The Flock (2024)

18/04/2022

‘Like thousands of parents across Britain, I read the recent revelations about the appalling wait times for child mental health services with dismay but no surprise,’ one anonymous parent writes today.

‘New statistics revealed in an expose earlier this month show thousands of children have been made to wait over a year for ADHD assessments. Many have been waiting considerably longer than that. But while the investigation brought much needed attention to delays that are significantly detrimental to the wellbeing and education of these children – it didn’t explain what it’s actually like to have a struggling child who is waiting for help. So I will…’

Read the full article, today at the link in bio…

14/04/2022

‘This week, I have watched so many people be reduced to tears by the simplest acts,’ writes our columnist, founder today, five days on from the opening of the charity’s new safe space for families fleeing conflict.

‘A mother stunned into silence upon her request for formula being met with a box, no questions asked. A father hesitating to join us at our meal table because it was not a space he’d been invited to sit in before. A child confused at being allowed to keep the toy. It all begs the question: If dignity is a simple ask, why is it received so unexpectantly by so many?’

Read Selina’s full exploration of what it means to create a space of joy and comfort in a world full of threat, today, at the link in bio…

12/04/2022

“For almost three years now, Boris Johnson has presided over a government increasingly comfortable in leading without example, removing every ounce of empathy from the job of national leadership. Whether it’s the billions wasted buying PPE from friends, the creeping xenophobia of an increasingly hostile immigration system, the erosion of basic rights such as the freedom to protest, the acceptance of misogyny in policing or the insistence – on International Women’s Day no less – that’s Britain’s eye-wateringly expensive childcare system needs no intervention, this is a government that governs for a shrinking elite at the expense of all others.

“Now, we’re being asked to feign surprise that our prime minister and tax scandal-embroiled chancellor are to be fined over partygate. But anyone who’s been watching will be far from shocked. The question is, will this be the end for the ‘let them eat bread’ lawmakers?” asks

The full story is live now and free to read at the link in bio…

12/04/2022

The urge to switch off and disconnect from the doom and gloom of the news is entirely understandable. But as hard as it is to believe, good things are still happening.

That’s why, every Tuesday, we seek out the nuggets of joy and optimism hiding behind the hellscape of the headlines.

As ever, swipe here for the headlines, head online for the stories in full. And don’t forget, it’s our subscribers who make these summaries possible, so please do support us by signing up!

11/04/2022

Last week, a new law making it mandatory for large food and drink businesses in England to display calorie contents on their menus came into force. The government says the move is intended to tackle obesity and make it easier for people to make healthy choices. But while the jury is out over whether the measure could be effective, one thing is certain - for those with eating disorders, it could be very bad news indeed.

‘Less than half of people with anorexia make a full recovery,’ writes Alex Birch today, recalling with horror the impact of seeing calories listed on the menu on a recent visit to a coffee chain. ‘Many ex-anorexics are little more than a personal crisis or two away from relapse. And seemingly small things, like being forced to think about the number of calories in my latte, can take me back to a dark place.

‘The worst part is that it hadn’t occurred to me that going for a coffee might be a problem. The experience was embarrassing, like a nightmare where you’re caught naked in public. I keep my anorexic past tucked away, and here I was, unexpectedly reliving a time I wanted to forget, surrounded by strangers…’

Read the full piece today, at the link in bio…

07/04/2022

While many of us are battling Covid still, in GP surgeries across Britain, a secondary epidemic of exhaustion, anxiety and burnout is making itself known, our columnist writes today.

From patients having panic attacks in surgery to those buckling under the pressure to be everything to everyone, the impact of the last two years is real. The question is, what to do about it.

Today, Krishan let’s us in on a day in surgery right now, and explains the small steps we can take to calm panic - and, to help each other.

Link in bio…

17/03/2022

“I’ve always believed in using your ceiling as the fifth wall,” writes the brilliant Sophie Finch of today.

