7.15 am  phone interview with BBC Radio Bristol (from my bed!)

9 am  collect my dry cleaning for tonight’s attire. It’s not every day you get to host an Ed Sheeran gig- I want to look my best!

10 am  BBC Points West arrive at the One25 drop-in to do an interview. Karen (a caseworker) and I have to also pose with the One25 van and look busy which is quite funny. Interview here:

11 am – 3 pm  run over schedules with Ed’s tour manager, continue selling last minute tickets, quick phone interview with Jack FM, run through checklists again and again. Take lots of deep breaths.

3.15 pm Travel to The Fleece with Ruth, a long-term volunteer at One25, a good friend and also my stage manager for the day. Arrive to find the crowds are already forming outside the venue, chilling in the sunshine and singing the A Team on loop!!!

3.20 pm Ed’s good mate and tonight’s main support act, Luke Concannon, arrives with a smile on his face and guitar in hand of course! He’s brought some friends along to make a film of the show for him…. watch this space.

4 pm Ed’s label arrive to coordinate a front cover photo shoot and interview he’s doing with Total Guitar for their summer magazine. See HERE.

4.15 pm BBC Points West and ITV West arrive, set up their lights and cameras and await their chance to chat to Ed who is now 5 minutes away.

4.20 pm Ed wanders in, still waking up from a sleepy journey. I say hello, thank him for all he is about to do for us and ask if he’s ready to get started. “Yeah, let’s do it” he says without a moments hesitation. And in front of the cameras he goes… watch ITV HERE and BBC HERE (as above).

4.30 pm Ed reunites with Luke backstage- hugs and smiles all round. We have 3  guitars and a stack of ‘+’ CDs for Ed to sign and he happily scribbles away whilst I frantically snap some pics on my cheap camera (to use for authenticity when we get around to ebay-ing them or giving away in competitions etc). Slow down ED!

4.40 – 6.15 pm Ed’s photo shoot and interview for Total Guitar takes place at the back of the room while we push on with laying the merchandise out and welcoming First Thought and Katie Sky. I change into my evening outfit, squirt a bit more hairspray and re-apply my lippy. All done with no mirror- there’s never one when you need it! My phone rings constantly, texts, emails and tweets keep beeping. I’m started to stress a little…

6.15 pm Heart FM arrive just as Ed takes to the stage to sound check. We all stop and admire the sounds he makes as he casually does his thing.

6.20 pm Alvaro, a film-maker who has volunteered to make us a short film of the event, is briefing me on some questions I need to ask Ed on camera as soon as he finishes his sound check. We invite Luke down from the dressing rooms to join Ed in the interview and I start to feel nervous and a little out of my depth.

6.30 pm Sound check over, Ed asks if anyone has a first aid kit (his tattoo that he had done that morning by the way!) is starting to get a bit icky. We find a bandage and Luke helps him strap it around his wrist. It’s really lovely watching the two friends together and I only wish they could have more time to spend catching up without all the madness of what’s going on tonight. But alas, we are here for a good reason and we must press on…

6.30 – 6.45 pm We do the interview with Alvaro. I ask Ed and Luke a few questions about why they’re here tonight, why it’s an important cause to them and why people should support the charity and the ‘Give it up’ campaign. They answer with such insight and conviction I am once again reminded of what genuinely lovely guys they are.

6.45 pm Ed does a quick interview with Heart FM before making a quick exit to spend some well earned time with his Bristol family, out for dinner. He leaves out the back entrance with his hood up and slips away unnoticed!

6.50 – 7.30 pm Sound checks continue with Luke, then followed by First Thought and Katie Sky. The atmosphere is already electric as the crowd builds outside. Alvaro and his film crew pop out to take some footage and interview a few ‘Give it uppers’.

7.30 pm Doors open and we’re away!!! Friends and family appear all around me and my nerves start to settle. Katie Sky takes to the stage with her ‘Sweet sweet melodies’, followed by First Thought who express their gratitude to everyone, saying “Last time we performed here there were only about 7 people“. Everyone gives them a cheer!

8.30 pm I jump on stage to welcome everyone and chat a bit about ‘Give it up for One25′. I spot some familiar faces of people I have got to know through the campaign, or die-hard fans of Ed who’ve become very chatty with us on Twitter. It’s lovely to finally meet everyone! I finish by introducing Luke Concannon who appears from the back of the room, guitar in hand, bare feet, beautiful voice.

