Pick Me Up! 15-Oct-2020

In an excluded room, I put my pen to paper. Despite suffering with severe dyslexia, I absolutely loved writing. However, my teachers in school often dismissed me as lazy and I was placed in a room by myself. I loved English, and all I wanted was to learn how to read and write, but I wasn’t wired that way. However, unleashing my creative side, I would spend my days writing short gothic stories, each reflecting my own inner thoughts. As I couldn’t write in full sentences, I would instead use symbols and codes that only I could understand. From the age of 14 until my early 20s, I spent my days writing stories. I loved it, but I always kept them to myself. Although they were fictional, they reflected my…

WE’RE LOVING THIS! The humble food can, which has been around for 210 years, saw a huge boost in popularity at the start of lockdown when sales surged almost 75%. That’s why Heinz decided it was an important time to remind the nation that their cans are not only 100% recyclable, but they’re really easy to upcycle and craft with, too! To help inspire people to get crafty with their cans, Heinz has enlisted the help of canny crafting experts, TV’s Max McMurdo and Paula Milner, ‘the Crafty Lass’ – as part of their ‘Handmade with Heinz’ campaign. They’ve created a range of can crafts which are very easy for families to do at home together, using materials that are readily available, such as sweet holders, vases, pen pots, cactus planters and cutlery…

If your letter makes Star Letter of the week, you will receive some beautiful blooms from Flying Flowers. With over 30 years’ experience of helping celebrate life’s special moments and FREE delivery by post, a gorgeous bouquet by Flying Flowers is a lovely way to celebrate sharing smiles and happiness. See flyingflowers.co.uk for more details.…

As I got to work washing the dirty dishes, I heard the jingling of keys and looked up. My son Tom Bell, 21, was grabbing them off the kitchen table on his way out. ‘Where are you off to?’ I asked him. ‘Just down to the Maple Tree for the pub quiz,’ he said, before kissing me on the cheek and heading out the front door. Tom had many friends and was always out and about with them – it was hard to keep track of all his plans. He still lived at home, and he and I were very close. Ever since he was a little boy, Tom would have done anything for his family, including helping me take care of his siblings. My daughter Charity, 18, still lived…

As the investigation continued, police weren’t able to determine whether Scott or Joseph had shot Tom, as the weapon hadn’t been found. But during the trial at Sheffield Crown Court last July – during which both men pleaded not guilty to his murder – Joseph revealed that the gun was in the woods next to the local cemetery. DNA tests then revealed that it was Scott who fired the shot that killed my son. He had hated my son for a while, and I know they had arguments in the past, but why did that mean he had to take my boy away from me? For nine weeks, I attended the trial, and when I faced Scott and Joseph, I could see evil in their eyes. DNA tests revealed Scott…

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is often associated with victims of horrendous crimes or soldiers returning from war. It is not a topic associated with expectant parents. And yet, one in ten mums experience PTSD following their childbirth. I never thought that my newborn son’s traumatic entrance into the world would haunt me for weeks. Or that it would leave me needing professional help. Now I know there are hundreds of other mums that have suffered the same as me. I want to help them, and others with mental health issues – by raising awareness, vital funds and starting my own non-profit service. In 2019, I fell pregnant with my third baby. I already had Faith, now 12, and my partner Nathan, 31, and I had Rose, now four. We were…