PGP / SPD My story:

  At great human cost - loss of legal aid: Legal aid in the UK has been severely restricted, especially for civil matters, due to a combination of government policy changes, funding cuts, and ideological shifts over the past decade. Here’s a breakdown of why serious civil matters often don’t qualify for legal aid anymore: 1. Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 (LASPO) This is the single most important reason. LASPO drastically cut the scope of legal aid in England and Wales. Many types of civil cases were removed from eligibility, including: Most family law matters (unless there's domestic abuse) Housing issues (unless there’s risk of homelessness) Employment disputes Immigration (unless there's asylum or human rights concerns) Debt and welfare benefits issues (except in very limited circumstances) Even serious and life-altering matters were deemed "not serious enough" to warrant state-funded legal support. 2. Ideological Shift Toward “Personal ...

  Don't Quit: Keep Going, Beautiful Soul! I know it’s hard right now. I know your chest feels heavy and your mind is a storm of things you can’t quite name. Maybe you’re tired of being strong. Maybe you’re running on fumes. But please—keep going. One breath, one step, one day at a time. You’re doing better than you think. The weight you’re carrying? It’s not yours alone to bear. The people who truly love you won’t make it heavier. Genuine people don’t sabotage others. They don’t dim your light just because they’re afraid of their own shadows. They don’t leave scars on your mind or make you question your worth. Real love—real friendship—should feel safe. Uplifting. Not like a battlefield where you’re dodging emotional grenades just to keep the peace. And if someone’s presence starts to poison your peace? That’s not good for you and you deserve better. So please, be gentle with yourself. Don’t internalise the harm others have done. That says more about them than it ever will about yo...

  https://pgpandspd.blogspot.com/2025/04/press-shoot.html This opportunity appears to have been deliberately undermined and may be part of a broader hate crime targeting me. I appreciate your patience as I take the necessary steps to consult with legal counsel. DurhamEnable   Durham County Council    What has been happening behind the scenes: https://pgpandspd.blogspot.com/2025/05/durhamenable-silenced-for-healing-when.html And: https://pgpandspd.blogspot.com/2025/05/sisters-of-support-review.html Sarah Wingfield 🌹  #Disabilityinclusion #DisabilitySupport #hatecrimes #sabotage  Image taken from blog post "Press shoot".

 Why I Cannot Recommend Sisters of Support By Sarah Wingfield – Independent Disability Advocate & Blogger+ As a recent victim of sexual abuse, and someone who advocates for mental health and disability rights, I was directed to Sisters of Support by a police officer and a representative. It was verbally agreed—at my own home with police present—that the group would remain impartial as I sought an apology from a local press company for their verbal mistreatment. Unfortunately, this agreement was not upheld. One of the founders breached that trust. On 6th November 2024, after only two sessions, I informed the group in writing that I would no longer attend, as the environment had become unsafe for me. As a blogger who documents both injustices and healing, I wrote about how they failed to remain impartial and how this impacted my wellbeing. At no point did I break any laws. Shortly after, around 11th November, a founder of the group allegedly coerced members into submitting false ...

To the professionals who keep sabotaging my hard work: You hide behind a fake facade of community care and justice—so people defend your honour, unaware of your dishonesty. But I see you. I know what you did. You lied to the police. You manipulate behind closed doors because you can’t manipulate me. You smear my name because you can’t bend my spirit. But here’s the thing: every time you try to knock me down, I rise stronger. You pull strings behind the scenes and plot in the shadows—but I never needed you to thrive. In fact, you’d have done more for our town working with me. You can’t sabotage opportunities that live beyond your reach. And the ones you have succeeded to take? Watch them return to me—threefold—with karma on my shoulder. I am a warrior for fair treatment, especially for the disabled and marginalised. You can blacklist me locally, stalk my work, and whisper poison into people’s ears for three years—but I’m still standing. Still winning. Because what I do comes from truth....

