Endless bloody hugs (21-30)

Ok, I am bored of this now! However, the good news is that I have done my full 50 hugs within the 30 days required. No more bloody hugs! However, as it takes longer to write the buggers up than to give/recieve them, I'll carry on blogging them in batches of 10 for a couple more weeks. That means there's still time for you to sponsor my hugging and walking if you like on my Just Giving Page. 

Inicdentally, I have also completed my walking challenge. I walked 100km of the Thames Path in 23.5 hours. Never pushed myself so bloody hard. I even gave someone a free hug. Clearly I was not in my right mind.  

Anyway, back to the hugs. Back to the tedious process of trying every day to judge whether there's anyone around I am remotely comfortable asking for a hug. But the end was in sight by now and I'd passed the halfway point and could see light at the end of the tunnel. Here are the next ten hugs. 

Hug #21: The Teacher

I've decided to tick off some professionals and here's a huggy teacher. Well, she's all sorts of things really, pro-choice campaigner, pet-feeder, problem solver, mother, singer, wife and friend among other things. Didn't mind *too much* hugging her. I have probably done it before, I confess.

Hug #22: The Old School Friend

This made me wonder if I used to be huggy at school and have lost the knack. My 13 year old hugs her friends endlessly but I don't remember doing that. Anyway, you won't be surprised to know this was the first person to check themselves in the photo in case another take was required. <cough> vain <cough> to use a subtle old school technique. 

Hug #23: The Former Boss

And this one made me wonder if all workplaces are as huggy as Brook. I don't think they are. I don't think this one was anyway. Except when we dealt with agencies. People in agencies are always so damn huggy. Still, that's now 2 bosses I have hugged. Which means I don't need to worry about 'hug your boss day' for 2 years.

Hug #24: Teenage Boy 1

I'll be frank, I was expecting a flat refusal so was surprised when he obliged. Another one of those dreadful young people we hear so much about in the media yet he appears to be funny, polite, interesting and intelligent. Honestly, I am beginning to think the Daily Mail might not always be fully factual. 

Hug #25: The Exex Team 1

What would a Brook Executive Team be without a few huggers? Operations here, demonstrating her grasp of the operational aspects of hugging - high quality, cost effective, user-focussed delivery.

Hug #26: The Exec Team 2

Ah, Corporate Services. Making sure hugging is booked several months in advance so as to benefit from discounted prices, doesn't to anything to damage the relationship between the individual and the organisation and is carried out under strict health and safety conditions. 

Hug #27: The Exex Team 3

Yeah, she's hugging but mostly she's wondering if this huggathon is the kind of innovative product that we could scale up and sell to commissioners. She's wondering if I've done enough data collection to demonstrate impact effectively and if I could do a train the trainer season and a marketing flyer. 

Hug #28: The Choir Director

Essentially, undoing all the benefit of the wonderful relaxing, uplifiting singing she helps me do by making me hug. I wonder if she was trying to squeeze those top notes out of my increasingly creaky soprano voice. I should be careful what I say - she'll instigate hugging as good diaphragmatic exercise and I'll never be able to sing again. 

Hug #29: The therapist

Oh yeah, chock full of compassion and empathy and insight into people's needs and feelings and still one of this who took real delight in a big old bearhug. I reckon she thinks it's healing or some such tosh. 

Hug #30: Teenage Boy 2

I know! Another one. Another polite, friendly, cheerful, charming teenage boy agreeing to add to my tally. This one had played a game of cricket and hadn't broken any fingers for a whole game so he was pretty chirpy. 

So that was 21-30. Just another 20 to go, and I was fast running out if friends and family to approach. How did I cope with hugging strangers...? Tune in next time to find out, folks. #cliffhanger

Ten more bloody hugs

So, another week, another selection of awkward clumsy embraces with no discernible human value beyond some good old hard cash for Brook (hurrah). Incidentally, I also did a 50km training walk that took 11 hours and I was much more satisfied with that progress than I was the other. But apparently this tedious hugging is what's interesting to people.  Go figure.

So, who were the next 10 touchy-feelies...? Read on and find out. 

Hug #11: The Teenager

I don't know what is more embarrassing, having a friend's mum offer you a hug or being the person whose mum asks your friend for a hug whilst giving an explanation that includes a talk on consent and boundaries ("Mum, shut up we know this stuff") but either way there was some squirming in our house that day. Tho the hug itself was happily given by one of my favourite and oldest of my daughter's friends.

Hug #12: The Sports No 1

Ahhh, the Sports. Brook's good friends and neighbours, the Women's Sport & Fitness Foundation have one or two members who would win gold medals in hugging. They were on it the minute they heard about the challenge. I bet they all love running too, the huggy, sporty poppets. 

Hug #13: The black metal feminist

  
Yes, apparently black metal and hugging are not mutually exclusive and anyone who imagined they might be is guilty of serious book-by-cover judging. This is also one of the few members of my team prepared to hug me. I don't care to consider why that might be. 

hug #14 The Sports No 2

Another sporty hugger. This one is such a high level hugger (Olympic standard) that we had to have two - one with the photo proof and one that was apparently the "real" one. I am aggrieved that it only counts once because the second one was proper beary and I think I should get extra points for closeness and length. 

Hug #15 The Scot

Am I (an eighth Scottish myself) doing my bit to be stronger together for the No campaign or embracing the go-it-alone spirit of the Yessers? Sadly you will never know. As such a significant public figure in this debate I think it's best to stay out of it and let people make up their own minds. #copout

Hug #16 The next door neighbour

Bit late, bit dark, one or two drinks inside us after a very pleasant hour or two in the pub. Hug thy neighbour is now hanging on a twee plaque on my desk, right next to the sign that says "You don't have to be mad to work here, but it helps!!!".

Hug #17 The Northern Irelander

Continuing my hug across nations theme, we look across the water to Belfast and another non-hugger. See how we both tense uncomfortably, but persevere for the good of young people's sexual health? The money raised from this hug will particularly fuel the fight to win women in Northern Ireland the same bloody reproductive rights we enjoy everywhere else in the UK.

Hug #18 the happy colleague

See how these people take such glee in my discomfort? These people are such happy huggers they have been watching and waiting for the opportunity to pounce! This one was amongst the first to volunteer a hug and was very happy with it too. Perhaps I'm just really bloody good at hugging. 

Hug #19 The GCSE results 

Ah, another lovely person and a hug I would have given willingly without a fee attached because the clever little monkey's gone and got herself an 'ology and a handful of other GCSEs. A nice reminder that it's the young people starting their journey to adulthood that Brook is here for and it's worth a few hugs to help pay for that important work.  

Hug #20 the captain of industry

Oh, yes, a very important and well connected business man who took time out of his busy day to hug me, after which we say down and looked at his pictures from Disneyland where he met Tigger, Pooh and Snow White. Honestly, no wonder the bloody country is going to the dogs if all the serious business types are a bunch of sodding huggers. 

So, that's the next 10. I am actually on 31 now (with one particularly special one in a uniform - you will have to wait for the next instalment to find out more about that one) and I'm not sure whether it's going to be harder to walk 100km non-stop or find another 19 people to hug in the next 10 days, but either way, if you feel generous, please do consider sponsoring me to help all the brilliant work for young people that Brook does. www.justgiving.com/Jules100k

Cheers and hugs all round!