ACCESSIBLE TRAVEL – Meals on wheels in Scotland

~with VisitScotland.com By Paul Nicholls and Erica Crompton During a recent luxury stay at the Marine Hotel in North Berwick, Scotland, Paul and I found a wealth of wheelchair-friendly culinary wonders. Whether it’s a cut steak for Paul or neeps and tatties for me, bon bons or oysters to share – this lowland part of […]
Treating Fatigue: A Self-Care Guide for Parents of Special Needs Children

Photo via Pexels Many parents who have children with disabilities are familiar with the deep sense of exhaustion that comes from providing round-the-clock care. This level of fatigue is beyond tiredness. It cannot be resolved through rest and sleep and can impede a parent’s ability to cope with everyday challenges. According to Autism Parenting, parents […]
Nomad Digital Are Creating a More Accessible Journey for Passengers

NOMAD DIGITAL are a world leading provider of passenger and fleet connectivity solutions and trackside networks. Nomad connects passengers, vehicles and organisations using their own robust and future-proofed solutions. Here they write for HOPEZINE.COM about how they’re making travel more accessible for all… The railway network is important to everyone throughout the UK, but it’s […]
Leeds Perinatal Mental Health Team wins Royal College of Psychiatrists’ Art Competition

A mosaic that was produced by patients and staff at Leeds and York NHS Partnership Foundation Trust’s (LYPFT) Perinatal Mental Health Service, (PMHS) based at The Mount Hospital, Leeds has won the prestigious Royal College of Psychiatrists (RCP) 2023 Art Competition. The Mount Hospital works with women who are either pregnant or have an infant […]
Welcome to winter 2023 Hopezine!

Debt and money troubles can have a huge impact on mental health. And it’s a growing problem. In the UK, people owed a whooping £1,843.8 billion at the end of this summer. This is up by £37.3 billion last year, according to The Money Charity. I hope to address this in this cash-flow special edition […]
ACCESSIBLE TRAVEL – Quinta Do Lago, Portugal

By Paul Nicholls Erica and I returned from a wheelchair accessible winter sun break in the Algarve late last Thursday, booking the cheapest Ryanair flights we could afford to head to Faro (£70 return trip each). We stayed in Quinta Do Lago which we liked as it’s only a 50-years old resort, so all newly […]
TRAVEL FOR WELLBEING – Wyndham Grand Algarve

By Erica Crompton There’s something about a winter-sun holiday that helps promote a sense of well-being. For this money special issue of Hopezine we popped a trip to Portugal on the credit card to try out a stay at one of Europe’s most exclusive hotels, the Wyndham Grand Algarve. From the off, it was clear […]
How to claim PIP (Personal Independent Payments)

By Erica Crompton If you live with a psychical or mental illness you maybe eligible to claim PIP (also known as Personal Independence Payments) to help with your illness or disability. Even if you work, it’s still a benefit you can claim. There are 3 stages to claiming PIP: It can take up to 6 […]
Self-care with self-employment

By Erica Crompton With work and a serious mental illness comes a few clauses: too much work could cause a relapse, none at all could pull at your purse strings. With this in mind it’s good to know that there’s a safety net for people in the UK who like me who can’t work due […]
A neurospicy job interview

By Rachel Melinek The woman looks up at me. ‘We need a record that accounts for all your time.’ ‘Absolutely all of it?’ ‘Yes, you can’t work in social care unless we know what you’ve been doing.’ ‘I have it on my CV; I’ve mainly been self-employed.’ ‘We need a reference.’ ‘I have one from […]