 Oh my heart!  I have just received the most beautiful card and paw prints of Bud from Sore Paws vets. These are truly beautiful and mean the world to me. He had his heavenly third birthday yesterday and we lit a candle for him at mine. He also has a memorial at my partners. He was so exceptionally loved and is greatly missed. Rest in peace my beautiful fur baby - you were far too good for this world. 🐾 Sarah 🌹

Cropped: A disabled voice silenced: It’s disheartening to be excluded from the disability advocacy work I’ve contributed to—apparently due to my open, legal use of medical cannabis on social media. To then be cropped out of shared images feels unnecessarily spiteful. It sends a harmful message to neurodivergent people like me, especially those with RSD: "Your voice doesn't matter."  I feel erased. I spotted my shoulder in press coverage promoting another disabled woman’s voice, while I’m still waiting for the policies that allegedly justify my silencing. What rules have I broken by advocating for legal access to medicine? You don't support disabled people by erasing us. Period. I won’t share the image—for now. I still hope they'll do the right thing and include my podcast. Because disabled voices do matter and that INCLUDES mine! Sarah Wingfield  Independent Disability Advocate  #DurhamEnable #Podcast #Cropped #Blacklisted #MedicalCanna #DisabilityAwareness #Disab...

The Power of Not Remaining Silent- There is something sacred about telling the truth as it is—raw, unpolished, and alive. In a world that so often rewards silence, especially when the truth is ugly or inconvenient, choosing to speak up—consistently, honestly, and in real-time—is a radical act of defiance. Documenting the ups and downs of life as they happen isn’t just cathartic; it’s necessary. Not just for ourselves, but for the world that’s watching in silence, waiting for someone to say, “Yes, that happened to me too.” We’re taught from an early age to smooth over our pain, to present the best version of our lives, to curate our struggles into something more palatable. But life is not a highlight reel. It is messy. It is heartbreak and joy wrapped in the same day. And when we only share the triumphs, we starve others of the truth that suffering is not a flaw—it’s part of being human. The real danger lies in the pressure to keep quiet. People will go to extreme lengths to silence you...

  https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/723991?fbclid=IwY2xjawKS2xpleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHs2pC4G-KEmB4TSxz33ln1AifbapYX8RmeSBLq22w59AD_9GPhl-71rNoWxH_aem_arr0NqKicwQzDD04kn8J5A If you care about DISABLED RIGHTS and your OWN future health 🙏🏻 GET THIS SIGNED ASAP! ❤️ We've managed 4,722 so far - that's almost halfway to our first goal! Please share and/or sign! #welfarenotwarfare  Sarah: Changing the Narrative (two Sarah's team up to double the Sarah power of actioning positive change! 🦸🏻‍♀️) Kawaii Doll Decora -- Sarah: Changing the Narrative's post: -- Cuts to disability benefits aren’t just about money. They are about whose lives we choose to protect, and whose lives we quietly decide are expendable. Right now, Britain is cutting PIP, freezing incapacity benefits, and shrugging off the damage as if it’s inevitable. The disabled community is frightened. And for good reason. We know our history. We know what happens when society decides disabled people are “too expen...

Keep Showing Up for You – That’s How Change Happens Remember this — when you're kicked while you're down, it’s not because you deserved it. It’s because this world has a dark habit of punishing vulnerability. The unfairness will hit you like cold wind: sabotage, criticism, judgment, neglect, rejection. Sometimes all at once. And yet — you still have power. The power to keep showing up for yourself, over and over again. That’s where real change begins. Not in the perfect conditions. Not when it’s easy. But in the brutal moments where you choose not to give up on you. Every so-called “problem” you carry — the trauma, the mistakes, the shame, the things society tries to label as broken — they’re not the end of your story. They are the highlighter pens on what needs fixing in the world, not in you. You could bow to it all, accept it, internalise it… or you could turn that pain outward, into something that makes life better — not just for you, but for all of us. Because here’s the t...