“While ceilings are too often an afterthought, if considered at all, they’re actually a perfect blank canvas, where you can paint a bold block colour without the fear of items like chairs, rugs and small dogs cluttering up the look…”

Still think upside-down décor is a terrifying thought? Click the link in bio for Sophie’s favourite ways to tackle the statement ceiling in a liveable way.

📸:

16/03/2022

“The comment on Messenger calls me inspirational - and I know it’s meant as a compliment, but I can’t help feeling a little uneasy,” writes .oakes today.

“I have myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) and for the past three years, I’ve been a part of Team England Adaptive Abilities Pom, a unified team of disabled and able-bodied athletes representing our country in the sport. Without trying to sound big-headed, I know I’m talented. I wouldn’t be representing my country if I wasn’t. But inspirational? I’m not so sure.

“Because when people use that word to describe me, I can’t help but feel like I’m being used as inspiration porn…”

Read Bec’s full essay in the impact of this month’s Winter Paralympics, and the need for change in our portrayal of disabled athletes, at the link in bio…

15/03/2022

I know - the headlines aren’t becoming any less horrifying.

The urge to switch off and disconnect from the doom and gloom of the news is entirely understandable right now - but as hard as it is to believe, good things are still happening. That’s why, every Tuesday, we seek out the nuggets of joy and optimism hiding behind the gloom of the front pages.

As ever, swipe here for the headlines, then head to the link in bio for the smile-inducing stories in full…

14/03/2022

🔈 Record scratch 🔈

The eagle-eyed amongst you (hi mum!) will notice there’s been no post today.

My flight was delayed and I arrived home very late last night to a husband full of the dreaded Covid and a hastily put together isolation situation - so I’m afraid I’m a bit off schedule and feeling very guilty about my weekend away (even if it was indescribably epic).

This weekend felt like a release valve being opened. I realised how burned out I am. How much I’ve missed being around other people. How anxiously I’ve been putting work first. Yet taking days off, even with good reason like today, fills me with dread. There’s a little voice in my head that says if I don’t post every single day, I’ll shed subscribers by the score. And now there’s the extra guilt of being away when covid finally came to our house.

Does anyone else feel guilty as all sin when taking time for themselves? For utterly failing, not nailing, the work/life balance? Would love to know what others do to shake it off…

12/03/2022

International Women’s Day might have brought a moment of positivity this week, but selfies and hashtags alone won’t lead to equality, writes today.

‘For as long as I can remember, I have questioned gender bias – perhaps because, being born into an Indian community, the discrepancy in treatment between boys and girls was clear to me from the start. But my medical training highlighted to me the very serious and frightening reality of gender health gaps.

‘It might be 2022, but today many women receive poorer healthcare than men purely because of their gender. I’m not talking about globally, though this is true the world over. I’m talking about right here in the UK…’

Read the full piece, today, at the link in bio.

10/03/2022

When Ashley Davies posted an innocuous train selfie on Twitter, she expected a couple of comments from friends. Maybe a few laughs. What she got was a pile-on from featuring thousands of vicious comments.

She must have said something pretty controversial, right? Wrong. But she was wearing a mask.

‘One reply said I needed “putting down”. Dozens insisted I was mentally ill. Many others accused me of narcissism, virtue-signalling, stupidity and bad hygiene – and often all four. Some even suggested my children were at risk…’ writes.

Today, she reflects on the unexpected fallout of the fiasco, the friends and foes who got involved, and what it tells us about today’s online trolling culture.

Link in bio!

09/03/2022

“How many stories have you heard that finish, and then she just left?” asks Danae Shell, the co-founder of legal support start-up Valla.

“You’ve heard the stories. I’ve heard the stories. Hell, we’ve both been the person who ‘just’ left. But it doesn’t have to be that way.”

Shell is right of course. We’ve all heard the stories. Many of us have been the person who walked away from a workplace where discrimination or unfair treatment were impacting on our confidence or wellbeing, whether through fear or lack of funding to challenge the status quo. The difference is that Shell and her business partner, Dr Kate Ho, are doing something about it, building tech that seeks to hand power, and affordability, back to marginalised people.

