in Oxford

Lynda Wylie of Tidy Rooms in Surrey

Marie Bateson of Cut The Clutter in Preston

Sarah Owen of A Place for Everything in Hemel Hempstead

This was also the year that our Donate-A-Day initiative exploded with members across the UK giving up a day of their time and expertise to help a worthwhile cause in their community:

South West

In Cornwall, Jules Greaves (Happy Decluttering) donated a day of her professional expertise to help the staff at St. Luke’s Hospice shop in Callington.

East Midlands

A large team of APDO specialists got together to help three different Nottingham-based charities. The team comprised of: Amanda Terry (An Organised You), Laura Williams (Organised Well), Lynn Kirk (Happily Sorted), Carol Richardson (Absolutely Tidy) and Jo Rutt (The Declutter Bug).

Operation Orphan, a charity dedicated to improving life for orphans and vulnerable children around the world. The team organised donations and created bedrooms for children who receive a bed from the charity because they don’t have anywhere to sleep.
Reach UK, a charity which helps children with upper limb differences. The team organised the charity’s event equipment.
Sharewear Clothing Scheme, which provides emergency clothing, shoes and bedding to people in the area currently in crisis.

London

18 organisers got together across the capital to support the following causes:

Sophie Ejsmond (Less is More) organised a team helping out at The Felix Project, a London-based charity which collects fresh, nutritious food which cannot be sold and delivers it to charities so they can provide healthy meals and help the most vulnerable in our society. The APDO team’s job was to sort paperwork into crates and label it so that the office floor could be painted. Sophie was joined by Isabelle Lamy (IDea for your Space) and Nikki Stobbs (The Finicky Friend).
In south London, Ingrid Jansen (Organise Your House), Sarah Bickers (Free Your Space), Chloe Howart (Declutter with Chloe) and Carrie Ollotini (Pro-Organiser) helped GRACE (Greenwich Refugee Aid & Community Enterprise) organise their warehouse. Read more about their experience in this blog post

In north London, Marcella Caricasole (Think Tidy) and a large team of APDO colleagues helped Smart Works, a UK charity which provides high-quality interview clothes and training to women in need. Marcella was joined by Arianna Steigman (Reclaim Your Space), Nicki Munns and Heidi Vorster (All Organised), Hannah Ashwell Dickinson (Declutter with Hannah), Katherine Blackler (SortMySpace), Sarah Owen (A Place For Everything), Lizzie Grant (Simplify Stuff), Filipa Do Carmo (Khora: Space . Sorted) and Sam Hofer (Untangled).

In east London, Sarah Bickers (Free Your Space), Caroline Rogers (Room to Think) and Liz Aitken (Carefully Sorted) donated their time and expertise to Glasshouse Community Centre.

Home Counties

In New Malden, Lyndia Wylie (Tidy Rooms) and a large team of APDO colleagues organised the garage and store room for Oxygen, a charity which works with disadvantaged and marginalised young people. The team comprised of: Catherine Bennett (Catherine Bennett), Katrina Holloway (SmartaHomes), Karen Powell (Mardi Girl), Kim May-Papailiou (Organise FRESH), Victoria Bond Nicholson (My Wardrobe Zen), Di Kelly (Simply Organised) and Dympna Franklin (Your Space Sorted).

Yorkshire

On a personal, one-to-one basis, Lesley Naylor (Clutter Therapy) donated seven hours to an individual who desperately needed help but couldn’t afford to pay for it.

Scotland

In the Highlands, Jodi Sharpe (The 25^thHour) ran a ‘Pay What you can Day’ where she offered two-hour slots of her time with the proceeds all going to local charity ActivNESS, which helps people get more active.
In Edinburgh, Claire Birnie (The Tidy Life Project), Zoe Berry (Life/Edit) and Victoria McHugh (The Secret Tidier) helped Stepping Stones, which supports young families and pregnant women.