Centre Stage Competition - Clydesdale Bank & SSE Hydro | Ad

Hi all! Hope you're doing well!

Today's post is celebrating a pretty exciting contest. As a Glasgow native, yet one time only (as of yet) visitor to the SSE Hydro, I was intrigued to hear about the Centre Stage competition, currently being run by Clydesdale Bank in collaboration with The Hydro.

What is it?

The Centre Stage competition gives people the chance to say thank you to someone who has gone the extra mile for them. In our day to day lives (if we're lucky), there are people who constantly support us and build us up; people who give us unconditional love, people who push us to be the best version of ourselves, or even just people who can always make us laugh, even after a bad day. And, hopefully, we do the same for them. But we don't often get an opportunity to give them a shout out for being so great, or to just say "thanks so much for everything you do for me". It sometimes feels like we only think to say that at particularly big life moments (both good and bad), when it's important to be grateful for these wonderful people every day!

So, what's great about this competition is that really, it's a win-win. Even if the tickets and VIP evening don't come your way, you get the opportunity to tell someone how thankful you are for them by letting them you know you nominated them - and that could maybe even mean more than the grand prize! Best case scenario, you get both!! I don't know about you, but hearing how positively I've impacted on someone's life would be an incredible feeling.

The prize...

Okay, I know I've just said being nominated is wonderful in itself, but this prize is pretty amazing! Clydesdale Bank and the Hydro are offering you and your nominated friend/family member/mentor/colleague/insert-appropriate word here, two tickets to a show at the Hydro, to see one of Glasgow's top comedians perform live! While the identity is a secret for now, if they're performing at the Hydro, it's bound to be good. The tickets are seated, with an amazing view of the stage, and you will also have access to the VIP Hydro Club - so you know it's guaranteed to be an exciting evening!

How do you enter?

Here's the easy part - just pop on to the Clydesdale Bank website, enter your name, your nominee's name, your email address and tell them how your nominee has gone the extra mile!

I nominate...

I'm writing this blog post on the train home from work, scribbling it down in a notebook because I don't have my laptop with me - #oldschool. I finished work at the usual ten to five, in order to get the bus in time to make my train home. I work in Edinburgh one day a week, so in order to get the direct train that doesn't stop at every station under the sun, I have to leave at an exact time, and I have my journey and timing down to a fine art. Today though, was not one of those days. I got to the bus stop and not one but two buses didn't show, meaning by the time I got to Waverley, having run like my version of an Olympic athlete (it wasn't pretty)from St Andrews Square to the station through the Fringe crowd, I missed my train. The reason for this anecdote, is that when I finally got on a train, one that took much longer and meant I had to change at the town next to my hometown and wait half an hour for a connection, I texted my mum to let her know I would be significantly later home from work than usual. She has immediately fired back a text saying she will come and pick me up at that station. It sounds small, but it's just an example of one of the million and one ways my mum goes out of her way for me every day, and has done my whole life. I'm a grown up now (yikes), a proper, mid-twenties, starting to hear myself say things like "when I was younger" grown up, but even through my childhood and teens, my mum and I have been very much pals as well as mother and daughter. No matter what stage of my life I've been in, whether it was going to uni first time around, jetting off on my trip to Australia, freaking out over what to do with my life, or going back to do my Masters, my parents have always been unbelievably supportive, and I'm so very lucky to have both of them. So today, I'm nominating my mum, for always going the extra mile for me and for my brother.

As expected, my nomination is significantly longer than your average message - a couple of sentences will suffice, but you know me - I do love 

Good luck with your entries!! 

Thanks for reading!

This post was written in collaboration with Clydesdale Bank, but all views and opinions are my own.

7 Glasgow Bars You Have To Try!

As someone who has lived just outside Glasgow for my whole life, and who has studied and worked in Glasgow since I was eighteen, I'd say I have a pretty good knowledge of the city centre - so I thought I'd share that with you! If you're visiting Glasgow and you're looking for somewhere close to the train station to stop off for a drink, I've got you covered! Here are seven bars, each within walking distance of Glasgow Central Station (and Argyle Street and Queen Street stations too!), and the drinks I'd recommend ordering there!:

October (Princes Square):

This is one of my favourite Glasgow haunts. Whether you are looking for food or just for a cocktail, October has a really nice, chilled out vibe, while still feeling pretty sophisticated. I think this is partly due to the location in the gorgeous Princes Square shopping centre - it just oozes luxury, so even just popping in for a soft drink feels like a bit of a treat. That said, the prices are not extravagant!