Read the full story today, at the link in bio…

08/03/2022

For many, celebrating International Women’s Day feels incongruous this year. How do we ‘Break the Bias’ at a time of such uncertainty?

But while the urge to switch off and ignore the date is entirely understandable, good things are still happening, for women and led by women. That’s why, this IWD, we’re shining a spotlight on five acts of feminism well worth applause.

As ever, flip through the headlines here, click the link in bio to read the stories in full - and happy International Women’s Day!

07/03/2022

It’s been little more than a week since Russia launched its unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, yet the atrocities are mounting fast. Already, reports of r**e by soldiers are emerging, alongside tales of trafficking gangs targeting women fleeing the conflict. The resulting refugee crisis is already the largest seen in Europe since World War II.

As with many modern wars, men have taken the fighter role while women have been forced to hunker down or flee, oftentimes with children. It is reported that one million fled Ukraine in the week following Russia’s invasion.

Yet while the conflict in Ukraine is unlike anything seen in Europe for a generation, ongoing unrest continues in Afghanistan, the DRC, Somalia, Ethiopia, Sudan and elsewhere too. And in the midst of every one of these wars, reports today, it is women bearing the burden of violence, poverty, and inequality…

Link in bio for the full story

05/03/2022

In a week of hellish headlines, we’re thrilled to welcome back today who, in her usual hilarious yet thought provoking way, is talking about b***s - specifically, our ongoing censorship of them, both on and offline.

“Whether they are small, medium, perky or saggy it’s safe to say t**s are still a massively taboo body part in our society,” she writes.

“I can feel the recoil every time I suggest the extremist notion of freeing them, because seeing them as just another body part is a societal impossibility. They are either sexual or for breast feeding. Showing them as anything else is inappropriate and would absolutely give men the wrong idea.

“Which is, of course, a man problem. It’s just that we, as women, have done an incredible job of making it ours too…”

Link in bio!

03/03/2022

⚠️Trigger warning: Racism⚠️
🖊 Free article🖊

Over the last week, many of us have been upping our news intake. But as we tune into 24-hour rolling coverage for updates on the horrors being faced in Ukraine, increasingly what we’re met with is abject racism.

“They seem so like us,” mused one journalist. “They look like any European family that you’d live next door to,” said another. “This is a civilised city,” exclaimed a third, in shock.

A number of news outlets have since apologised for the tone of their coverage. But the idea that these misteps are something new is deeply offensive. Systemic racism has been influencing the stories we hear for decades.

Today, explores the true picture of race and diversity in western news, meets those feeling the effects on the frontline of immigration and asks, what do we really mean when we say someone looks like “us”?

Link in bio

02/03/2022

When Clare Seals began posting on Instagram about her battle to take control of her spending - anonymously at first, using the handle - she knew she couldn’t be the only one who was struggling.

Yet, even as her audience grew and she began writing books on the topic, there was still a missing piece of the puzzle. Why had she found money so hard to manage?

Now, with her latest book, Five Steps to Financial Wellbeing, about to hit the shelves, an ADHD diagnosis is presenting new clarity.

“One of the places where my diagnosis makes most sense is, perhaps unsurprisingly, in my relationship with money,” she writes today. “Due to traits like disorganisation, procrastination and impulsivity, and the ripple effects that often follow, it’s not uncommon for people with ADHD to struggle with money management. And I’m no exception...”

Link in bio for the full story

28/02/2022

🖊 Free Content 🖊

It can be difficult not to feel hopeless in the face of horror, war and trauma like we’re seeing from Ukraine. But over the last four days, is it not fear or hopelessness but rather courage, defiance and humour, which has come to define the Ukrainian response. And for Ukrainian-American writer that strength and humanity is the part of the story than now needs our focus.

Today, in a beautiful and moving new essay written exclusively for The Flock, she introduces us to a people who live with tragedy, but find joy.

