Cherry Rudge & Rainbow Red in the media & newsletters

Cherry Rudge - owner of Rainbow Red - is a pioneer in the UK decluttering and organising industry.

She is proud to have been raising awareness of the importance of using an holistic, person-centred, empathetic, non-judgemental, non-confrontational approach to help people affected by clutter since 2011.

Positions held

• Professional Hoarding Practitioner Trainer, coach, mentor & public speaker
• Founder of the Hoarding Ice-Breaker Form - https://hoardingicebreakerform.org/
• Partner at HoardingUK's National Hoarding Conference 2018
• Advisor on hoarding to Surrey County Council since June 2017
• Member of the Chief Fire Officers Association's (CFOA) Mental Health Working Group (previously known as CFOA's Hoarding Working Group (November 2013 to 2016 & May 2019 ongoing)
• Advisor to Surrey Fire & Rescue Service since 2014
• Member of apdo-uk's Hoarding Advisory Team (March 2014 to 2016)
• Acting President & Chair of The Association of Professional Declutterers & Organisers UK (apdo-uk) (Oct 2013-March 2014)
• apdo-uk's Marketing & PR Officer - November 2011-May 2014 (www.apdo-uk.co.uk)

Here are a few examples of where you'll find her mentioned in newspapers, magazines, articles or interviews:

September 2019
2nd September - Talk Radio Europe - Breakfast show interview (with Hannah Murray) about hoarding disorder and the Hoarding Ice-Breaker Form (listen to the clip on the Hoarding Ice-Breaker Form website)

- https://hoardingicebreakerform.org/newsandevents/


August 2019
24th August - Mail on Sunday - "Hate chucking stuff out?  How to tell if you have a hoarding disorder, and the warning signs to look out for"
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-7390927/How-tell-hoarding-disorder-warning-signs-look-for.html

18th August - Sunday Telegraph - Stella Magazine - "My dad's dementia healed our broken relationship" 
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/family/life/dads-dementia-healedour-broken-relationship/

January 2019
BBC Surrey Radio - 24th Jan 2019 - talking about Marie Kondo's Netflix decluttering programme, "sparking joy" and how it differs from working with people who have hoarding behaviours
Fast foward to 2hrs 23mins - https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p06w8g09

May 2018

• Interviewed for an article in UK Landlord Magazine (National Landlord's Association) about approaches landlords should take if they have tenants with hoarding behaviours - click HERE to view the article
• Report in APDO's Blog about her experiences of attending the 18th International Conference on Hoarding and Cluttering in San Francisco.

May 2017
Thanked for her contribution on the acknowledgement page of Jo Cooke's insightful book "Understanding Hoarding" (published by Sheldon Press).  

• Diagram of how the ADHD brain works in the context of clutter, disorganisation & hoarding
• Account of her experiences as the daughter of a hoarder, including clearing his home when he died

January 2017

Mentioned in an article by journalist Toby Walne that was published in The Mail on Sunday and The NZ Herald.

Sept 2016
Getting organised outdoors - article in House Beautiful magazine 

January 2015
Featured in Age UK Mobility's article on "How to Safely Declutter Your Home".


May 2014
Brooklands Radio - Interview - Just Women - 20-May-2014
Promoting UK Hoarding Awareness Week - attending Parliamentary launch

January 2013
House Beautiful Magazine (Feb 2013 issue) - The Big Declutter (decluttering supplement)

Brooklands Radio - Interview - Fabulous Women Show 
15-Jan-2013 http://www.brooklandsradio.co.uk/FabulousWomen/CRudge130115.mp3

October 2013
Cherry's hints and tips are mentioned in an article entitled "Organising Outdoors" in House Beautiful magazine.

November 2012
apdo-uk Newsletter - getting organised for Christmas
http://blog.apdo-uk.co.uk/index.php/2012/11/newsletter-november-2012/

Healthy Planet (charity) - Stuff For Free Event - North London (Waltham Forest) 24-Nov
www.healthyplanet.org/projects/stuff-for-free.aspx

October 2012
Surrey Today - 18-Oct - Transition Ashtead helping people clear out for Christmas
http://www.thisissurreytoday.co.uk/Transition-Ashtead-helping-people-clear-Christmas/story-17108029-detail/story.html#ixzz2LqkNuZy5

September2012
apdo-uk Newsletter - office organisation
http://blog.apdo-uk.co.uk/index.php/2012/09/newsletter-september-2012/






