I fell off the side of a cliff and landed head first
A few months after the accident, my head became infected – despite the treatments – and I had to have some of my skull removed.
I’m training my dog to go on to save people’s lives
Ernie is a medical detection dog in training and I am his volunteer socialiser.
I wrote a letter to my son about what it means to be a Black man in the UK today
I want Zion to be seen as a human first - to live on a planet where he’s not just ‘tolerated’ but included.
My dog got me through cancer, he now has a brain tumour – I want to save his life
I know how it feels to be given a cancer diagnosis. Just because he’s a dog, Fin’s life isn’t any less valuable.
I make up to £4,000 a month selling my used underwear online
Today, I have about 20 regular customers who keep coming back each month and anything on top of that is just a bonus.
I write letters to seriously ill children to put a smile on their face
It becomes quite addictive, in a good way, sending a little bit of joy to a child in need.
I share a name with Phillip Schofield and no, I don’t have a friend called Gordon The Gopher
‘There’s a guy on the TV with the same name as you, but he’s better looking than you are’, my sister said to me.
Volunteering with Battersea has brought me so much joy – and a new cat
Battersea said he was the loudest cat they had ever encountered, and they may have had a point.
I organise Secret Santa for every day of the year
We’ve handed out over 80,000 gifts and expanded into a year-round organisation called Secret Santa 365.
I didn’t know I was an undocumented immigrant until I was refused re-entry to the UK
It’s a sad truth that many women on spouse visas like me are left vulnerable to losing their status.
I volunteer to hold people’s hands at the end of their lives
Because you just sit and talk, you kind of forget that they’re dying - it's simply human interaction.
I grew up in Australia – but I’ve been locked out because of Covid
It is sickening to see leaders there praised globally for their handling of the pandemic.
Our friends told us our interracial relationship wouldn’t work out
We want to inspire people to be open-minded and accepting towards others and look beyond ethnicity.
I became an amputee after an accident at the age of 22
Today, over a year and a half after the bus hit me, I have a completely different outlook on life.
I’m 51 – I refuse to hide my age any longer and no woman should
The more we lie about our age, the more we contribute to the narrative about what women ought to look like
I shouldn’t feel lucky that my rapist was convicted
Only 1.6% of rape cases recorded by police resulted in a charge or summons in 2020.
I developed PTSD after an assault – it’s not just military personnel who get it
As someone who has had PTSD but not been in the Armed Forces, I can confidently say that this is a frustrating, factually inaccurate and incredibly damaging attitude.
I was a child victim of FGM but didn’t realise until I was 22
Although it was something I’d never asked my mother, I decided to tackle it head on. ‘Was I cut?’ I asked.
I was just 12 and all alone when I arrived in the UK as a refugee
I knew that the only way to create a better life for my family was to leave and go to the UK.
Like Mick Carter, I had to face my childhood abuser in court – and I finally got justice
When I first saw my abuser, Nigel Clayton, behind the glass screen in the courtroom, a wave of determination gripped me.
My friend tripped me on purpose and shattered my leg – but I still forgave him
As we were running, he kicked my legs out from underneath me. I fell very hard and very fast onto the tarmac road and felt my bones explode.
Dementia can hit at any age – caring for my mum has made me want to fight it
My mum was diagnosed with Early-Onset Alzheimer’s disease. In other words, she had dementia aged just 53.
Should I keep my name when I get married?
What about your career, and your sense of self? What if your prospective husband just has a really terrible surname?
I lost my left hand as a bomb disposal expert – but it didn’t stop me from doing my job
As I looked down at where my left hand was supposed to be, I saw nerve endings wriggling around like little bits of spaghetti and I was bleeding heavily.