With no paywall, the piece is available for all to read now, at the link in bio…

26/02/2022

British Vogue’s March cover, showing Naomi Campbell with her not yet one-year-old child for the first time, has been unsurprisingly drawing attention. But while there’s a lot to enjoy about the super’s interview, for one of Campbell’s quotes stood out for all the wrong reasons.

“Of the speculation around her ‘secretive’ path to motherhood, the 51-year-old confesses: ‘She’s not adopted, she’s my child’,” Lotte writes.

“You can imagine her saying it without thinking; it’s the kind of casual, throw-away language people use about motherhood and fatherhood all the time. But to adoptive parents and their children it’s a gut-punch…”

Today, in her second column for The Flock, Lotte outlines the ways in which language can so easily other, and calls for a kinder approach to discussing paths to parenthood. Link in bio…

26/02/2022

British Vogue’s March cover, showing Naomi Campbell with her not yet one-year-old child for the first time, has been unsurprisingly drawing attention. But while there’s a lot to enjoy about the super’s interview, for one of Campbell’s quotes stood out for all the wrong reasons.

“Of the speculation around her ‘secretive’ path to motherhood, the 51-year-old confesses: ‘She’s not adopted, she’s my child’,” Lotte writes.

“You can imagine her saying it without thinking; it’s the kind of casual, throw-away language people use about motherhood and fatherhood all the time. But to adoptive parents and their children it’s a gut-punch…”

Today, in her second column for The Flock, Lotte outlines the ways in which language can so easily other, and calls for a kinder approach to discussing paths to parenthood. Link in bio…

24/02/2022

“It’s been a pretty awful two years for vulnerable disabled folk, there’s no two ways about it,” writes disabled journalist Rachel Charlton-Dailey today.

“While the pandemic hasn’t been nice for anyone, it’s been especially awful for those most at risk of serious illness, or even death, as a result of Covid. Since 2020, we’ve been fighting to survive, as the worst damage to our sense of safety has come from those charged with protecting us – namely, our own government.

“Now, with the ending of all restrictions, disabled people feel truly terrified…”

Read Rachel’s emotive and persuasive argument in favour of maintaining free mass testing and isolation for now, today, at the link in bio…

23/02/2022

Last week, while ignoring the headlines on honeymoon, I was treated to a vision of the future at Expo 2020 - a place the world comes to show off its plans for a better tomorrow. After two years stuck in Tory Britain, it was an eye-opener.

“Forward-thinking, collaborative, egalitarian and optimistic, in the world of Expo, Singapore welcomed us into a vertical forest and the continent of Africa fed us as a collective. Meanwhile, displaying the acerbic wit that increasingly feels like the only thing Little Britain can be truly proud of, the UK pavilion served up Eton Mess from behind six-foot tall letters proclaiming only ‘Great’.

“But the Britain I’ve returned to doesn’t feel great. It feels like a country in regression. And, increasingly, I’m wondering if it’s where I want to be at all…”

Read the full piece today, at the link in bio…

21/02/2022

Are you inked? Have you contemplated it?

Our resident beauty expert swore she’d never get a tattoo, after a friend’s unfortunate teenage encounter with a lower back design in the 90s. Then 35 arrived and a new habit began.

Ten years on, Jo has seven tattoos and counting. So what changed?

Today, she outlines her reasons for embracing the liberating powers of the tattoo gun and asks, who says ink is only for the young?

Link in bio…

19/02/2022

Pregnancy brings a host of worries and anxieties, even outwith a pandemic - so it’s hard to fathom the level of confusion faced by expectant mothers over the last two years.

As officials dithered, small charities such as battled to provide hard facts about the safety and efficacy of jabs for fearful pregnant women. The response? Gratitude, yes, but also anger, abuse and arguments.

For PTS founder, and Flock columnist, Joeli Brearley, it’s been an exhausting few years. But today, at the link in bio, she explains why she’ll keep shouting about vaccines, however difficult it gets…

17/02/2022

When journalist Sarah Reid agreed to speak up about an issue with her child’s walk to school, she had a giggle about being an angry person in a local newspaper. Instead, she faced internet mockery and criticism.