9.20 pm Stage manager, Ruth, catches Ed backstage just before leading him out for his set. She shows him a three minute video made in One25′s drop-in by women we support. They express their gratitude, saying “Hi Luke and Ed, I just wanted to say thank you for helping to raise money for One25. For me personally this place is a life saver…” and “One25 has helped me over the past 8 years, from being homeless and working on the streets, through some of the worst times in my life.” A special moment before Ed takes centre stage.

9.30 pm Karen (a One25 caseworker) explains to the audience what One25 is all about, who the women are that we help and the sort of issues they face.  It’s a hard spot to fill- just before Ed- and although the audience is keen to see the main act, they listen intently as Karen swallows back her tears.

9.35 pm I take to the stage one last time to announce our grand total raised through the ‘Give it up’ campaign and this gig… £42,000!!! The crowd cheer. I take a deep breath and say the words I’ve been waiting to say for ten months; ” And now, it is with great pleasure that I welcome to the stage… Ed Sheeran!” Raucous applause ensues as Ed jumps up the stage steps, gives me a hug and I slip back down to watch him do what he does best. And he is on fire tonight…

There follows 90 minutes of magic. Including a heartfelt dedication of Ed’s hit ‘the A Team’ to One25, the women we support and everyone involved in the charity. Oh and me (I was quite chuffed to be named!)

An amazing night with a really intimate vibe as though we were all just good friends hanging out and jamming. Ed’s request that “this is not so much a headline gig as a ‘have fun’ gig” was certainly heard by all. We had fun!!!

We’ve just uploaded our pics of the eve HERE. We’ll share our short film of the event as soon as it’s ready (stay tuned). And for now I’ll leave you with this catchy little number from Luke Concannon, who was inspired by the whole event and especially the thank you video from our beneficiaries. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you, “Give it up for One25″  !!!!

FIRST PRIZE: 2 tickets to the BIG GIG on 22nd May at The Fleece in Bristol.

Nayah Hiscock

SECOND PRIZE: An Ed Sheeran signed CD of ‘+’

Niels Moller

THIRD PRIZE: An Ed Sheeran signed ‘Give it up’ t-shirt.

Holly Robinson

Here’s the video of us drawing the winners out of a ‘hat’ at 1pm today:

Congratulations to …. We’ll email you to make arrangements for your prizes. And if you weren’t lucky enough to win tickets to the BIG gig next Tuesday there is still a chance to buy yours HERE. Every single penny raised goes to One25 a Bristol based charity that reaches out to women trapped in street sex work, supporting them to break free and build new lives away from violence, poverty and addiction. And it’s gonna be a greeeeeeeeeeeeat night!

If you can’t afford to buy tickets (from HERE) then enter this prize draw for a chance to get up close and personal with the two time Brit Awards winner. Every single penny raised goes to One25 a Bristol based charity that reaches out to women trapped in street sex work, supporting them to break free and build new lives away from violence, poverty and addiction.

FIRST PRIZE: 2 tickets to the BIG GIG on 22nd May at The Fleece in Bristol.
SECOND PRIZE: An Ed Sheeran signed CD of ‘+’
THIRD PRIZE: An Ed Sheeran signed ‘Give it up’ t-shirt.

Here’s how it works:

You can donate to this page until midday on Tuesday 15th May.

For every £1 you donate, your name will be entered into a hat eg. if you donate £1 your name will be entered once, if £100 your name will be entered 100 times (giving you 100 chances of being picked!).

We will put all your names into a hat and draw the lucky winner at 1pm on Tues 15th May. We will film this as evidence and post it on here on our blog  along with confirmation of the winners.

Please spread the news of our PRIZE DRAW!! Share, like, tweet, etc so we can raise as much money as possible!

And remember, the more generous your donation, the more chance you have of winning. Good luck and thank you!

The big idea:

On Friday 11th till Sunday 13th May, Katie will be busking in FIVE cities in just ONE weekend. All proceeds will be raising money for One25.

Katie says, “If you want me to come busk in YOUR city or a city near you, please create a fundraising page for that city by clicking on this link - http://ow.ly/9Vooq - and follow the easy instructions. I will come to the top 5 cities, based on the totals raised on the fundraising pages by Friday 4th May. So get donating to your city’s page, or create the page for your city if it’s not already done (Check the list at the bottom of THIS PAGE to see what cities already have pages created!).

