Cerebral Palsy Awareness Month 2023

Its march and that only means one thing, it’s time to celebrate all things Cerebral Palsy and what it means for those living with the condition. As many of you, my loyal readers and followers will know that I was born at 25 weeks (15 weeks early) weighing just half a bag of sugar. Since

It’s snowing in Herefordshire and across the West Midlands meaning that its time to step up and look out for our vulnerable neighbours

Snow has been falling across Herefordshire and the wider West Midlands overnight and that means it is time for us as a community to step up and look out for those who are vulnerable within our communities. As I write this piece I’m looking out of my bedroom widow seeing massive snowflakes falling out of

Today I told the minister for roads what needs to be done in order to improve the state of our pavement network.

Today (Tuesday the 7th of March, 2023) I met with the roads minister Richard Holden MP who is also the member of parliament (MP) for North West Durham. In my 30 minute meeting with him at the Department for Transport (DFT) I provided him with 9 recommendations to both take away and consider. Those recommendations

Celebrating Hydrocephalus Awareness Week and the 27th anniversary of my first brain surgery.

Today (Monday the 6th of March 2023) marks the start of Hydrocephalus Awareness Week for 2023 so I thought that I would write a blog to celebrate both that and the 27th anniversary of my first brain surgery which takes place this October. I have a device called a VP shunt in my head that

I unite for access at Villa Park during Aston Villa’s match with Crystal Palace.

Saturday the 25th of February saw sports fans from across the nation unite for access in aid of a campaign fronted by Level Playing Field.  The purpose of the Unite For Access campaign is to ensure that all disabled sports fans have the same rights as their able-bodied peers when it comes to enjoying sporting

I’m United for access at the Women’s wheelchair basketball premier league match between Worcester Wolves and East London Phoenix.

On Sunday (the 26th of February) I travelled to the university of Worcester arena to watch the Worcester Wolves wheelchair basketball team take on East London Phoenix. This also marked the second day of Level Playing Field’s unite for access campaign and I wanted to celebrate it at a different sport and venue that I

The impact of the first professional footballer coming out as gay in the 21st century

When Blackpool player Jake Daniels came out as gay in 2022 he was the first professional footballer to do so since Justin Fashanu shocked the world of football in 1990 when he came out as gay whilst playing for West Ham United. I believe that the fact Jake chose to come out to football world

Wheelchair user left at a bus stop leaving them shocked and upset.

I was left at a bus stop by a driver yesterday morning (Wednesday 22nd of February, 2023). I was planning to get a 1040 service from my local bus stop into Hereford city centre. I had my bus pass ready and had signalled for the bus to pull over and pick me up. The bus

Avoiding Coronavirus in the first 2 years of the pandemic.

At the time of writing this blog I was part of the minority who haven’t actually had coronavirus since the pandemic started in 2020. I have received 4 vaccinations since the United Kingdom launched it’s vaccination programme just after the pandemic was announced 2 years ago. I received my latest dose of the vaccine on

I’m fed up of traveling by train to Aston Villa matches as a wheelchair user.

Today (Saturday the 18th of February, 2023) I travelled to Villa Park in Birmingham to watch Aston Villa take on Arsenal. I am one of very few wheelchair supporters who travel to matches using the rail network and it isn’t a fun experience at times. I have today written to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO)

It’s intimidating when you don’t speak to me at my eye level

I have been thinking a lot recently about why people don’t get down to my level when they are trying to engage in conversation with me. These thoughts got me thinking about the time that I first met Mark Gough from ITV News Central when I was a student at Hereward College in Coventry. Mark

Where I believe it all went wrong for Nicola Sturgeon as the first minister of Scotland

In last hour or so Nicola Sturgeon has resigned as First Minister of Scotland after holding the role for last 8 years. She stated in her resignation speech that she had been battling with this decision for a number weeks and it was only attending a close friends funeral yesterday that helped her realise it

My experience of education as someone living with Cerebral Palsy whilst using a wheelchair

As a 26 year who has been in both mainstream and specialist education for young people with disabilities I wanted to share my experiences of both areas. I started school as a 5 year old at a mainstream primary school but attended a specialist unit that was integrated within the main school. I moved out

The government refuse to carry out a national pavement review despite repeated calls for one.

