Writer • Speaker • Trainer • Facilitator
Saturday 25th November, 2023 Today is the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against women and the first of #16days of activism to end gender based violence. For each of the 16 days I will be giving a voice to women and girls from the U.K. to tell their story about how gender based …
Sunday 19th November 2023 Today is international men’s day so I thought it was a good opportunity to celebrate non-toxic masculinity and what makes those men so bloody great. There are loads of wonderful men in my life; my sons, my marvellous boyfriend, my nephew, brother-in-law, my dad and a handful of really great friends. …
Those of us of a certain age, before the days of games consoles, traffic and modern parental worry, will remember long hot summers where we were booted out the front door after breakfast and didn’t return home until the street lights came on. Those glorious days of childhood, full of knock-a-door run and making prank …
“Truth hurts” a phrase often used to justify unkind words and a lack of care around other people’s feelings. Those of us of a religious bent may even try to spiritualise this notion of “only being honest” as “speaking the truth in love” But let’s face it, as our home secretary has shown us recently, …
Wednesday 20th September, 2023 There’s a pattern emerging. Right now it’s about Russell Brand but it won’t be long until it’s someone else. We’re cycling through the predatory celebs, Jonah Hill, Philip Schofield, Johnny Depp, even Prince Andrew. There’s always someone we’re accusing, or defending, arguing about, speculating over. Someone who is “innocent until proven …
25th August 2022 What do we do when our heroes, our family, our friends, our ancestors turn out to have made mistakes? Deny, minimise, distance ourselves, tear down statues, defend statues? Whatever community or cause we identify with, we will find people throughout its history who have got it wrong, we will be let down …
24th August, 2022 In the Lady Garden at Wells Cathedral stands a statue of Jesus. He holds his crown of thorns behind his back and gazes up at the Cathedral. The garden is peaceful, Jesus a picture of serenity and you cannot help but want to sit or wander a while in contemplation. As I …
Monday 21st August, 2023 It really shouldn’t be Christians I’m writing this for, honestly, the rest of the world is really starting to understand how harmful hitting children is (let’s get rid of that euphemism- ‘spanking’- and be real, it’s hitting) why are Christians always the ones behind the times when it comes to moral …
22nd August, 2022 It’s not supposed to be difficult.Life, love, faith.None of it is supposed to be difficult.The songs tell us that “love hurts” , that it’s sometimes hard, that we must work at it.I disagree. In fact, it was the big lesson I learned in my first relationship after my abusive husband; that loving …
Monday 14th August, 2023 The skyline of Barcelona is dominated by the 18 towers of Sagrada Familia, an exquisite Cathedral that has been a work in progress since 1882. When its architect, Gaudi died in 1926 the Cathedral was less than a quarter finished, Gaudi wasn’t worried, he’d designed it that way, as he famously …