Category: The real me
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Disability Pride Month – Proud to Be Me
Every July I spend a bit of time reflecting on what it means to be disabled. Not because someone tells me to, but because it’s a chance to look back at the journey and realise just how far I’ve come. I can honestly say this: I’m proud to be disabled. Not because it’s easy—it isn’t.…
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Another Fantastic Week for Blue Badge Bunch and Benny Shakes!
Well, what another fantastic week we’ve had with Blue Badge Bunch and Benny Shakes! We had the privilege of being invited back to Kaleidoscope Festival at Storyhouse in Chester, celebrating disability, creativity and some incredible disabled talent. On Thursday, we performed Blue Badge Bunch, our disability awareness game show. It was brilliant to bring the…
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Parallel Festival – Celebrating Disability Pride Together
Well, what can I say about yesterday’s trip to Parallel Festival in Windsor? It was another fantastic day for the Blue Badge Bunch team, as we were invited back to celebrate Disability Pride Month. I came on my own last year, so it was really special to have the whole team with me this time.…
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What a Busy Few Weeks It’s Been!
Well, what a busy few weeks it’s been! It’s been another month full of children’s shows, comedy gigs and trying to squeeze a bit of rest in between. Looking back, I don’t think I’d have wanted it any other way. A few weeks ago we headed up to Hull for the Big Malarkey Festival, a…
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Why I Met Lee Anderson
Well, it’s been another week and a bit since I last wrote a blog. I wasn’t going to write this one, but I feel like I should explain my actions because a lot of people have been asking questions. Most of you know what I’m about. Everything I do is about promoting disability awareness, LGBTQ+…
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Falling Back in Love With Comedy
Well, what can I say about the month I’ve had? It’s been busy, painful, exciting, stressful, and honestly — really good fun. I’ve had some cracking gigs over the past few weeks. I closed a night for Wayne in Northampton, did a middle spot for Paul Nightingale in Birmingham, and opened for Mirth Control Comedy,…
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Seven Years of Comedy, Friendship, and Finally Finding My Niche
Well, it’s been another two weeks, and wow — it’s been busy. But this week feels very important to me, because I’ve now been doing comedy, or at least trying to be a comedian, for seven years. And honestly? It’s been one of the most amazing jobs I’ve ever had. In fact, comedy and the…
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You Don’t Need to Fix Me, Just Have My Back
Wow. I honestly can’t believe the response I got from my last post. It was an eye-opener to actually tell you guys the truth about how I’ve been feeling. It made me happy knowing people have got my back, but I also did that post to stop myself from going down a depression rabbit hole.…
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I’m Not Sorry
I wasn’t going to write this post.But I think it’s more important to say something than to just ignore it. I’m Benny Shakes.I’ve got cerebral palsy. And I’m not sorry. I’m not sorry that I can’t work a nine-to-five.I’m not sorry that I’m a gardener who loves to grow plants and help others.I’m not sorry…
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Blog 19/3/2025: Busy, Building, and Finding Balance
– March Update – Benny Shakes Well, it’s been a while since I’ve done one of these, as I’ve been quite busy trying to earn as much money as possible so I don’t have to leave my property. But here we go. At the beginning of March, I went back to Hull to do some…
Benny Shake 