Blog
My message to Andrew Lansley over father’s death
I was sorry to read about the circumstances surrounding the death of Andrew Lansely's father, particularly the lack of communication between healthcare professionals. The Health Secretary has described how Thomas Lansley, a distinguished NHS pathologist, was left in...
The greatest travesty of justice for Milly Dowler’s family….
For me, the greatest travesty of justice during the trial of Milly Dowler's evil killer Levi Bellfied was not the trauma his defence team put her anguished family through, the character assassination over their private lives (including her father's bondage fetish...
Could Congressional candidate Aubrey Immelman help track missing toddler Kevin Ayotte?
Aubrey Immelman, who is standing as an Independent candidate for Congress, has urged the family of missing toddler Kevin Ayotte to contact him as he may have vital information about his disappearance. The university lecturer, who is standing in Minnesota, left the...
We are off to the Olympics!
By an incredible stroke of luck, we are off to the Olympics next year! My husband has just discovered that our application for a number of athletic events with our two sons has been successful. We have tickets for six races! We had thought the worst as he believed...
A week at the Wellcome Trust
I have spent the last week at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute working with their media team to promote the biomedical research being carried out by their scientists, the kind of research that contributes to making discoveries which make a huge difference to all...
What to do when you get a shock demand for thousands of pounds from the taxman
I read about my PR buddy's dilemma on Facebook. She was in shock having received an unexpected - and unwarranted - tax bill for £20,000. I really felt for her. But Sheila Kiggins' story does have a happy ending, the taxman finally resolved matters, but only after...
Adoption should not be a last resort
I'm thrilled to see philanthropist Francesca Polini in today's Times promoting a fairer adoption system both in the UK and internationally. Francesca and her husband Rick went to Mexico to adopt two babies after being turned by their local authority in Ealing where a...
The Mumsnet Rules
I wish Mumsnet had been around when I agonised over bringing up my kids. The best part is knowing you are never alone with problems, that a national - and international - community of mums are online for a chat. Their pearly words of wisdom are now available in a new...
Why can’t Annunziata Rees-Mogg stand as a Tory MP?
Would you consider putting yourself up for a dream job a second time which you had previously lost, particularly having experienced the harsh unpleasantness that can be par for the course? After reading Annunziata Rees-Mogg's account in today's Sunday Times, I...