I'd recommend: The Vanilla Apple Sour cocktail.

Hortons (92 West George Street):

If my friends and I can't decide where to go for a catch up, we inevitably end up in Hortons - it's a firm favourite! By day it is a chilled out bar-come-restaurant, and by night it is a lively hub for after work drinks, weekend nights out, and it even has a bit of a club vibe on Friday and Saturday when it stays open till 3am and some of the tables are pushed aside to make way for a dance floor. The music is usually good, the staff are friendly, and it is home to my favourite cocktail in the whole of Glasgow...

I'd recommend: The Bellini Martini.

The Old Hairdressers (Renfield Lane):

If you're into more of a hipster vibe, might I suggest popping along to The Old Hairdressers in Renfield Lane? This bar is literally a two minute walk from Central Station, and is definitely one of the hidden gems in the city centre if you know where to look! It's a nice choice for a date night, or a quiet catch up with a friend, since the music tends not to be blaring too loudly and the drinks are fairly reasonably priced considering how close it is to the train station. It has a very unfinished look - bare walls with artsy posters and a sort of mishmash of chairs. It's not everyone's cup of tea, but I like it!

I'd recommend: If you're a beer fan (which I'm actually not, but I'm aiming for variety in this post!) there is an interesting selection in here, which my friends have praised!

Palm Sugar (175 Buchanan Street):

For a more "grown up and classy" choice, check out the Palm Sugar Lounge on Buchanan Street! Admittedly, I haven't been there later in the evening - my friend and I used to pop in here for a cheeky after-uni glass of wine sometimes, so usually we were here between 5 and 7 - but at that point it was fairly quiet, so a good place to relax after a busy day at work, uni, or maybe even a day of Christmas shopping!

I'd recommend: A glass of rose (this list wouldn't be complete without a rose recommendation!)

Strata (45 Queen Street)

Strata is a recent discovery for me, I've only been a couple of times but I've really enjoyed it both times! Nikki, Roisin and I went a few weeks ago (see this vlog for footage!) and I ordered what was one of the best cocktails I've had in a long time (see recommendation below!). It's a slightly longer walk from central station, but is less than a five minute walk from both Queen Street and Argyle Street stations.

I'd recommend: A Passionfruit and Apricot Daiquiri

Sir John Moore (260-292 Argyle Street):

In the interests of keeping this post one hundred percent purse friendly, I thought I'd include the Sir John Moore, which is a branch of Wetherspoons across the road from the downstairs entrance to Central Station on the corner of Argyle Street and Hope Street! If you're keeping an eye on your bank balance, or you have very little time before your train but want to squeeze in a quick drink before you go, this is one of the handiest pubs for the station! It's cheap and cheerful, with a typical Wetherspoons menu, but it's definitely somewhere we head to for a quick bite to eat every so often!

I'd recommend: A bottle of Rekorderlig, in whatever fruity flavour they have that day!

Bunker (193-199 Bath Street):

This is a last minute add on, but I have to recommend Bunker on Bath Street! This is somewhere my uni friends and I used to pop into for a drink before we'd go out with our dancing shoes on back in the day, but more recently I've discovered what a brilliant place this is in terms of deals on meals! There are some really excellent deals on (any main meal for £5 on a Monday, for example), and the food is amazing! I'll throw in a quick food recommendation here - if you're a pulled pork fan, the pulled pork pizza is incredible!

I'd recommend: An Appletini.

So there we have it - seven different pubs and bars to check out on your next few trips into Glasgow!

Let me know if you've been to any of these bars, or if you have any Glasgow night out recommendations! :)

Thanks for reading!

30 Day Snap #6

Okay, so I'll level with you (if you follow me on instagram, this won't be a shock) - this photo wasn't actually taken today! I don't know if there's a rule about that, but I reckon the 30 Day Snap is pretty flexible! I was filling in on reception in my dad's office today, so didn't have much to photograph! Anyway, I took this photo in Glasgow a week ago today and I really love it. I think Argyle Street probably looks like this today too, as the sun has decided to shine! I love taking photos like this - don't worry, I don't look directly at the sun, I tend to just point my camera in that direction and hope for the best, but this one turned out pretty well! Glasgow is where I went to Uni, and I love the city so much. Hope you've all had a great sixth of June, leave me your links below :)