This book is about the views and experiences of grandmothers, as told by grandmothers themselves. Based on interviews with 27 grandmothers of different ages, nationalities and social circumstances, it enables them to explore how being a grandmother changes the texture of their lives, their role in their family and its impact on relationships and their own sense of themselves. The book is full of joy, wisdom and some sadness from those grandmothers with little access to their grandchildren due to distance or difficult relations within the family. Although not initially intended to offer advice, readers will take away many good ideas from what grandmothers have to say.

'A fascinating analysis of what it feels like to be a grandmother today, from the joy and fulfilment to the disappointments and anxieties. It is a book to warm your heart about being a grandparent, and also one to reassure you are not alone when you experience new relationships and complex family patterns.'
Virginia Ironside, agony aunt and novelist

'Celebrating Grandmothers confirms, in a direct and delightful way, just how special the grandmother-grandchild relationship is....Very interesting and heart-warming'
Jane Fearnley-Whittingstall, author The Good Granny Guide

Dying, it’s an uncomfortable topic. None of us likes to think about what our last days will be like. But if we do think about them at all, we want them to be full of peace and tranquillity, with the chance to say proper goodbyes to those we love. Life in a Hospice takes you behind the scenes in end-of-life care, where you will see the enormous efforts of nurses, doctors, chaplains and others - even a thoughtful cook - to provide the calm that we all hope for.

Perhaps you are looking for end-of-life care for someone you love. Perhaps you are wondering if this is the job for you. Or you just feel like being inspired by humanity at its best. This book will be for you.

HIGHLY COMMENDED by the British Medical Association, 2008

"The simple reflections on complex areas of care resonate long after you have finished reading the book." Cancer Nursing Forum Newsletter, Royal College of Nursing

Published by Radcliffe Publishing 2007

‘This collection of true stories is as powerful as any great classic of fiction’ Sir Ian McKellen

They are young and they have a life-threatening disease…

The year is 1991. Diagnoses of HIV are rising and there is no cure in sight. Coming from all corners of the world, forty-one young men and women talk about living with HIV and AIDS.

They must cope with the enormous stigma, blame and guilt associated with the disease. And there are challenges in telling their parents and partners, trying to keep healthy and looking for work – all while facing an inevitably shortened future.

Yet they remain committed to celebrating the joys of life as much as they can. The book is testimony to the resilience of the human spirit.

First published in 1992 by HarperCollins, this book tells the unique stories of men and women with HIV/AIDS in their own words.

“Somewhere in the middle of my seventies, I realised that I liked being old.”

So begins this set of engaging stories and thoughts on growing older by someone with a vast range of life experience to share.

Part memoir and part reflection on the joys and challenges of modern life, this book explores the nature of old age and how it compares to what came before. The author argues that being older does not have to be feared. Even better, it can be fun.

Refreshing – and often funny – this book challenges head on many of the prevalent myths and taboos surrounding old age.