“The trope of the Pushy Middle Class Mum is nothing new,” she writes today. “We boil people down to bullet points so that we can catalogue them into piles marked ‘Us’ and ‘Them’ and, in my case, mother plus postcode was enough to determine my entire character (annoying, spoiled, self-absorbed). For the purposes of this story, I was ‘just’ a mum. One dimension was all his readers needed. I contemplated changing my Twitter bio to ‘Tropey wife’.

“But here’s the thing. Where mothers are concerned, we overwhelmingly reduce them to caricatures so that they can be othered and shamed. Change the circumstances and suddenly I could be an entirely different trope – a mother who’d swear at her children and feed them crisps for tea perhaps…”

Read Sarah’s thoughts on why it’s time to tackle the tropes of motherhood, today at the link in bio…

16/02/2022

“I once discovered I was earning £20,000 a year less than someone else at the same level on my team. It wasn’t the result of any dramatic difference in ability. Instead, it came down to something very simple. They asked. I didn’t,” writes today, in a must-read essay about learning to ask for, and receive, more.

“I’ve since come to believe that many of us romanticise professional inequality, with so many of my underpaid friends proclaiming, ‘I’m just not motivated by money.’

“Being ‘motivated by money’ is so often conflated with being flash and greedy when, actually, I don’t know many people for whom this is the case. I do, however, know lots of people who aspire to live life comfortably: to pay rent without stress; to pay for the dentist if they need it; to save for the future. It’s nothing to be scorned.

“What’s more, lots of people aren’t exclusively, or even primarily, motivated by money – but they’re still better compensated for the job they’re doing than others. Is it because they’re more talented or ambitious? Is it because they’re male and white? Most likely, I’ve come to realise, it’s because they know how to navigate the professional market more effectively…”

Link in bio for the full, thought-provoking piece.

14/02/2022

“In London’s dating jungle, last year I miraculously managed to meet a funny, kind and good-looking man online who, just 20 minutes into our first date, I felt entirely comfortable with,” writes to mark Valentine’s Day. “It was a welcome sensation – but I know what you’re probably thinking, and you’re not alone.

“When I told friends about this simultaneously odd and rare experience, I was met with scepticism: ‘Should you feel that comfortable with someone so quickly?’, one asked. ‘Is comfortable really ever a good thing?’ queried another.

“But things actually felt good this time, for us both. So why the recoiling and suspicion all round?”

Today, Vikki examines our quest for passion, romance and intrigue at all costs and asks, are we doing ourselves a disservice by dismissing comfort in our relationships?

Link in bio…

12/02/2022

“As someone who has struggled with my identity, I know how powerfully influential adults and the culture around us can be. They can shape who we are, without us even realising,” writes today in her second column for The Flock, exploring her quest to promote and celebrate her children’s unique characters.

“I will not allow this to happen to my kids. Which is why I fell out with a lady in a shop who questioned why my son was buying a glittery pink rainbow purse, and had a heated discussion with a nursery teacher who tried to take my boy’s Peppa Pig tutu off him because she thought he should be dressing up as George.

“Because a diversity of cultures has brought much richness and colour to our world in recent years - but the inclusion and acceptance of difference still requires immense work…”

Read the whole beautiful essay today, at the link in bio…

11/02/2022

With last night’s breaking news of Dame Cressida Dick’s resignation as Met Police Commissioner, there’s a lot to keep across in the papers today.

But while we understand the urge to switch off from the headlines, knowledge is power. That’s why, every week we round up the news stories from the last seven days that women need to be aware of.

This week’s round up is brought to you by - as ever, find the headlines here, click the link in bio for the stories in full…

The Flock

18/04/2022

14/04/2022

12/04/2022

12/04/2022

11/04/2022

07/04/2022

17/03/2022

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15/03/2022

14/03/2022

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10/03/2022

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