And so it begins...

I would be lying to say I wasn’t nervous about this morning.

It could have gone two very different ways. I could have been inundated with bids OR I could have absolutely nothing, not even a view. LUCKILY it has been the former and I am already up to £100! This is amazing and obviously very flattering or people are just insanely generous and charitable which I hope they are! I will obviously keep everyone updated with the progress. It is a 10 day auction so who knows what will happen!

As some of you may have seen, I made the papers. Ok so it was only the local free paper (although I bought 8 of them!) I have now been in a newspaper and it must have worked as I have had 3 new twitter followers and 2 new facebook requests (this is a big deal for me, especially as I have only just worked out how to use twitter. I figure you just hastag every word right?!). This must mean interest in my auction right?! Cant be a complete coincidence!

So not only did the newsshopper take on my story but a journalist found it and as I type (well probably more earlier today) is attempting to get my story in the Sun and the Dailymail. My original reaction was “OMG WOW!” now it’s more “holy S**T!”. Although all publicity is good publicity right?! Well that’s what the PR people to the stars say! As for being a star, my wonderful colleagues have gone with the “Hope is a celebrity” angle and have been winding me up non-stop. I assume some of you have seen the “dressing room” they created for me. I would like to point out that I was actually working while my fellow colleagues were busy mocking me!  It shocks me how influencial social media is! It has gone a bit crazy, well I think it has, and all I have done is a bit of a story in a very local paper and tweeted a couple of times. I find it incredible and thinking about it, sitting here on the train, people are on facebook, twitter and god knows what new thing that I am not cool enough to know about on their phones. It really is the best way to communicate your message. Think I am going to need an intense twitter course!

As much as I am freaking out a little bit at the cringeyness of this challenge, the support has been amazing! I mean, I have been soooooo lucky with everyone helping at events, sharing links etc but this one has taken it to new levels and I would like to take this moment to thank all those people that are sharing what I am doing whether it be chatting about it with friends, tweeting it or facebooking. I can’t tell you how amazing it feels to have everyone supporting me. It makes a huge difference knowing that I have people believing in what I am trying to do (even if you all also think I am a little bit insane. To be honest I think I might be but I also think it hekps! :D).

Now the soppy part of this blog is out of the way I should probably go back to plugging my ebay link etc. So here is the deal again in case you forgot or are hearing about this for the firt time…

 I have an ebay auction scheduled to start at 9am on 1^st February. The link is below or you can search “Valentines Date for Charity”

The auction will last for 10 days and ALL proceeds go directly to The Autism Trust.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/151216489415

Don’t panic, I have spoken to Ebay and they are all cool with it and again are really supportive!

Once the auction has finished I will contact the highest bidder and arrange the time fo the meal for valentines.

We (me and whoever wins) will then spend a lovely evening in London on 14^th February and I am very much looking forward to it, whoever it may be with!

So, “that’s the juice” as my lovely Italian colleague likes to say and I think it’s catching on.

Any questions, tweet me, write on my blog..

Hope.... Out x