Writer • Speaker • Trainer • Facilitator
Monday 27th November, 2023 My uncle started making sexualised comments towards me when I was a small child, asking me what I was wearing to bed when I was only ten years old. As my parents are deaf they wouldn’t have heard his comments to me, he took full advantage of this, I always felt …
Sunday 26th November, 2023 You might be wondering why Rachel, yesterday, didn’t tell a teacher about the boy harassing her. Well Deborah did…. I stood with my head bowed and shoulders hunched.I kept my back to the wall.Maybe this time I’d get into class before he started.But no.His hand on my arm as I try …
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 …