In October 2022 I wrote to the right honourable Richard Holden MP who represents the people of North West Durham and is the minister of state for Roads and Local Transport at the DFT (The Department for Transport). I urged him and the department to consider conducting a national review of the pavement network on

Please don’t park on the pavement because it is incredibly dangerous for those using wheelchairs and mobility scooters

Yeasterday (Tuesday, 7th of February 2023) I was forced to navigate 2 sets of pavement parking in the city of Hereford. This happened in the space of a single hour and on the second occasion I was forced to head into the road in my wheelchair. This left me incredibly vulnerable because cars were coming

National Apprenticeship Week 2023

Today (Monday the 6th of February, 2023) marks the start of National Apprenticeship Week for 2023. As many of you will know apprenticeships are close to my heart because I completed one in Business Administration with the communications team at Herefordshire Council between February 2020 and April 2021. I have written a separate blog to

It is vital that every member of Parliament supports my call for a review of our pavement network

Today (Friday 3rd of February, 2023) I have written to every member of parliament across the house irrespective of which political party they are a member of. I have asked them to join my call for a national review of our pavement network so that we can establish if there is a real need for

Why I find the thought of having a carer undignified

Today is Dignity Action Day and I have been thinking about why I find the thought of having a carer undignified. I find this thought undignified because I do not want a random person supporting me with my personal care needs. I would much rather have the support of either family members or a friend

Being abused at Lewis Capaldi’s concert in Birmingham

Whilst I was at Lewis Capaldi’s concert in Birmingham on Thursday (26th January, 2023) I was a victim of Hate Crime. There were a couple of people sat next to myself and my best friend Dan in the wheelchair accessible section and one of them decided to call me a cripple. They hadn’t even known

Why Herefordshire Council spending 1.1 million on new gritters is disgusting and ridiculous

Herefordshire Council announced on Wednesday that they would be spending 1.1 million on new gritters, replacing there existing fleet. As someone who is a wheelchair user and disability rights campaigner, living in Herefordshire I am disgusted that they are prepared to spend some much on 8 new gritters and not spend that cash on gritting

I nearly skidded into the path of an oncoming vehicle because you didn’t grit the pavement

On Friday January the 20th 2023 I wrote to the cabinet member for Transport and Infrastructure at Herefordshire council urging him to include gritting the pavement network in there winter operations plan. When I called for this in January 2019 I was told that it wasn’t possible to grit our cycle and foot ways as

Flying to Orlando, Florida as a wheelchair user.

A year before the pandemic started I flew to Orlando, Florida to visit Disney. Flying as a wheelchair user isn’t always easy and this was a classic example of that. As we arrived at the gate to board the aircraft I was sat waiting to board for nearly an hour because of the lack of

A government minister’s response to my call for a review into the passenger assistance offered at UK airports

On Wednesday the 14th of December 2022 I wrote to Baroness Vere of Norbiton, the minister for Aviation at the Department for Transport. In my letter to the minister I urged her to consider conducting a review into the service offered for those requiring mobility assistance at UK airports. I shared my experience of travelling

The disabled community urged to stay warm and indoors for the rest of the week.

Health officials in the United Kingdom are warning those who vulnerable and have disabilities to stay in doors for the rest of this week because of the extreme cold weather forecast. As disability rights campaigner I would like to urge communities across Herefordshire and the wider West Midlands to check in on there vulnerable neighbours

A government minister says that they find my experiences of bus travel as a wheelchair user both disappointing and frustrating

I received a response from Richard Holden MP, the minister of state for local transport to my letter regarding the £2 bus fare cap scheme on Thursday the 12th of January 2023. In his response minister Holden said that he was both disappointed and frustrated to hear that I have been left at bus stops

England faced Germany in the women’s football European championship final

On Sunday, the 31st of July 2022 England took on Germany in the women’s European football championship final at Wembley. England’s starting 11 for the European championship final was Mary Earps, Beth Mead, Lauren Hemp, Ellen White, Millie Bright, Lucy Bronze, Georgia Stanway, Fran Kirby, Keira Walsh, Leah Williamson and Rachel Daly. Starting on the

Cases of Disability Hate Crime reported to police have increased dramatically in the last 5 years

Cases of disability hate crime reported to English and Welsh police forces have dramatically increased in the last 5 years according to the latest figures published by the Home Office. The figures state that there were 7,221 cases of disability hate crime reported to police forces in the year 2017/18 compared with 9,945 cases recorded

The impact that the £2 bus fare scheme will have on the disabled community

The introduction of the £2 bus fare scheme by the department for transport (DFT) until the end of March this year is going to have a massive impact on the disabled community. The readers of my blogs may already be aware that many members of our community qualify for a free government bus pass so

England vs Sweden – The semi finals of the women’s European football championship

On Tuesday, the 26th of July 2022 England took on Sweden in the European football Championships semifinal at Bramall Lane Sheffield. England started with Mary Earps, Lucy bronze, Rachel Daly, Keira Walsh, millie Bright, Beth Mead, Leah Williamson, Ellen White, Georgia Stanway, Lauren Hemp and Fran Kirby. Starting on the bench for England were Alex

My year of appearances on ITV News Central

We are heading into the final few days of 2022 so it is time to both thank and reflect on the support that I have received from the team at ITV News Central this year. In January they helped me to highlight that fact that Herefordshire’s roads are an accident waiting to happen for those

Christmas at Center Parcs

I spent this Christmas at the Winfell Center Parcs. I arrived at the forest in the afternoon of Friday the 23rd of December. The journey to the Center Parcs at Winfell Forrest was long because both the traffic and weather conditions were bad On the morning of Saturday December the 24th at 9:30 I painted

England versus Spain in the quarter-finals of the woman’s football European Championships.

