Dame Anita Roddick xx

I am so sad tonight to hear about the death of Dame Anita Roddick. As a young teenager, when I first became aware of the Body Shop, I was just absolutely fascinated and would often pop in to the shop - not just to buy my little bottles of products (remember when Body Shop used to sell creams in bottles of different sizes?) but to read the slogans that were written on the wall or to sign the latest petition that was on the counter. Everything about the principles of the Body Shop and therefore Anita Roddick struck a chord with me as a teenager and I truly believe that those principles have stayed with me to this day. She inspired me to learn about human rights and join Amnesty International - I am still a member 20 years on, through the Body Shop she taught me about animal experimentation for cosmetic purposes and how inhumane it is. I always admired the 'off the wall' approach that helped her shape and make a huge success of the Body Shop and the way she stuck to her principles when the going got tough and the Body Shop went through a slump in popularity only to come back bigger and stronger than ever. In recent years I worked for the Body Shop, first as a Body Shop @ Home consultant and then instore when I was asked to help out in the shop over a busy period. Did you know that when you work in a Body Shop store your induction begins with watching a human rights and environmental video / DVD? - that's quite an unusual induction to a workplace! It was at the Body Shop where I did my make up training and even though it was only for a short time I was proud to be part of the Body Shop team and what it stood for. I have admired Anita for a very long time, not only as a campaigner but as a business woman who carved out her own way of doing things and helped to inspire many other women who have gone on to begin and run their own business ventures. So, all I can say tonight is Dame Anita Roddick - I salute you and thank you for all of the good things you did for the world - you will be sadly missed xx Dawn Makeover Mates www.makeovermates.co.uk