July 2012

apdo-uk Blog - What does it take to get you motivated enough to declutter and get organised?
http://blog.apdo-uk.co.uk/index.php/2012/07/what-does-it-take-to-get-you-motivated-enough-to-declutter-and-get-organised/

June 2012
apdo-uk Newsletter - L of a lesson to beat moving day hell
http://blog.apdo-uk.co.uk/index.php/2012/06/newsletter-june-2012/







April 2012
Anxiety UK (charity) website - Announcing partnership with apdo-uk
http://www.anxietyuk.org.uk/2012/04/anxiety-uk-announces-new-partnership/









March 2012
Snapshot from the YouTube video showing Cherry (APDO's then Marketing & Partnerships Officer) addressing attendees at their annual conference.

February 2012
Serene Healing Blog - Feng Shui & "Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management"
http://www.serenehealing.co.uk/2012/02/feng-shui-mrs-beetons-book-of-household-management/

March 2011
Radio Wey interview on The Wonderful Wacky Wireless Radio Show - Carers Week
https://soundcloud.com/#jandytimes/show-trailer-for-the-wonderful-wacky-wireless-show

Hoarding Ice-Breaker Form - International versions

Dutch version

It's with ENORMOUS pleasure that we're delighted to announce that our Hoarding Ice-Breaker form has been recognised by the ICD (Institute of Challenging Disorganization).

And thanks to our good friend and fellow Professional Hoarding Practitioner Hilde HW Verdijk of Yourganize in The Netherlands, the ice-breaker has been translated into Dutch, tweeked to suit the Dutch users, and is now being widely distributed by ICD members in Holland.

We're also HUGELY grateful to ICD Member Nacho Eguiarte of Nach Organiza in Mexico for doing a grand job of translating the Hoarding Ice-Breaker into Spanish.

All being well, other languages will follow soon - watch this space!

Our hope is that people whose health has been affected by hoarding behaviours or chronic disorganisation will use the ice-breaker form to start a conversation with their GP or medical professional, and hopefully get signposted to get a diagnosis which will help them get appropriate help and support.

Click below to view and download the following versions:

- English

- Dutch
- Spanish

Click here for more information, or follow the Hoarding Ice-Breaker Form on Facebook, where you'll find articles about health related to hoarding and chronic disorganisation.

To contact Cherry Rudge - creator of the ice-breaker form - please email cherry@rainbowred.co.uk or phone 07931 303310.

Celebrity ADHD

Photo: Dan Jones - via The Sun online

Photo: Dan Jones - via The Sun online

So, in an interview with The Sun newspaper, British tv celebrity Ant McPartlin admitted he has been diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder - ADHD – at the age of 43. 

In 2018 the presenter and on-screen partner of Declan Donnelly (“I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!” “Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway” and “Britain's Got Talent”) was arrested and convicted for drink driving, after which he took time off to go to rehab - which eventually lead him to receive his ADHD diagnosis.

To many people (mainly those who have ADHD or their families) this probably won't be a surprise.

As it says on the website of Fastminds - a wonderful ADHD and Autism Support Group in Kingston-upon-Thames in Surrey that we’re proud to be involved with – the implications of late ADHD diagnosis include:

• Chronic psychological distress
• Learned Helplessness
• Poor self-care
• Substance abuse (in 2015 after botched knee surgery Ant slowly became addicted to taking prescription drugs along with alcohol, including use before television appearances)
• Low self-esteem
• Employment difficulties
• Troubled long-term relationships (Ant was divorced in 2018)

Other UK celebrities with an ADHD diagnosis include comedian Rory Bremner; broadcaster Richard Bacon; performer, producer and award-winning founder of the band Black Eyed Peas will.i.am; and Olympic gymnast (and Strictly Come Dancing winner) Louis Smith, to name but a few.

Of the four, Louis Smith and will.i.am are the only ones to have been diagnosed as a child. 

We hope that Ant will join a good support group like Fastminds, as he’d be amongst his “tribe”: creative adults who probably struggle with the same type of Executive functioning issues as he probably does:

• Paying attention
• Organising and planning
• Initiating tasks and staying on them
• Regulating emotions
• Self-monitoring - keeping track of what you’re doing (like speeding perhaps Ant?)

It helps when people understand they're not going through the challenges alone - there are others in the group who may have lived through similar difficulties. They share their experiences (good and bad) of things such as mental illness; symptom history and diagnosis pathway, and strategies that help them cope with things like relationships, organising paperwork, financial problems, and decision making (such as decluttering).

