Vicky Shepherd

Wife of a Blade, mum of a doctor, mum of a statstician, mum to the best doggo,Y5 Teacher,
Transform Trust,
TLE Writing Specialist,
KS1 Moderator

[Dr Sanjoy Kumar @drsanjoykumar]

13th June, anniversary of the worst day in my life when I lost my brave & beautiful daughter Grace in the Nottingham attacks. Grace was the love of my life. The best of me and the best of my wife Sinéad. Thank you all for coming to grieve with us, the Coates family and a special I’ll thanks to @redrumlisa for being there and representing the warm people of Nottingham. Rev Dr Alan Mair gave a beautiful homily at St Paul’s Church, Lenton. We then walked across and laid a rose for my rose Gracie at Ilkeston Road. 🌹

This is the text of Rev Dr Alan Mair’s homily: beautiful words:

my Homily for victims Grace, Barney and Ian June 13th 2026
We need few words to express why we are gathered here on the third anniversary of the brutal attack that left Grace, Ian and Barney dead and Sharon and Wayne who received life changing injuries.
We gather with heavy hearts. We come before God carrying grief, anger, confusion, and sorrow. We remember, Grace, Barney and Ian whose lives were cruelty taken.  We pray for each other whose lives have been forever changed.
In moments like these, words can seem inadequate. We ask questions that have no easy answers. Why did this happen? Why were precious lives lost? Why does violence continue to wound our communities?
The Gospel does not pretend that suffering is easy to understand. Even Jesus stood before the tomb of his friend Lazarus and wept. The Son of God Himself entered into human grief. This reminds us that our tears are not a sign of weak faith. They are a sign of love. And God receives every tear we shed.
We entrust them to the mercy of God, confident in the promise of Christ who said, "I am the resurrection and the life."  Death does not have the final word. Through His death and resurrection, Christ has opened the way to eternal life.  A tough concept to understand.  But last Saturday at the hockey tournament I felt the presence of Grace.  On the stands at the City Ground, I am certain Ian was cheering the fact that Forest stayed up while West Ham were relegated.  I am certain too that Barney’s cricket club feel his gentle presence as they go out to bat.
Yet our prayer today extends beyond remembrance. We also pray for healing. We pray for parents whose hearts have been broken, for brothers and sisters, sons and daughters who miss a loved one, for friends carrying trauma, and for communities living in fear.
The Christian response to violence is not indifference. Nor is it revenge. St Paul tells us: "Do not be overcome by evil but overcome evil with good." This is one of the hardest commands in the Gospel. Yet history shows that hatred never heals hatred. Violence never truly defeats violence. Only love, justice, mercy, and truth can break the cycle.
We are called to become instruments of peace. In our homes, schools, parishes, and communities, we must build a culture where every person knows they are valued and loved. We must support young people, strengthen families, and work for justice. We must refuse to accept violence as normal or inevitable.
The Church stands alongside all who suffer. We believe that even in the darkest moments, God has not abandoned His people. The Cross itself seemed like a victory for violence and death. Yet God transformed it into the source of salvation and hope. The resurrection assures us that darkness does not overcome the light.
And we ask the Lord to make us bearers of His peace, so that through our words, actions, and witness, we may help build a society where life is cherished, communities are healed, and every person can live without fear.
May the souls of all who have died through violence rest in peace.
And may the peace of Christ, which surpasses all understanding, guard our hearts and minds, now and always.
Amen.
@EmilyMayTV @ITVCentral @SkyNews @MartinDaubney @redrumlisa @nottm_post @downingstreet @wesstreeting @jamesmurray_ldn @AlexDaviesJones

[Emma @MrsEmmaWebber]

Barnaby Philip John Webber
11/01/2004-13/06/2023 💔

If you can, share these images of the beautiful soul stolen from us by the worst of humanity.

Let his face today burn bright.
Barney, I promise you there will be accountability 💛💚

For You. For Grace. For Ian.

[Terry Hague @TezzaBelle88]

30° abroad: “let’s explore this town.”

30° in the UK: “I may not survive this Sainsbury’s trip.”

[Patricia 🇺🇸 @1109Patricia]

These kids came up with a unique performance for their school Talent Show doing Synchronized “Air Swimming!”

[SB89 @Shoreham_boys89]

If I planned a meet up for the closed season to get fans ideas & input on flags, banners & other atmosphere improvement related ideas for the 26/27 season, would anyone be interested in coming along? #sheffieldunited #twitterblades

[𝕭𝖊𝖓𝖓𝖎𝖊✨ @Bennieeexyz]

This morning in the living room, I finally hit my limit with the constant fighting. 

My 9-year-old son and 7-year-old daughter were going at it again over the remote.... screaming, shoving, the whole chaos. I’m standing there in my robe with my coffee going cold, thinking not today. 

Me: “Alright, new rule. Y’all are allowed to hit each other… but only once per day.” 

Them: both freeze and stare at me like I grew three heads 

Me: “And you better think it through real hard. Because once that one hit is used? That’s it. No more. Choose wisely.” 

