Welcome to my blog
This is my new blog. Come back soon as there will be many more posts to come…
Listen. Listen hard …then act
Listen. Listen hard …then act 'Are you actually listening Mum - or just pretending?' Oh dear. My children know the trick - ask a question - how was school? Then eyes glaze over, ears close off and my mind switches to a distracting work deadline. Familiar? I can’t be the only one. We all could do with a speed lesson in honing our listening skills. That’s a clear unexpected takeaway message from Being the Story 2018. For those of you don’t know the event, it’s the third from storytelling house, Sounddelivery which gives people with firsthand experience of today’s pressing social issues the opportunity and platform to describe their lives [...]
Still standing for justice, thank you!
Two knights, a unicorn and a TV chef...... The perfect ingredients for the Big Half last weekend. Up until lunchtime the day before it was touch and go whether London’s new half marathon would be snowed off or not. Thankfully the race went ahead. So what’s with this knight business? Just as the miles began to hurt, Sir Number One streaks past in the opposite direction. Yes, Sir Mo Farah was ahead of me - only by an hour! A few miles on and I’m flanked by a sea of t-shirts, ‘Bowel cancer’s tough. I’m tougher, ‘ ‘Mum, I’m doing this for you’ and of course the obligatory unicorn. As [...]
Going the extra mile for justice
Up to my ankles in mud….going the extra mile for justice ‘How’s the training going?’ Lots of people kindly ask. Well, the trainers speak for themselves….mud, mud and more mud. The last few weeks have been one big mudbath. I guess the dates on the calendar should have served as a warning. Two cross-country runs in the hills in winter. It was never going to be a doddle. It’s worth it. Days before the trail run, I met up with the charity LLST - who I’m raising money for - to hear more about the people who receive vital legal support when they’re in crisis. Some of the advice centres [...]
Run for Justice: Housing matters
Run for Justice: Housing matters New Years Resolutions?… Hmm. I’ve never been one for turning over a new leaf come the New Year. Dry January? Not so much. Perhaps a little perversely I challenged myself to dry end of November/first half of December. Not so catchy I know. Did it work? It did, thanks. As for the New Year, new gym membership thing, my training for London’s new Big Half marathon in March continues through winter’s snow, rain and hail. Today myself and two friends - including barrister friend Navita who got me into this challenge- were rewarded with sun. But the real reward is knowing that a small amount [...]
In the bleak mid-winter
In the bleak mid-winter: Run for Justice Frost on the ground, crisp bright sunshine one day. Minus degrees and settling snow the next day. Reality dawns. On March 4th I’m running more than 13 miles, pounding the pavements round the great sites of London. The Big Half should be the fun bit, I hope. The joys of winter training not always so charming. Good job there’s a bigger end in sight. I promised I’d write about the people and lives helped by the charity I’m running for, the London Legal Support Trust. 5 year old Godwin (not his real name) for example. After a long spell living in the UK, [...]
Run for Justice
Run for Justice ‘We have a lot of cake sales coming our way,’ my friend Navita says as we accept sponsorship places to run London’s new Big Half in March next year. Baking - me? Soggy bottoms, sunken Victoria sandwiches spring to mind. Better think of something else to drum up support for frontline access to justice. The London Legal Support Trust (LLST) provides much needed funds, legal expertise and a morale-boost to hard pressed, vital legal advice centres and citizens advice bureaus in London and the South East. Day-in-day out, against the odds these centres defy legal aid cuts giving professional advice to people facing homelessness, terrible rental [...]