Philippa Willitts

If your view of vegan food is that it is boring, tasteless and relentlessly green, I have great news for you. Church: Temple of Fun is one of a growing number of vegan spaces in Sheffield that highlight that flavour, texture and deliciousness lead the way.
In 2016, a tiny cafe launched in Meersbrook. Make No Bones was vegan fast food of the highest quality. With their trademark avocado wings and incredible ribs, they were at the start of a growing trend in the city. When the cafe closed for M...

I got an email yesterday inviting me to be an affiliate for a health product. By complete coincidence, the product promised to rid its gullible audience of a condition I actually have, so I clicked with interest.
The video sales letter, within three short minutes, was outrageously offensive. And I don’t say that lightly. A man was offered life-saving surgery that involved amputating a leg. This is a big deal for anybody, of course. I would not downplay that. But the alternative was death.
Phe...

Claire Needs is a disabled local councillor but, because her council has now removed the option of attending meetings via Zoom, she is being excluded from participating in local democracy. I spoke to BBC Radio Sussex about it.
Transcript:
Just the five Friday afternoon as we head towards the weekend. Hope you well. So as society opens up after COVID, for some it’s shutting down, that’s been the experience of one disabled Sussex counselor. Who’s unable now to attend council meetings in person,...

I was on Paulette Edwards’ show on BBC Radio Sheffield again, this time talking about the Paralympic Games and the visibility it gives to disabled people. There were a couple of other disabled people being interviewed, too, so I’ve clipped my bits here.
Transcript
Well, listen, I’m going to talk to Philippa now, Philippa Willitts freelance writer and blogger. So for the next couple of weeks, the Paralympics are going to be getting extensive coverage on TV and online. How important Philippa do...

Many people associate the words “conversion therapy” with the electric shocks and forced vomiting of the past. Thankfully, those techniques have mostly disappeared but the continuing existence of other forms of conversion therapy remains damaging, humiliating and stigmatising for all LGBT+ people.
Stonewall research suggests that 1 in 20 LGBT+ people have been “pressured to access services to question or change their sexual orientation when accessing healthcare services.” This number rises to...

For many disabled people, sport is inaccessible. However, boccia, a ball sport similar to bowls, is allowing people to participate in a sport that not only keeps them active but also improves their wellbeing.
Boccia England, the governing body for the sport, carried out research that showed that 89% of players of the game – one of only two games in the Paralympics that does not have an Olympic equivalent – report that it has a positive impact on their daily life and, for 65% of respondents, i...

Working with over 900 organisations in the UK, LGBT+ charity Stonewall’s Diversity Champions Scheme assists organisations to access networking opportunities, support and recruit LGBT+ staff and learn best practices from experts. Members of the scheme can also be assessed as part of the Workplace Equality Index and be ranked alongside other organisations.
In a climate of growing conservatism and transphobia, several large organisations have withdrawn from the Stonewall Diversity Champions sche...

While many who are pregnant are anxious about the potential impact on their health and the health of their baby of getting the vaccine, in reality it's Covid itself that poses the highest risk.
Greg Fell, Director of Public Health in Sheffield, is encouraging those who are pregnant to get the vaccine. He is unambiguous when he tells Now Then, “Get vaccinated! Clearly, unequivocally, no question, no hesitation. It's safe! It's effective!
"I think mums will - they’re humans, like everyone else ...

When Sheffield Talking News launched in 1988, it sent cassette tapes sent by post to listeners every week. Now there is a range of options for listening, including Amazon’s Alexa, a telephone number to call and podcast formats, with numerous USB memory sticks also sent out every week. Now on edition 1506, Sheffield Talking News sends news out weekly to listeners across the city.
Its audience is predominantly made up of people who are visually impaired, but Sheffield Talking News is available ...

Marginalised groups will be more severely affected by ecological destruction, so tackling inequality must be an important focus of any climate action we take. However, campaigns to improve the environment can forget about the disabled population. This is short-sighted and counterproductive.
Recent changes to Sheffield city centre are arguably a case in point. In the rush to make space for Covid social distancing, accessible parking spots were lost and important routes into the city were pedes...

Trans Day of Remembrance (TDoR) takes place on 20 November every year. The tradition began in 1999, following the murder of Rita Hester, a trans woman in Massachusetts. In a bid to raise awareness of the violence and hate faced by the trans community, annual Trans Day of Remembrance events occur across the world.
In Sheffield this year, an event will take place on Saturday from 1pm in the Winter Gardens. Organised by LGBT+ youth organisation SAYiT, the Hallam LGBT+ Staff Network, LGBT+ Sheffi...

From the start, Own Your Period is different to any guide to puberty or menstruation I’ve seen before. It is not pink and fluffy, it is open and positive, and it is inclusive.
Sheffield-based author Chella Quint aims this book at people who are likely to start their period soon, or those who have recently started, but she encourages others to read and learn too. Terminology is mostly clearly explained, though initial mentions of trans and intersex people could benefit from explanations for th...

Most of us walk through Sheffield city centre without paying much attention to what is around us. Rarely do we consider what was happening on those streets in times gone by. But Steel City Queer History wants to tell some of those stories from the past, specifically those about Sheffield’s LGBTQI history.
Sandra Baker Donnelly and Chris Mowat told Now Then how they are going to tell these tales.
You are launching a film and podcast. Tell me about them.
The podcast is a walking tour of Sheffie...

Going to university, especially if you leave home and start afresh in a new city, is an opportunity for a young person to reinvent themselves – or to step into the person they have never dared to be. Surrounded by people who didn’t witness all the embarrassing moments of your childhood, you can present yourself in a new and refreshing way.
For LGBT+ students just starting university, this is especially important. Perhaps you’re trans and want to introduce yourself as your true identity withou...

I never thought I’d drive in Sheffield. Having moved to the city as a student, I found the bus and tram networks to be streamlined and efficient. Not perfect, but as much as I needed to get to where I wanted to be. If somewhere was too far to walk, I could get from A to B on a tram or a bus or two.
I hadn’t really planned for becoming disabled, though. It got harder and harder to walk as far as the bus stop. When the bus came, if I had to stand because there were no seats this would cause imm...