Pick Me Up! 21-Mar-2019

Loading my wheelchair into the back of her car, my daughter Libby grinned ‘Where do you fancy going today?’ she asked. Suffering with arthritis, I couldn’t walk very far. But that didn’t stop Libby taking me out and about. ‘How about shopping?’ I said. All mums and daughters love shopping together. And since her dad - my hubby Stan - passed away in July 2008, Libby had always been there to cheer me up. Taking me out, making me laugh. For years she begged me to leave my home in Cornwall and move in with her, hubby Derek, 73, and their two daughters Lauren and Taryn. ‘I don’t like you living alone,’ she said. At first I protested, didn’t want to trouble her. But I was lonely, and Libby insisted.…

My friends and I climbed Mount Tryfan in Wales. It was hard work but the view at the top was worth it! Sarah Whitehead, Hindley Me and my hubby were so excited to get a chance to swim with dolphins. Sian Salsbury, Dudley This is my most perfect creation, my little boy Ronnie. We took him to the park for a little autumn photo shoot, how cute does he look! Alexandra Low, Halesowen Annabelle, 2, couldn’t get enough of our new kitten Luna. Here she is snuggled up on the sofa with her. Nikki Milam, Rudgwick I was lucky to meet Chris Bavin from the BBC show Eat Well For Less at last year’s Solihull Food & Drink Festival and he was more than happy to…

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Arriving at my grandparents’ house after school, I was still tearful. It was September 2008 - and, aged 12, I’d had a row with a school friend. Nothing serious, just a silly falling-out, as kids often do. But, at the time, it felt huge. So I went to see my grandad Joseph, 59, just like I always did when I was sad. ‘What’s wrong, girl?’ he asked with open arms. I knew I could count on my grandad. He’d been a constant, reliable presence in my life for as long as I could recall. My dad’s dad Joseph lived with my nan just a few minutes’ walk from our home, so we always saw a lot of them. I loved going on camping trips with him and Gran. He loved…

Having saved the messages, I told my best friend what had been going on. ‘You need to tell the police,’ she urged me as I sobbed. I’d been ready to, but taking that step was much harder than I thought. Even after all he’d done, he was still my grandad, and I knew that the revelation would tear my family apart. I kept the messages on my phone, but I still couldn’t bring myself to report him. So I did what I’d done before - buried the truth and tried to carry on with my life as normal. Only, now, I refused to go anywhere with my grandad. In 2013, aged 17, I met my partner - and, a year later, I gave birth to our first daughter, followed by…

Picking up another biscuit, I realised it was my third one of the day. And it was still early afternoon. It was 2010 - and, aged 17, I’d not long left school. But the legacy of those awful years was still with me. I’d had a little puppy fat in my early teens. Nothing major, but enough for the bullies to single me out, calling me chubby. While some kids might have starved themselves in response, I went the other way, comfort eating to block out the pain. But pain was never far away. In my bedroom, I’d stand in front of the mirror, pulling and prodding at bits of my skin. ‘I’m disgusting,’ I’d grumble to myself. Only the taste of something sweet could make me feel better. Until…