On Wednesday, the 20th of July 2022 England took on Spain in the quarter-finals of the women’s football European Championships at the AMEX Stadium in Brighton. After following the lionesses across the country in the group stages I decided to watch the quarter-final in bed from home. It was goalless at half-time following 45 minutes

Northern Ireland vs England in the women’s football European championships.

On Friday, the 15th of July 2022 England took on Northern Ireland in the 2022 European football Championships at the St Mary’s Stadium in Southampton. England won the game 5-0 after being 2-0 up by half time thanks to goals from Fran Kirby and Beth Mead. Just after half-time England scored the third goal thanks

Having an advent calendar as a disabled person

I hate having an advent calendar as someone who only has one hand that works. Opening an advent calendar with one hand is very difficult and I sometimes have to get support to do this. I don’t like having to get support with this type of task because this is something that I like doing

England vs Norway in the women’s football European championships.

On Monday, the 11th of July 2022 I headed to Brighton to watch England‘s Lionesses take on Norway in the second match of the woman’s European football Championships. It was an incredible atmosphere just like the first match and fans were loving being at this women’s European football party. The first half of the match

My 24 hour stay awake in aid of the children’s hospital in Birmingham

I completed a 24 hour stay awake in aid of Birmingham children’s hospital who cared for me as a young person with disabilities from 1996 until 2014. I have a device in my head called a VP shunt that drains fluid away from my brain. I last visited Birmingham children’s hospital as an impatient in

I am going to be trapped in doors, Herefordshire Council

I know that I blogged about the issue of winter weather provision in Herefordshire a few weeks ago. However I believe that senior managers in charge of the roads at Herefordshire Council need to do more when it comes to protecting our most vulnerable during adverse weather incidents. This week the temperatures in Herefordshire are

My left hand is no laughing matter!!!!

As my readers and followers will know Saturday the 3rd of December saw us mark International day of person’s with disabilities. When I was out and about minding my own business recently I over heard a couple of young people saying his fingers look funny. Their guardian made no attempt to educate them about what

England versus Austria in the opening match of the woman’s football European Championships

On Wednesday, the 6th of July 2022 I travelled to old Trafford in Manchester to attend the opening match of the UEFA women’s football European Championships. The match finished 1-0 to England thanks to a goal from England’s Beth Mead. The atmosphere wasn’t like any other football match that I have attended since I started

Reflecting on how the FA both in Herefordshire and at national level supported me as a disabled youth leader within football for International Day of Person’s with Disabilities

I would like to start this blog off by apologising for releasing 2 blogs on the same day about the same topic, International Day of Person’s with Disabilities. The purpose of my second blog on this topic is to reflect on how the FA in Herefordshire and at national level supported me as a disabled

International Day of Person’s with disabilities

Today (Saturday the 3rd of December) is International Day of Persons with Disabilities and as I have Cerebral Palsy and Hydrocephalus I wanted to celebrate it. As I have mentioned so many times in my blogs I use a wheelchair because I was born at 25 weeks (15 weeks earlier) weighing just half a bag

A series of blogs about attending and watching the 2022 woman’s football European Championships.

Over the next month I will be releasing a series of blogs about what it was like both attending and watching the 2022 woman’s football European Championships. I followed the England lionesses to 3 football stadiums across England in just a couple of weeks. I visited Old Trafford in Manchester, the AMEX Stadium in Brighton

The truth behind the lies that the NHS told when dismissing me on disability grounds

In this blog I will expose the lies that the NHS told when building there case to dismiss me from the organisation on disability grounds back in 2017. My managers at the NHS had to build a case outlining why they wanted to dismiss me as an employee of the NHS on medical/disability grounds. There

Failed as a disabled employee of the NHS and a local hospice

It has taken me years to pluck up the courage and share my experiences of working within the medical sector as someone who lives with a disability. At the age of 18 I become a one of two ward clerks at St Michael’s Hospice in Hereford and I was nervous but very excited to embark

Hello my name is Cameron, please respect my wishes

This morning, Friday the 25th of November 2022 I visited my local co-op store and once I had paid for my shopping I began to pack my rucksack in the normal way that I would. Once I had finished packing my rucksack I proceeded to put it on the back of my wheelchair and this

During the next 24 hours of extreme weather please check in on your vulnerable neighbours and relatives

The next 24 hours is going to see Herefordshire, the West Midlands and wider United Kingdom battered with storm like conditions. As a disability rights campaigner and wheelchair user who is unable to venture out during severe weather conditions as it becomes too dangerous to use the pavement network because of large amounts of standing

Your having an impact on our independence!!!!

