It's Yellow Duck Day 2015!

So here we are! 12 months to the day since we launched the Little Yellow Duck Project with a cute idea and a lot of dreams.  Not only did we make it to our first Birthday but we have done it in style.  There have been over 3,000 ducks logged onto our world map in 61 different countries and on all 7 continents of the world.  Here's how the ducks spread across those continents:15th April 2014 - 1st ever duck logged on the website! The duck was named Donald and he was found in Stockton-on-Tees, UK.16th April 2014 - 1st duck outside the UK was logged in Guernsey, Channel Islands.23rd April 2014 - 1st duck on the continent of North America (Bluffton, Indiana).11th May 2014 - 1st duck logged on the continent of Australasia (Melbourne in Australia)10th July 2014 - 1st duck logged in the continent of South America (Lima, Peru).28th July 2014 - 1st duck logged in the continent of Asia (Phi Phi Islands, Thailand)1st August 2014 - 1st duck was logged in the continent of Africa (Johannesburg, South Africa)30th November 2014 - 1st duck logged on the continent of Antarctica (Port Lockroy).14th April 2015 - Almost one year to the day the first duck was found, the 61st country was added to the map with the addition of the Dominican Republic!Today marks the first anniversary of the project but the second anniversary of one very special person who is - and will always be - at the very heart of the Little Yellow Duck Project ...Clare Cruickshank.   Clare was my best friend, my soul-sister and the godmother to my little boy. She was the most wonderful, funny, thoughtful, giving and simply wonderful person you could meet and it's been hard to get through two years without the sunshine she brought to every day of life for those around her.I'd like to take this opportunity to thank Clare's wonderful Mum - Ann Rowcliffe - for sowing the seed in my mind that grew into the Little Yellow Duck Project by choosing to remember the first anniversary of Clare's death in a positive way - by doing random acts of kindness for the day.  It was whilst trying to think how I could join Ann in this mission that the idea of the LYDP was conceived...and the rest, as they say, is history. She has also been a huge support to the project throughout the whole of the last year.Over the last 12 months I have seen the project flourish into the most beautiful, perfect and fitting tribute to Clare, her life and her personality.  Although Clare never got her second chance at life due to the shortage of organ donors in the UK, she chose to donate her corneas, the result of which is that two other young adults can now see.  One of the things that Clare liked to see most was other countries - she simply loved to travel and was always at her happiest when exploring the world.  The fact that Clare's spirit still travels on across the globe through the little yellow ducks that she so loved, is a beautiful legacy to have watched grow and develop.Thank you to every single person who has made just one (or more!) yellow ducks in the last 12 months and set them off on a journey to spread smiles and to save lives. Over the next few weeks, I'll be trying to blog regularly to showcase some of the stories, photos and messages we have received over the last year. Watch this space!But for now...Happy Yellow Duck Day and here's to the next 12 months!