Cherry Rudge - Founder of Rainbow Red and the Hoarding Ice-Breaker Form - has been studying ADHD and Autism and attending local ADHD support groups for several years; in 2017 she wrote about how the ADHD brain in the context of clutter, disorganisation, compulsive shopping/acquiring or hoarding in Jo Cooke's acclaimed book "Understanding Hoarding", and contributed a diagram (below) which illustrates some of the challenges faced by people with ADHD.

At an ADHD Support Group like Fastminds, Ant would be welcomed with open arms, and not judged. Because Fastminds is peer-led, and run by volunteers who live with ADHD and/or Autism every day, and people can be themselves, without having to put on a show and be what others feel they should be.

And, by the way, we should point out that Fastminds is an acronym for common symptoms that are often seen in ADHD:

• Forgetful
• Achieving below potential
• Stuck in a rut
• Time challenged
• Motivationally challenged
• Impulsive
• Novelty seeking
• Distractible
• Scattered 

Without effective support groups and campaigners like the wonderfully creative folks at Fastminds (check out the amazing cards they designed and sell to raise money as part of their Neurodiversity Festival in 2018) there might be an awful lot more people in rehab, or in a drunken stupor or in jail, all because of a genetic neurological condition that has ruled their lives since birth.

Sadly, despite the increasing need for support groups like Fastminds (because Autism and ADHD are genetic, so it's not going away any time soon!) they receive very little support from Government, and getting an ADHD or Autism diagnosis can take months or even years. Imagine the cost of this to tax payers in antidepressants and counselling alone (let alone benefits payments!).

Some, like Ant, have money to pay for such treatment and therapy - others do not.

So, Ant, we wish you all the very best for the future, and hope that you use your gift of ADHD to support support groups like Fastminds, and help raise awareness of the types of challenges faced by people born with a condition that can be:

• wonderful - because of the gift of creativity and entrepreneurial spirit it can bring; there are LOADS of famous celebrities and public figures around The World who have ADHD, including American Olympic swimming legend Michael Phelps, American singer and actor Justin Timberlake (who also has OCD), hotel heiress Paris Hilton and American Olympic gold medal gymnast Simone Biles.
• a curse - because of the overwhelm and mental and physical health issues that can come with it; common co-morbid conditions include Autism, Dyslexia, Dyspraxia, Depression, General Anxiety Disorder, Fibromyalgia or OCD. Which often means people are unable to work and rely on benefits to live (that's another blog post for another time....)
• Undiagnosed for many years. Medical professionals rarely have sufficient knowledge about ADHD or Autism to recognise it, and just end up treating a person's mental health (by prescribing CBT or antidepressants) instead of getting to the root cause and underlying reasons about why the patient's mental health has been affected
• misdiagnosed by medical professionals - it's not uncommon for people to be misdiagnosed with conditions such as Bipolar Disorder or Borderline Personality Disorder

If you’d like to know more about ADHD, please take a look at Rainbow Red’s Pinterest board for LOADS of helpful videos and information.

https://www.pinterest.co.uk/rainbowreduk/addadhd/

Fastminds Neurodiversity Arts Festival 2018

Cherry Rudge on the Hoarding Ice-Breaker
stand at Fastminds Festival

I feel very privileged to have been allowed to promote the Hoarding Ice-Breaker Form at an amazing ground-breaking event recently (14th & 15th September 2018) - The Fastminds Neurodiversity Arts Festival 2018.

It was organised by the wonderful folks at Fastminds - the Adult ADHD/ASC Support Group I'm involved with in Kingston-upon-Thames.

Performers, artists and people affected by a vast spectrum of neurodiversities and medical conditions came from far and wide for two days of creative inspiration, live music, interactive performances, short film screenings, market stalls, story-telling, poetry, and being themselves - enjoying spending time with people who accept them for who they are, irrespective of their disabilities - hidden or otherwise.

Click here to see the video of the event.

Cherry explaining the Hoarding Ice-Breaker form
to the Mayor of Kingston

The amount of effort, hard work and organising that goes into creating an event like this is phenomenal, and is even more magnificent in this case because of the difficulties with planning and organising that people with neurological conditions such as ADHD and Autism experience.

The festival’s Creative Director - Isabelle Haythorne – did a GRAND job!  She's an art therapist and runs the Sutton ASD group.  Her can-do attitude and her connections with her partner Keith Gould - who has experience of live events and was the festival’s Technical Manager - made it all possible.

