Sonia’s Story
Sonia’s Mum is a transformational love story between a mentally complex mother and the daughter who adored her. I want to share these deeply personal and funny stories so that we can raise awareness for how challenging it is for many people who’ve had mentally ill parents and have struggled to come to terms with their own issues.
Sonia on BBC Radio 2
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Writer’s blog
"Neither am I." quipped Peter Cook when he met a man who said he was writing a book. A great agent friend of mine said he had a cupboard full of clients who were "just finishing." theirs. My beloved husband is compiling showbiz anecdotes to go into his book and I...
Flights of Precious Angels
When my mumbelievable mum died if felt fitting to remember her with a golden plaque on a wall of remembrance, as she was a woman who spent her life breaking them down. She didn't give a hoot about protocol, socially acceptable behaviour or speaking her mind. The...
Mumbelievably emotional
"It'll be quite emotional", they said. "No, I'm sure it won't." said I. "You'll need to dig deep." they said. "I've spent my lifetime talking about this, so I doubt it." said I. "Do you ever listen to grown-ups?" they asked. "Rarely" said I. Deep down, I've always...
Makeup, Making Up and Making it Up
When we got to the elephant enclosure Mum disappeared for a few minutes and re-appeared with a bag full of pastries which we all fed to the elephants. Nobody questioned it and we were all about to move on when a security guard “had a word” with Mum and looked quite serious. It turned out that she had gone into the canteen, found people who were eating pastries and convinced them to hand them over so we could feed the elephants with them. Somebody complained, hence security guard, but as nothing had been stolen and people had actually handed over said pastries, there was no case to be answered. Mum had apparently called the security guard “Grumpy guts” as we all made our way to the penguins and it wasn’t until Sara re-told the story that I vaguely remembered the incident.
Wimbledon’t
It's tennis season and memories of being turned away at the Wimbledon turnstiles still haunt me. Not even a frilly white frock, pretend tennis racquet and packet of strawberries was going to convince the security guards to let us in. I was probably 8 or 9 and Mum...
Instru-mental
I was just about to give up the trumpet when my precious mum bought me one. It was dusted aluminium with shiny slides and inner bell. I loved it, but sadly it didn't love me. Having had tonsil and adenoid surgery I couldn't maintain the air pressure needed to get a...
Tell your story!
My precious mum, Margaret Beldom, passed away peacefully on 12th November. She loved hearing all the stories that people shared about their own lives with people with mental health issues. A new conversation is starting, and it’s extraordinary. Please read “Surprise, surprise” and share some stories of your own.