A couple of nights ago I got a text from my best mate Laura that made me feel hopeful for the world – even though there’s so much to feel miserable about.

With her permission here’s Laura’s text about a conversation with her daughter Ruby, in full:

“So in tonight’s bedtime discussion, Ruby was very concerned about how children who are wheelchair users use a park, particularly a slide.…

As a child I loved Children’s TV. Among my favourite characters were Mr Bump, Super Ted, and Rachel in Grange Hill (played by Francesca Martinez) and the thing all these characters had in common was that they were identifiably ‘different’: Mr Bump – poorly coordinated, Super Ted – rejected in the opening sequence because ‘they found something wrong with him’ and Rachel ‘wobbly’ as the result of cerebral palsy.…

We’re now in the fourth week of our UK tour of Backstage In Biscuit Land, the stage show I’m taking to theatres across the country, and today we were in Grays, Essex.

Because I’m one of the 10% of people with Tourettes who have rude tics, and because the show contains some adult themes, we have a suggest age warning that goes out in advance to all venues.…

Six years ago I left an interesting job that I felt I was doing well to go back to a profession that had first won my heart as a teenager – playwork. Playwork, an occupation that many people have never heard of, has its roots in the early adventure playground movement but it’s now studied and practiced in lots of different contexts.…

This time last year Touretteshero turned five, and we promised to invite you to a big birthday party to celebrate. But then things got busy in Biscuit Land and we found ourselves ushering in the New Year without so much as a biscuit, let alone a cake.…

When I was at work this weekend I was lucky enough to witness a moment that was both unremarkable and at the same time, so beautiful that I don’t know if I’ll be able to find the words to describe it.…

My friend Anna, her sister Christina, and her daughter Neva, who’s just over a year old, came to visit this afternoon. They’d brought some toys with them including one that was a bit like a marble run – but instead of marbles, small cars careered down the chutes.…

The children’s play project I work for operates throughout the year, with the two weeks over Christmas being the only long period when we’re closed. This break allows all the staff to have a proper rest. But before we could all relax and let Christmas take over, there was one last day of work, and it was a big one.…

Over the last few weeks I’ve seen several posts on Facebook that have made me sad. They’ve been from people who have Tourettes themselves, or have a child with the condition, and they’ve related to comments or reactions from their friends and family.…

Summer holidays are our busiest time at work. The three play projects I help run are open all day every weekday during our five-week playscheme. Today was the start of our second week and all the sites were full of children enjoying the sun and their freedom from school.…