Chill-out room

I was particularly blown away by the fantastic chill-out room - where people could go for some peace and quiet – it was a triumph, so many congratulations to Sarah and her team!

Fastminds art

Wonderful original canvas artworks created by members of the Fastminds group were on sale, together with some absolutely STUNNING cards of paintings they'd created to raise money for the event and the group.  The cards are also available to purchase online - click here for the Fastminds section of the We All Send Cards website, or contact Fastminds .

Sheena Crankson with
Mayor of Kingston

Thay Thayalan

Special praise must go to the founder of Fastminds, Sheena Crankson, without whom there would have been no festival and no support group.

Sheena had a life-changing experience when she was diagnosed with ADHD at the age of 47, after her son was diagnosed with ADHD (he also has Asperger’s).  She is the Fairy Godmother and Guardian Angel for the Fastminds group, and works tirelessly to support and advocate for members, especially in their hour of need - whether it be offering help filling in forms; helping members to challenge cuts to their benefits; helping folks get a referral for a diagnosis; sourcing help and support; arranging activities for the group to take part in, or simply being there for them to vent their frustrations. 

Afterward the festival Sheena said “A huge thanks to all the fabulous folks who attended this amazing event, and to all our volunteers who selflessly gave up their time to support us.  We made new friends and strengthened ties with existing ones.

The core aims of this event were to:

• Be user-led by members of our Fastminds support group
• Demonstrate the value of neurodiversity within society and the arts
• Promote the creativity of neurodiverse people, with free art & design workshops
• Promote inclusivity and bring both ‘neurotypical’ and neurodiverse people together
• Enable neurodiverse people’s voices to be heard, particularly by opinion formers and decision makers within NHS
• Enhance partnerships between community, healthcare providers and organisations in neurodiverse contexts in Kingston Upon Thames.
• Exhibit fine art, photography, film and performance (poetry, music, dance, standup comedy).
• Keep the event disability / sensory friendly by making / providing reasonable adjustments

We’re delighted that the two days more than achieved these goals, and we’re already planning further similar events”.

Anna Dyson at her Intuitive Oils stand.
The leggings, bags and cushions were fantastic!

During the festival I was asked to speak in a thought-provoking and deeply moving story-telling session, run by Alex of The Mindful Compass.  One of the story tellers -  talented artist Anna Dyson of Intuitive Oils in Kingston - gave a moving account of her struggles at school where she was unsuccessful with her exams; the difficulties she’d encountered of getting a diagnosis of ADHD (which finally happened when she was 52), Dyslexia, Dyspraxia and Irlen Sydrome, and the challenges she faces on a daily basis getting help and support for herself and her neurodiverse family.

After the festival Anna said "I have laughed, cried, danced, sung, drawn, and been drawn and painted, spoke twice in front of a live audience, watched inspiring films, live music, was blown away by the live art installation The Suit Project, and so much more". 

"I’ve met some of the bravest most courageous, amazing , colourful , intelligent, talented and creative people from all ages and all walks of life. I’ve seen people grow in confidence after exhibiting their art in our gallery, or having their art made into greetings cards, and also taking on other roles that they’re not familiar with.

But most of all been reminded of the massive difference it can make when you are with people who just ‘get you’ just the way you are". 

I'm very grateful to my wonderfully thoughtful friend Anna - who has high functioning Autism (and suspects she may have ADHD too) and raises loads of money for the National Autistic Society - for driving all the way from the other side of Surrey to attend the event.  This was a major achievement, as travelling can be difficult for her due to the sensory overload that goes with it - and of course then the social interaction with members of the public can sometimes be problematic.  Fortunately, she thoroughly enjoyed herself and had a go at making various crafts, listening to music and immersing herself in the amazing atmosphere.