Fast forward 20 minutes… 

They’re sitting on the couch, legs crossed, calm as can be. No hitting. No yelling. Just… negotiating.

Son: “So… if I hit you now, I can’t hit you later when you steal my chips?” 

Daughter: “Yeah but what if I save mine for bedtime when you snore too loud?” 

Son: “Okay fine, maybe after lunch is better…” 

They’re literally scheduling their one hit like it’s a business meeting 😭

Actual fighting? Stopped cold. House is peaceful. I’m just over here sipping my now-warm coffee like the genius  I am. 

Soft life achieved with one ridiculous rule😂

[Grassroots @Teamgrassroots_]

On Tuesday, our goalkeeper Erin sadly lost her Dad, Kev Chilcott. Despite such heartbreaking circumstances, Erin was absolutely determined to play today in his honour — and that’s exactly what she did. Wearing her Dad’s rugby top, she delivered an outstanding performance between the posts.

The strength, courage and resilience this young girl has shown is nothing short of inspirational. Her world has changed in an instant, yet she still wanted to stand alongside her teammates and give everything she had. We could not be prouder of her.

The entire AFC Mackworth girls section came together in support, wearing black armbands and holding a minute’s silence before each game to remember Kev. We are incredibly grateful to all the opposition teams who showed such respect and compassion by joining us thank you to Barton Rovers U11’s, Sandiacre U11’s and Hilton Harriers U13’s for your support.

This morning was a powerful reminder of what grassroots football is truly about community, unity, respect and standing together when it matters most.

[Amjad Ali @TryThisTeaching]

Second time sharing this. Lots of downloads. Check it out.

[Jon Biddle @jonnybid]

Our Reading Champions spent some time this week finding out about which children's books are being published in 2026 and then helping create a display. It was fantastic to see other pupils getting excited about a new book in a favourite series or from a favourite author.

[Claire L Meadows MA 🖋️ @CL_Meadows]

My husband: stop being so dramatic

Me:

[Simon Smith @smithsmm]

@PaulWat5 Here they are a bit easier… #WordlessWonders

[Dr Haseena Wazir @DrHWazir]

The issue with @jimmycarr’s argument that simply increasing medical school places will solve NHS staffing shortages, is that it ignores what happens after medical students graduate.

This year, around 40,000 doctors applied for roughly 10,000 NHS training posts. These posts are not optional. They are the required pathway for doctors to become a GP or Consultant. Without access to training jobs, doctors cannot progress in their careers, regardless of how many years they have already spent working in the NHS.

Expanding medical school places without a matching increase in specialty training numbers and post-CCT jobs does not fix workforce shortages. It shifts the pressure further down the system. Today’s additional medical students become tomorrow’s doctors competing for the same limited number of progression posts.

This is a structural workforce planning problem, not a problem of motivation or willingness to work. The NHS already has doctors who want to stay, train, and contribute long-term; but there are not enough funded training and senior jobs for them.

A credible workforce plan must be joined up. Medical school expansion needs to be matched by expansion in specialty training posts and substantive consultant and GP roles, otherwise we risk worsening career bottlenecks and destabilising the workforce we already have.

Alongside this, it is reasonable to prioritise UK trained doctors for NHS training posts while also protecting international colleagues who are already working here and are essential to the functioning of the NHS. These aims are not in conflict.

If we want a sustainable NHS workforce, we need planning that looks beyond entry into medicine and focuses on the entire training and career pipeline; from medical school through to senior clinical roles.

[Jon Biddle @jonnybid]

Over the past couple of years, I've enjoyed putting together RfP book packs for @PandoraBooksUK. A lot of thought and care went into the selections, and I think they make excellent 'starter packs'. They've recently been updated and are available here: https://t.co/PVqjquCY38

[Massimo @Rainmaker1973]

From a husky caring for a baby… To the baby caring for the husky

[iCod @icod]

Taught some kids the difference between less and fewer today and so now that's their lives utterly ruined.

[Mr P MBE @ICT_MrP]

Teachers after their first run through the Nativty play

[Tom Tolkien @tomtolkien]

Recommended reading books for KS1, KS2, KS3 and KS4 with regularly updated year group book lists for school libraries - https://t.co/ykgyrEBrwo #librarian #sltchat

[Nourish the Workplace - Kimberley Evans @nourishworkplce]

Class dojo and all the platforms like it are not just creating overwhelming amounts of work for staff, but also shifting the power balance over to parents in a very worrying way.
They were useful in lockdown but we must rein it back in now, boundaries need to put in place.

[UKLA @The_UKLA]

Your 2026 UKLA Book Awards Longlists are here - the only national children’s book awards judged by teachers.

This year they feature books in translation, past winners, exciting debuts and a huge range of genres.

Click here to see the full Longlists: https://t.co/CvatFRD5Lj

[Faber Books @FaberBooks]

‘I had a vision for the shop that, if I’m honest, probably began percolating when I was sixteen.’

Our Independent Bookshop of the Month for September is Shrew Books in Fowey.

https://t.co/TcPGJQ01SB