Tag: mental-health
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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…
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Well, it’s Friday, and what a week it’s been.
1,500 Kids, 10 Shows, and Why This Matters Well, it’s Friday, and what a week it’s been. I’ve just finished performing Blue Badge Bunch in Hull at eight schools, and we’ve performed in front of 1,500 children over four days. The feedback has been amazing. Weeks like this remind me exactly why I do what…
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Another Two and a Half Weeks in the Life of Benny
Well, it’s been two and a half weeks since my last blog, and honestly — it’s been another full-on few weeks. It all kicked off around 24th July, back in the shed creating artwork. The Highland cows have been my best sellers so far — we’ve sold about four now, retailing at £17 with £3…
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Well, it’s been two weeks since my last blog post… and boy, a lot has happened.
On the 9th and 10th of this month, I had the pleasure of performing two magical nights at the Comedy Lounge in Hull. It was such a great experience — I was doing middle spots between two fantastic pro comedians. On Friday, it was lovely catching up with Jed, who was MCing, and on Saturday,…
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Doing Things My Way (And Learning Along the Way)
This year started in a way that really summed up where I’m at right now. New Year’s Eve wasn’t about parties for me. I spent it in my shed, live on TikTok, creating woodwork and artwork with people from all over the world. And not just for an hour — for five hours. Five hours…
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Who Is Privileged? What Does It Mean? What Does Working Class Mean?
Well, I’m back from spending time with my family, and I’ve had a really great few days away. I got to visit my sisters and their families, which was so much fun — all of us together, catching up, laughing, and just being with each other. I also spent Boxing Day with my Auntie June…
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Wow, What a Week!
Wow — what a week I’ve had, and what a week Blue Badge Bunch has had too. It started off fairly quietly in the shed, building my Christmas trees. Then on Thursday, I suddenly realised I had two orders to send out — Christmas trees and my children’s book. That felt really good. I made…
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An Interesting Week – Workshops, Reflection, and Finding My Feet Again
This last week has been a very interesting one. Last Wednesday we delivered another fantastic Blue Badge Bunch workshop at Vision Express in Nottingham. It was a joy listening to everyone talk about what they learnt and how the workshop changed the way they see disability. On the same day, Neil Benn was in London…
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Two Quiet Weeks – With a Few Big Lessons
It’s been two weeks since I last did one of these, and it’s been a quiet one — but that’s okay. I’ve been in the shed creating wooden Christmas trees, and they’re actually looking pretty good. I’ve also been trying to build up my following on Facebook and Instagram, the same way I managed on…
Benny Shake 