My own personal key takeaways from this wonderful event are that:

• By working together amazing things can be achieved.
• The event brought together some amazing non-judgemental, empathetic individuals from all walks of life: people who had been born with neurological conditions; people who had acquired or contracted them or had been affected by them through family or friends.
• Having excellent local peer-led support groups such as Fastminds empowers people to talk about the problems they experience with like-minded, non-judgemental, compassionate people who have probably experienced similar issues.
• Getting an appropriate early diagnosis and appropriate person-centred help and support – whether it be for neurological conditions; or issues associated with an inability to plan, declutter or organise; hoarding issues or mental health issues – could save the country millions of pounds, as without practical help and support, the implications can include chronic psychological distress; learned helplessness; poor self-care; substance abuse; low self-esteem; employment difficulties and troubled long-term relationships.
• Having the Hoarding Ice-Breaker form at the festival was the right thing to do, as it encouraged conversations about the difficulties that many people with neurological conditions have with organising, planning, decluttering, disorganisation, hoarding and compulsive shopping, and how it affects their health. Some people were in tears talking about it, as I was the first person they’d spoken to who really understood their predicaments and who offered hope (through the services of Rainbow Red) for being able to make practical progress towards achieving their goals.
• Embracing neurodiversity enriches my life, and has made me a more understanding and patient person as a result.
• Amazing people like Sheena should be paid to run support groups for vulnerable people, and not have to give up their precious time without being rewarded for the invaluable service and safe-havens (micro-communities) they offer, or spend their time fund-raising to subsidise their expenses.
• Educating people about neurodiversity and the difficulties faced by people affected by neurological conditions is essential if Governments and future generations are ever going to consider implementing a more holistic and compassionate approach towards supporting people who are neurologically different and vulnerable to abuse.  Abuse like withdrawing or reducing benefits for no good reason, for example.
• It’s about time the Government realised the damage it can do to vulnerable people by cutting their benefits without justification.  The stresses and strains of receiving an inappropriate benefit grade without consultation; the sense of rejection; having to jump through bureaucratic hoops to appeal, and the financial and emotional strain it puts on people and their families often results in their mental and physical health deteriorating (and the health of their supporters too), which must surely increase annual health and social care costs by millions of pounds!

An art installation by wheelchair artist Mary Ellen
which included alarming statistics about the
number of people who have died since
being told they were fit enough to return
to work...

It also puts additional pressure on volunteers like Sheena, who already have more than enough on their plates.

So I hope that sufficient funds can be raised to support Fastminds and make the Neurodiversity Arts Festival an annual or bi-annual event;  that way it will continue to raise awareness of the type of issues that were discussed in the story-telling sessions, and ensure that they get discussed at Fastminds Support Group meetings, as well as at both local and national parliamentary levels. 

For more information about the Fastminds Support Group and their weekly and monthly meetings at Kingston Quaker Centre, check out the events page on their website:  http://www.adhdkingston.org.uk/events.html

If you would like to help support Sheena, the Fastminds Support Group and the Fastminds Neurodiversity Arts Festival, please consider:

•      donating via Local Giving - https://localgiving.org/charity/fastminds/
•       buying their fabulous cards which are for sale online at 

                https://weallsendcards.com/cards/byartist/fastminds

•      buying original canvases of the artwork for the cards – to have a look at what’s available, simply pop along to one of the Fastminds Support Group meetings, or contact Sheena Crankson directly

Meanwhile, scroll down for a few more photos of the festival - hope to see you next year!

++++

About the Fastminds ADHD/ASC Support Group

FASTMINDS is an acronym for common symptoms that are often seen in Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD):

•      Forgetful.
•      Achieving below potential.
•      Stuck in a rut.
•      Time challenged.
•      Motivationally challenged.
•      Impulsive.
•      Novelty seeking.
•      Distractible.
•      Scattered.

www.adhdkingston.org.uk

What is Neurodiversity? 

According to the University of California (San Francisco), there are more than 600 neurological disorders - diseases that affect the brain and the central and autonomic nervous system, and millions of people around the World.  

They're broadly classified into:

•       Sudden onset conditions (e.g. acquired brain injury or spinal cord injury)
•       Intermittent and unpredictable conditions (e.g. epilepsy, ME, certain types of headache, or the early stages of multiple sclerosis)
•       Progressive conditions (e.g. motor neurone disease, Parkinson’s disease, or later stages of multiple sclerosis)
•       Stable neurological conditions (e.g. post-polio syndrome, or cerebral palsy in adults)

Common examples include ADHD; Alzheimer's Disease; Aneurysms; Asperger's Syndrome; Autism; Bell's Palsy; Brain and Spinal Tumours; Carpal Tunnel Syndrome; Cerebral Atrophy; Dementia; Dyslexia; Guillain-Barre Syndrome; Huntingdon's Disease; Lyme Disease; Meningitis; Muscular Dystrophy; Sleep Apnea; Stroke; Tourette Syndrome and Traumatic Brain Injury.

Check out the NHS website for some fascinating facts and statistics about Neurological conditions.