A few weeks ago, I drew a treasure map for my niece Bean. It was a way of playing with her, creating memories and feeling connected without getting too close or breaking any lockdown rules. I created some for other children too.…

For me, Tourettes means I have strong oppositional impulses – the automatic urge to do exactly the opposite of what I want to do. This is why I shout ‘I’m over here’ during games of hide and seek,’ why I shout ‘bomb’ in airports, and why 400 Australians in a theatre knew Fat Sister was pregnant before our mum did.…

Last week the Government announced another national lockdown that will be in place into early December. In what is starting to feel like a brief intermission between lockdowns, we did some company planning to help us understand and deal with the risks we’re facing during these uncertain times.…

It’s no secret that I LOVE wheelchairs! I love looking at them, talking about them, tinkering with them, and of course using them. I even wrote love letters to them in Backstage In Biscuit Land and I particularly enjoyed hearing other mobility-aid users laughing knowingly when the letters were read out.…

A lot has happened since last autumn when I wrote about the Elevate funding we’d received from Arts Council England to help the Touretteshero team grow and make new plans for the future.

Our plans included recruiting for a General Manger, a role that we urgently needed to meet the demand for our work.…

Back in July, researcher Evie wrote a guest post about her project looking at tics and mealtimes. Back then she was recruiting young people to contribute their experiences. She’s back today but this time she’s looking for parent perspectives – over to Evie with more.…

It’s half term week and families across the UK will be looking for ways to keep everyone entertained. In non-pandemic times the Touretteshero team travel a lot and, in the process, we’ve developed some tic-inspired games to pass the time. Our favourite game is Phil Mitchell, so to celebrate the holiday I thought I’d share our game with you.…

As we enter the second week of work on my bathroom, I’m really excited about all the development. But there’s one change that I was less prepared for – saying goodbye to the bathroom pigs!

Regular readers may remember the incredible work of the ‘Pig Fairy’ who periodically scattered pig stickers throughout the castle.…

On Monday work began on converting my bathroom into a fully accessible wet room with a height-adjustable sink, roll-in shower and fancy wash and dry toilet. The work’s involved knocking through into the cupboard next to the bathroom, and now that’s been done I can get a good sense of how brilliantly big the new room will be.…

I’ve lived at the castle for nine years. It’s on the ground floor and is accessible in most ways. The only area that hasn’t worked very well is the bathroom, but at long last this is about to change!

Back in 2016, my occupational therapist (OT) said that the bathroom wasn’t as safe or accessible for me as it should be, so she recommended turning it into a wet room, with the help of a Disabled Facilities Grant.…