Londonites and Caribbean Nationals who know one thing about the UK, know that this Bank Holiday a bit of the Caribbean is coming full force to London in the form of Nottinghill Carnival. Explosions of colours, flavours and general madness will take to the streets of Nottinghill from today until tomorrow (25-26th August), and we definitely want everyone to be prepared. Whether you are planning on joining in, or just using the Carnival as inspiration for your own Bank Holiday festivities, I was inspired to put together a great little medley of must-haves to get the feet going, and the smiles beaming. And for those of you who are using this Bank Holiday as your last hoorah before the school term recommences, then what better way to simmer down those back-to-school blues with these bright items that will put a smile on anyone's face.

On a more personal note, I am more of a monochromatic kinda gal. However, some of these items have made their way onto my wish list for the real Caribbean Carnival season next year February-March, which will see me and Mr P taking to the streets for both Guyana and Trinidad's Carnivals in the brightest, sickening, and most obnoxious colours yet. How will I survive? I plan on taking solice in the fact that these items are actually things I want to own (I already have the LaLesso shorts, and am eyeing the Kiboots Moccasins). Roll on the festivities!!!

I got so caught up between the emotions of elation and great sorrow for the devastation that afflicts mankind every second, of every minute, of every hour of every day. So caught up that I forgot I wanted to do a quick post on Comic Relief & Red Nose Day

For those outside the UK, COMIC RELIEF is a British Charity that helps the poor in both the UK and Africa. It was founded by comedic scriptwriter Richard Curtis and comedian Lenny Henry in 1985 as a response to the famine in Ethiopia. The main fundraising activity occurs during Red Nose Day, which is a biennial telethon held in March.  What makes this amazing is the fact that all the celebrities get involved, and not from the UK, but many of them go to these impoverished countries with some of the most heart-breaking outcomes and get involved from the ground. It is truly something I admire, regardless of the schizophrenic-type state it gets you in--one minute you're laughing your head off, and the next minute you're crying your heart out. Despite this Red Nose Day inspires us to be more aware of what is going on in countries less fortunate than ours. 

After donating, Jonathan Ross announced how much they had raised from the British public before his session ended, and it really got me emotional. OVER £66 Million raised, and much more was coming in. Amazing! I felt proud, but that we could do much more. Although I have witnessed many of the struggles with curable diseases that take the lives of children, or famines that wipe out entire villages, it still hits close to home. So this is why we at the Conscience Collective are proud to say that we support Red Nose Day & Comic Relief and we hope that you do too.