Pick Me Up! Special June 2020

It’s been quite a challenging month for all of us, but we’re here to put a smile on your face. Pay a visit to Disneyland Paris and so many other places from the comfort of your sofa (pg36), learn how to bring wildlife into your own home (pg62), and check out some adorable creatures (pg14) that are sure to get you smiling. This month we also admire brave mum Kirstie (pg42). Her happy baby boy completed her family, but a devastating diagnosis turned that all upside down. Little Lewin had a lasting impact, and now this mum wants to help others avoid the same tragedy. You’ll never guess the reason why Sylvia (pg63) and her little boy have been banned from public transport. Despite this challenge, though, this brave mum sees the positive…

Homemade treats I baked this chocolate and raspberry cake for my friend's 30th birthday and she loved it. W. Reese, Edinburgh Peppa Pig My son splashing in muddy puddles on our family walk! Rowan, Halesowen Pizza party Had this delicious pepperoni pizza out last week. You bet I finished it all! Vicky, Dorset Mac 'n cheese Delicious cheesy pasta with all the toppings in Camden market. Josie, North London Holiday memories Here is me and my daughter in Cyprus when the sun was shining. Christina, Bicester Best friends Here is me and my friend celebrating her birthday! Lucy, Bristol Celebrations Here’s me and my boyfriend before a party! H. Moxham, Gloucestershire Peace and quiet The sea front is so calm and beautiful on an evening. Izzy, Cornwall Colour coordination When my nails match my wine, I know I've got everything together. Sylvia, Newquay…

Watching my mum as she chatted away, the TV noise blaring, all I could really hear were my own thoughts. I desperately wanted to tell her the truth. But, every time I opened my mouth to speak, I couldn’t find the words to explain. Those crucial words that I didn’t dare say; ‘I’m being abused.’ I was just 10, and it had been going for months. The man was close with my mum, and my family trusted him. Visiting our home, he’d sneak upstairs and into my room. Climbing into my single bed, with its pretty flowery bedding, his hands snaked across my young body. He abused me for six years I froze, terrified. He pushed his hands down my pyjama bottoms. I could feel it was wrong, but I didn’t dare scream. He started abusing me at every opportunity that he…

In a statement to the press, a spokesperson for the Crown Prosecution says of Maureen’s case; ‘Evidence was carefully considered by a lawyer trained in rape cases, who took advice from a rape-specialist barrister before making a decision. ‘Their conclusion was that information received late in the day had undermined the prosecution to the extent that there was no longer a realistic prospect of a conviction. However, a review by a senior lawyer looked at the evidence from a different perspective and concluded it would have been possible to continue the case, so it should not have been stopped. ‘We completely understand the impact this outcome has had on her. While the CPS cannot change the law to allow a prosecution to be reinstated, we will learn from her feedback about the…

Reclining in the chair, my eyes flicked from one side of the room to the other as the dentist poked around in my mouth. ‘I’m going to refer you for a biopsy,’ he said. It was 2015, and I’d had the same white patch on my tongue for almost five years. To be honest, I was pretty unfazed by the whole thing. It didn’t hurt and you could barely see it. And when the biopsy returned a diagnosis of oral thrush, I still wasn’t too worried. I was prescribed medication and the mark soon disappeared. Sorted. Only, the ghostly patch, around two millimetres, returned a month later. And this time, I decided to leave it, hoping it would sort itself out. But by November 2017, I was feeling exhausted. ‘You’re looking thinner, too,’ my boyfriend Craig, then 29, remarked. I’d lost 1st…

Henry jolted in the sand Brushing my new horse's mane, I stroked the lightning bolt of white hair down his head. Henry was a calm, gentle giant. Compared to Belle – our new feisty, hazel beauty. Last November, me and my partner, Matthew, 34, trained horses for racing and had bought these two beauties a fortnight before. By day, I was a dog groomer, and in my spare time, I loved looking after the ponies. ‘Let's go to the beach!' I said to my eldest, Megan, 14, as she climbed on Belle's saddle. I jumped on Henry's back and we all trotted up the seafront. Riding horseback, my trusty steed kicking up the sand, I admired Merthyr Mawr beach. As we guided Henry and Belle through the sand dunes, I felt…