Tell everyone you know to donate and make sure your city is one of the top 5 by 4th May!! PLUS, Anyone who donate’s more than £15 on any of the fundraising pages will be entered into a draw to win a pair of tickets to the Big charity gig (May 22nd) where i will be performing alongside Ed Sheeran WOOP!

IMPORTANT – The small print – The Cities have to be in the UK only I’m afraid, I don’t have enough money to be flying anywhere! The minimum required on a fundraising page for it to be counted is £100 by May 4th. I’ll announce the winners of the ticket draw on May 4th as well. And let me just stress that EVERY penny that we raise is going straight to One25, not to me, I pinky promise!

So, please join in with the BIG BUSK. Click here to go directly to Katie’s event page on facebook, and start calling her to your city. You’ve got one month till the competition closes. Have fun and thank you for supporting vulnerable women in Bristol by getting involved in this. Enjoy!

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED: We are currently looking for more female volunteer drivers for this crucial service. If you’re interested in finding out more please CLICK HERE.

To watch the first INSIGHT video blog, ‘Valentines in the One25 drop-in‘ please CLICK HERE. Or to find out more about our work you can visit our website www.one25.org.uk

Finally, please share this video with as many people as possible to help us raise awareness of our work and this incredibly misunderstood cause. Thank you!

Katie’s debut EP, Paradise, shot straight into the Top 10 of the Electronic Itunes Chart in December and with crazy catchy tunes like ‘Sweet sweet melody’ and ‘Paradise’ we are NOT surprised. Here’s a little taster of what you can expect to see on 22nd May at our Ed Sheeran concert finale:

And if you like it, why not grab your copy of Katie’s EP now so you can sing along to every word on the night. CLICK HERE.

So here it is, the full line up for our ‘Give it up for One25‘ concert finale on 22nd May at The Fleece. Ed Sheeran and Luke Concannon, supported by Katie Sky and First Thought. We can’t wait!!!

If you’re reading this and wondering how you can get a ticket to this exclusive event, you’ve missed out on taking part in ‘Give it up’ this year (see full details) BUT we may have a few more tickets at our disposal and will be making announcements over the next few weeks. Stay tuned for all the latest news here.

One25 reaches out to women trapped in street sex work, supporting them to break free and build new lives. To find out more about us you can visit our website: www.one25.org.uk

And now it’s time to celebrate….

If you missed out this year, please SIGN UP to our mailing list to make sure you are the first to hear about future campaigns and events like this.

“Hello!! My name is Willow and I am currently raising money for One25.

I have chosen to give up my vanity, this means no make up, no hair products, no jewelry, no nice clothes (just plain white T’s and jeans), these are all luxuries that I am lucky to  be able to afford. By giving something up that means a lot to me, I hope to inspire others to give up just a small donation in order to help these street workers. I have a full time job and will be going to work and socialising with friends, this will be a challenge for me as I rely heavily on make up and superficial things to gain confidence. I am happy to take on the challenge for such a worthy cause!!”

Willow’s friends and family have clearly been moved by her pledge. Here are some of their comments on Willow’s Just Giving page:

“I am so proud of you and I love the amazing person you are, xx mum xx”

“Love what you wrote Willow – dead proud of you, it moved me!”

“Well done Willow, this is from my own money. I love you, from your little Sis xxx”

“I’ll go one more then just sponsor I will go without make up, jewelry, hair products, and nice clothes for 125 days lol xx”

If you think Willow’s vanity fast is worth a few pennies, or you’d just like to use it as a good excuse to help vulnerable women in Bristol, please SPONSOR WILLOW HERE.

If you want to make a pledge to ‘Give it up for One25‘ you can still SIGN UP before this Saturday (3rd March)! Make a difference today- please get involved!

First Thought’s fundraising  is already in full swing, with one band member running the Bath half marathon on 11th March as well as a busy schedule of busking and fundraising gigs for the band before May. They’re even donating all the profits from their forthcoming EP to One25!

If you’d like to grab this amazing opportunity to support Ed Sheeran AND raise money for an amazing cause, email louise@one25.org.uk to express your interest… or else share this with someone who might!

Don’t forget you can SIGN UP to ‘Give it up’ before 8th March and you may be in with a chance of coming along to this exclusive concert. Full details HERE.