On Tuesday the 22nd of November (Yesterday) the RMT union announced further industrial action next month and into early 2023. The industrial action is due to take place on the 13th,14th & 16th, 17th of December 2022. There will also be further strike action by the union of the 3rd,4th & 6th, 7th of January

I won’t be watching any of the 2022 FIFA World Cup

I have taken the very difficult decision not to watch any of the 2022 FIFA World Cup that started in Qatar yesterday. I am deeply concerned as a disability rights campaigner about Qatar’s human rights record so I will be taking a stand against the tournament on behalf of the disabled community in the united

I feel like I’m disabled says president of FIFA during pre tournament press conference

This morning at a pre-World Cup press conference FIFA president Gianni Infantino said that he feels like he’s disabled. I am angry that he has made this statement during a Press conference with around 400 members of the world’s media in attendance. I do not choose to be disabled or have a disability so I

Looking ahead to wheelchair rugby league World Cup final between England and France

This evening at 7:30 England will take on France in the 2021 wheelchair rugby league World Cup final in Manchester. This is going to be an interesting final because both of these sides have had an incredible tournament so far meaning it is impossible to predict the result. England were in group A with Australia,

World Prematurity Day 2022

Today is world Prematurity day and as somebody who was born 15 weeks early I wanted to write a blog to mark this very important day. As I have written in many of my blogs I was born at 25 weeks weighing just half a bag of sugar. I spent the first three months of

You are not alone, I’ve had negative comments and abuse directed at me in recent months for being in a wheelchair and having a disability.

It has been revealed through some research that 75% of the U.K.’s disabled population have experienced negative attitudes towards them this year alone. This research was carried out by scope- The U.K.’s leading disability charity. Scope spoke with 4015 disabled adults and carried out 100 telephone interviews as part of this research. They also held

Disability History Month 2022

This week is the start of disability history month and I wanted to celebrate it by writing a blog because I have cerebral palsy and hydrocephalus. As I have written in many of my previous blogs I was born incredibly early and weighed half a bag of sugar. I wanted to focus this blog around

The continual failures of a train operator when it comes to protecting wheelchair users.

Yesterday afternoon when I boarded a train at Crewe on the final leg of my journey to Manchester Picadilly I had to sit by the train doors, This is the third time in a matter of months on these particular trains that I’ve had to do this and I am finding it increasingly frustrating. There

England’s route to the T20 World Cup semi finals in Australia

On Saturday the 5th of November 2022 England reached the T20 Cricket World Cup semi finals in Australia after a comfortable 4 wicket victory over Sri Lanka in Sydney. England were in group 1 with hosts Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, Afghanistan and Sri Lanka. It hasn’t been an easy ride down under for our men’s

Replacing the terms disabled and disability with people of determination is a disgusting suggestion.

I have been left feeling shocked, upset and angry that someone within our society has created a petition to ask His Majesty’s government to replace the terms disability and disabled with “people of determination”. I am very determined to achieve everything that I set out to despite being in a wheelchair and having a range

A Comedian with Cerebral Palsy comes to Hereford

A comedian who has Cerebral Palsy visited the Courtyard in Hereford on Saturday the 11th of March. Rosie Jones started touring England with her Triple Threat show on the 3rd of March when she visited Birmingham Rosie visited theatres in Birmingham, Leicester, Cardiff and Guilford before heading to beautiful Hereford. She headed to theatres in

A massive headache for the disabled community adverted after industrial action called off.

At the last minute yesterday industrial action was called off by rail workers ahead of 3 days of planned strikes that were due to start today (Saturday, November 5th). As a member of the disabled community I’m delighted by this news because I rely on the rail network to be as independent as I possibly

I rely on trains so can’t visit the German market in Birmingham because of strikes

There are train strikes scheduled to take place again this weekend meaning that I am unable to attend the Frankfurt German Market in Birmingham this week. Train strikes are taking place on Saturday the 5th of November, Monday the 7th of November and Wednesday the 9th of November meaning that I will be unable to

My 3 hour wait to buy tickets for a football match over the phone

Yesterday (Monday 31st October) I waited a number of hours in an accessibility ticket phone queue. I was attempting to purchase wheelchair tickets for the lionesses match against Brazil at Wembley Stadium in April next year. I called the dedicated phone line at 11:30 am and didn’t put the phone down until 2:30 pm. It