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Name: Thomas Stephen James
Date of birth: 17th January 1997
Residence: Previously Northamptonshire, currently Norfolk
Mark James (Dad)
Jane James (Mum)
Katie James (Sister)
Mavis James (Grandma)
Debra James (Stepmum)
Naomi Chaney (Stepsister)
Beth Chaney (Stepsister)
Abi Chaney (Stepsister)
My Sister
Alfie (Dog)
Olaf and Sven (Tortoises)
Fairfields School, Northampton
Woodfields School, Sheringham
City College, Norwich
Theatre Royal, Norwich
London Transport Museum, Covent Garden, London
Keeping fit
Bike riding
Swimming
Going to the theatre and cinema
Cooking
Bowling
Working at the Transport museum
Visiting my favourite restaurant Merchants of Spice
Meeting people and socialising
Listening to my music
Stamps and first day cover collecting
Going to the beach
Going on holiday
United States of America
Florida, California, Michigan, Nevada, Illinois
Spain
Lanzarote
France
Belgium
Denmark
Norway
Germany
Poland
Cyprus
Disney
Madness
Little Mix
One Direction
School of Rock
The Lion King
Aladdin
Annie
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
Disney on Ice
Strictly Come Dancing: The Tour
Dancing on Ice
High School Musical
Les Miserables
Barney the Dinosaur (in my early years)
Mary Poppins (featuring Katie at Sheringham High School)
I live in my adapted bungalow in Aylmerton, Norfolk. I am able to move around easily with everything being flat and on the one level. This gives me a great deal of independence, though there is always Mum, Dad or carers on site to keep me safe. Where I live is close to Sheringham and Cromer where it is easy to park and shop, and also the beach where I can visit when it is warm.
The idea of this blog is to hopefully inspire others to live life to the full, and try to overcome the obstacles that are put in your way. There are good times and bad, some sad, some happy.
My Dad has a famous quote written on his mug on his desk. It reads:
“Success is not final; failure is not fatal; it is the courage to continue that counts”
Inspirational words from Winston Churchill, and reiterating the message to carry on regardless, no matter what life throws at you.
As a person with special needs (more about that later), I wanted to design a website that becomes inspirational to others. I am not going to bore you with statistics, but to put it bluntly:
According to the Department for Work and Pensions Survey 2018/2019:
21 percent (14.1 million) of people reported a disability in 2019; an alarming increase from 19 percent (11.3 million) in 2008/2009.
(Equality Care Act 2010: A person is considered to have a disability if they have a physical or mental impairment that has ‘substantial’ and ‘long term’ negative effects on their ability to do normal daily activities)
It is fair to say therefore that if you are one of these 14.1 million people, you are not alone, but I know only too well it does sometimes feel that way. Precisely therefore why I came up with this idea so we can all interact with each other, especially for those of you who may be feeling lonely and isolated.
At the time of me writing this (24th November 2020), we are living in a world that has been taken over by COVID-19, a deadly virus called coronavirus. In the UK alone, there are currently 1.53million cases, and tragically 55,230 people have lost their lives. Despite all the difficulties I face, I am one of the lucky ones.
As tough as this is for me, I am going to give you an insight as to how I became disabled, and the impact this has had. This does tie in very well, especially at this moment in time, to be able to give praise to all the NHS staff for all the support they gave me whilst I was in hospital. They truly are remarkable people.
With the unhappy times past me, I am then going to move forwards in time, and share with you all the exciting things that I have done and how I manage to lead such a happy life. You will meet my family and friends along the way, and I hope you enjoy my journey to date.
Unfortunately, I have Profound Multiple Learning Difficulties, so my family and friends are helping me write this. I am telling them what I want to say, and they are writing it in a format you can all understand! Anything you write will be read back to me, but please post some photos as well.
I have decided to use this as a platform instead of social media as it very secure, and any incoming correspondence will be vetted before it is posted.
Hi – my name is Tom and this is my blog. I have complex learning and physical difficulties, and I’m hoping that by showcasing how I live my day to day life you can be truly inspired.