DurhamEnable; Silenced for Healing: When Advocacy Collides with Stigma: I am a disabled woman. I live with chronic pain and a body that rarely gives me a break. I fight every day to exist, to speak, to advocate—not just for myself, but for countless others like me. And yet, recently, my voice was deliberately muted. Not because I lied, harmed, or misrepresented myself, but because I dared to advocate openly about my legal use of prescription cannabis and share footage of me managing my pain with it. Yes, cannabis. The plant that has offered me more relief than a pharmacy's worth of pills. The medicine that finally helped me eat again, sleep again, move again. The substance that, when prescribed and used responsibly, gave me back parts of my life that pain had stolen. The drug that is responsible for me staying alive. Apparently, being honest and sharing that publicly is enough to get you blacklisted. Blacklisting is not something new to me - the world rarely makes space for me and ...

Some people are incapable of understanding you or your perspective because they're so far away from anything you've experienced - you can't change that. But you should never condone their unnecessary abuse or negativity - let them keep that and swim in it. Some of us have survived and endured far more than any one individual ever should have - and we create change and paths so others don't have to suffer like we did. We don't owe anyone our reality when they choose assumptions over facts. ❤️ We damage control - we keep going and we find people who are 'for us' and our spirit tribe. I'm not alone in the way the world fixates on opportunities to hate - my feed is flooded with people on the cusp - trying to survive and constantly targeted with misguided hate, projections, unnecessary negativity and bullying. I build them up when hundreds are tearing them down - I step in the hate and offer love and understanding - they can hate me all they want but doesn...

I am not Yours to Define: Reclaiming My Space and Self-Respect: “It’s been swell, but the swelling’s gone down.” – Tank Girl *Exit stage left.* Today I made space for someone—respecting our differences, I heard her out, and supported her, even when her tone was laced with spite. I clarified things she asked me to explain. I reminded her that abuse is never her fault. And in return? She tried to invalidate my existence. Wrapped her personal opinions in insults, and threw them at me like truth bombs. Classic. So I told her plainly: "I'm not wearing your opinions of me—you can keep them." And I exited. Quietly. Cleanly. Notifications off. Let them talk 'at' me all they want. My time and energy is precious - it won't be wasted on hateful sorts. The superiority complexes some people carry are wild. When you try to educate, they take it as an insult—because ignorance dressed up as ego can’t bear the weight of being challenged. If they truly understood what they were...

Understanding the Difference: BDSM, Consent, and the Urgent Need for Education. By Sarah Wingfield – Trauma Survivor, Author, Advocate. Image credit - original creator - Australian BDSM art - > image depicts a woman laid on her front fully clothed and wearing a latex suit with cat ears, she has heels and a ball-gag in her mouth, black eyeliner and is tied together with rope play known as shibari. < In recent conversations, especially following a thought-provoking piece of BDSM-themed art I shared, I've found myself engaging in critical discussions about abuse, trauma, and consent. As someone living with CPTSD and an advocate working with safeguarding legislation and trauma charities, I want to make something very clear: Consent is not the same as coercion. And this misunderstanding is at the heart of a widespread and dangerous problem—one that urgently calls for better education in our schools and communities. ~Abuse vs. BDSM: The Critical Distinction~ Abusers do not need BDS...

I had to say goodbye to my fur baby on the 7th. I've been mostly sad with bouts of bawling my eyes out. I sang him to sleep - my partner Peter was with us and we loved Bud so very much. Just woke up crying after seeing him in my dreams. Life is just so unfair and I'm missing him and will miss him a lot. I still love him and we did a beautiful memorial on the night of the 7th May for him. Lit a candle and had 'Don't bring nobody but the baby' song playing. That's the song I sang to him when I first got him and it's the song he relaxed to as I sang it to him when we said goodbye. The vets were so kind and patient with us and I kissed his little head a few times before we left him - after he was gone. He was too good for this world.  I feel so lost without him at the moment - I've cancelled everything and I'm taking some me-time at Peter's. I'm back at mine next week but he was loved fiercely and absolutely spoiled during his time with me. I wan...

