Loungewear TV appearance led me to charity discovery - Hayley Matthews

At the weekend I was doing a bit of TV work as a panellist on BBC Seven Days and with the entire country living in loungewear just now I had images in my head of rocking the Kylie Jenner glam "trying but not trying" look.

Hayley appeared on BBC Seven Days in her 'posh jammies'

Comfort and loungewear is massive just now and with us all putting comfort and cosiness first I though it would only be fair that I represented the feeling of the nation by going live in loungewear (posh jammies).

I'm a bit obsessed by the new comfort craze and have scanned the country far and wide collecting fluffy clothing from Sainsbury's, Asos, eBay and online shops.

So there I was on telly all comfy in a white side split crew-neck, fleeceback Joggers to match and false eyelashes! It's genuinely been a career highlight.

I always used to get a telling off for wearing leggings on STV and had the loungewear craze been around then I'd probably have been banned from the studio. So after my BBC work I took my make-up off, kept my fleeces on and sat smugly feeling like I was winning at life.

However, as I sat trying to justify purchasing more loungewear I stumbled across a bit about the #ChangeAGirlsLife campaign on The White Company site for "Women Supporting Women" at The Prince's Trust. I was please to read that £20 from sales of their tiny kiss necklaces (designed by a Chrissy the CEO) will go direct to helping many women in need who are supported by the charity. A timely effort for international women's day which is always very close to my heart.

Researching the charity brought me back down to earth as I read about women facing issues like domestic violence, long-term unemployment, bullying, single parenthood and homelessness. Delighted to read that Women supporting Women are helping those needing vital support to rebuild lost confidence and help women into employment, further education, or to become self-employed, I wanted to be involved. I'd had no ideas that last year the #ChangeAGirlsLife Campaign for International Women’s Day raised £315,000 and felt flighty guilty that I hadn't gotten involved last year because I'm all for women helping and supporting our fellow women.

It’s scary to read that young women in the UK are more likely to face adversities such as domestic abuse, suffer from poor mental health and manage any child-care responsibilities than young men are which again made me feel like I wanted to help.

What really struck a chord with me was the fact that since the Covid pandemic 54 per cent of young women express that they no longer feel in control of their lives. That's something that I can certainly resonate with.

I feel I have very little control of things just now but am very grateful for my blessings so try and focus on the positives whilst doing my bit where I can. So with £20 from the sale of each tiny kiss necklace going to the #ChangeAGirlsLife Campaign at The Prince’s Trust I decided to do my bit and purchase one for a good friend to lift her spirits whilst being able to do a little good too. With international women's day around the corner I'd love to know how else we can support our fellow females.