I still remember being screamed at on the ward "I've got cancer and I'm not going on like you!"  She meant she had something terminal and still wasn't in the excruciating agony I was in and was crying through whilst I was wishing I was in a coma. My pain management was often administered late and incorrect, lower doses than I should have had to keep me comfortable. So of course my pain would increase and torture me. They usually had me on a side ward because of my pain - but they left me on this ward to be targeted and to be made to suffer on top of what I was dealing with. A woman to the right of me was bragging about all the help she'd had from the NHS whilst I had to have a hospital bed donated from Germany as a desperate attempt at comfort and support, and was lucky that that was even a possibility. The staff were abusive all of the time - why wouldn't they be - they blamed me - assumed I was faking because medical notes meant nothing so my expression ...

All ready to go get my son - with Peter - and take him out for the day. ❤️ Got some writing done yesterday - ended up working on a different book - but all writing is important and as long as I keep chipping away at my books and getting more written - the closer I am to releasing them on my author account on Amazon. I started on a weird fictional piece based on my disabilities and experiences and it's reminiscent of Alice in Wonderland - but a woman with a walking stick that ends up in a fantasy world of self discovery. Let's see where it goes from here. Sarah. ❤️

 Just signed up today to see Meta Horizon Worlds and what it was all about to get avatar stickers - haven't done anything in the app or game but downloaded and installed it - and I'm not even allowed on it lmao. I don't have a VR headset to even break any rules.   The online world continues to make ZERO sense - unless you have money - then you can access what you want and break any rules.  But if you're me? You get banned before you even get started. Total waste of time creating an account and downloading - if they make things unusable. Sarah ❤️ #meta #metahorizonworlds #metahorizon #unusable #unplayable #glitch #ban #AccessDenied

I've got a lot going on behind the scenes right now. I always say it’s okay to not be okay—but I tend to hide away when I’m struggling, and that’s not being the advocate I want to be. So here I am, being honest: I’m heartbroken. My beloved fur baby is being put to sleep next Wednesday. Life’s been throwing some brutal punches lately, and on top of that, I’m dealing with my usual battles—chronic pain, fatigue, and other personal struggles I’ve been quietly chipping away at. Lately, it’s felt unbearable. I’ve been crying all day, feeling useless, and running on empty. I’m doing my best to stay strong, but right now, I’m struggling to cope. I’ll be staying at my partner’s for another week after today—to escape a bit and take a break from everything. I know I’ll get through this, but it’s going to take time. I need people to understand that I might be online less while I work through it all. Sometimes sharing memes and being around my social friends really helps—but it also leaves me v...

 I just got asked not to ask someone to educate themselves better on disability because they KNOW two disabled people... I absolutely will ask people to educate themselves because people need to educate themselves on how harmful these narratives are on disabled people as a whole. You can't assume they're faking - 0.1% fraud rates and 4.2 billion pounds annually in unclaimed benefits. Your personal struggles doesn't justify misguided hate built on false narratives that use an assumed few to fuel hate for the masses. I'm an independent disability advocate - I advocate FOR your disabled friends and relatives and with good reason - if you knew your words and assumptions harmed them would you change? Disability varies from person to person and hate solves nothing. Focusing on people who fake disabilities—or amplifying the fear that many are faking—creates a culture of suspicion that disproportionately harms genuinely disabled people. This scrutiny forces disabled people to c...

 I've seen people being easily brainwashed to hate disabled people today because of the way the media spins the help and accessibility that's put in place to even the playing field. People creating fake scenarios to justify hate for the disabled and others wishing they could 'sit at home all day'. Imagine you have cancer, but it's not terminal, it's just going to destroy every aspect of your life and instead of being able to die you have to adjust and adapt and learn to live in excruciating agony, low energy, low movements... That's Disability. Stop thinking you can SEE disability when you could never see cancer with your eyes. You're not someone who has X-ray super powers and people you accuse of not struggling aren't around you at their worst. You know nothing of the reality and the media helps fuel your misguided hate. Wish for a permanent illness and you may get one - but considering the people hating are the ones that only care about an issue or...