There is no doubt that estranging myself from my parents was an act of self-love and self-protection. Conversely, the experience of living without these two key people in my life has been an almost constant challenge to my sense of self-worth and self-acceptance. …

This week are releasing the first few episodes of our exciting new podcast series on family estrangement. The first episode is available now… Over the past seven years, tens of thousands of people have written to me personally, and via Stand Alone. These messages are often long and sometimes are…

Over the last seven years, I have been writing, talking and giving presentations about young people without family behind them as they move into, and through, higher education. At the heart of campaigning is educating, however, it’s the type of education that takes place in non-traditional settings, such as the…

Dear Gran, I’m writing to you after visiting Yeadon today. I brought Athar to walk around the tarn. It was frozen and snowy and it seemed so much smaller than I remember — no Concord to spot this time. We took a little trip down Yeadon high street, and then…

By Becca Bland There are numerous asks for donations from many different causes, appeals and charities over the festive period. It truly is the time for giving. …

If you have experienced estrangement from a family member, there is most likely a time when you have felt judged, different or isolated. It doesn’t happen to everyone, but it does happen to most of us. Maybe you felt openly judged when somebody said something about their own super happy…

During my twenties, I spent a substantial amount of time living in Barcelona. Freedom of movement and my EU passport were my ticket to live in one of Europe’s most multicultural and enchanting cities. I taught English, wrote, and refined my Spanish skills. Inevitably, during that time of living El…

The whole thinking behind family in the HE system seems entirely flawed: completely unrepresentative of family life as it actually is, more structured around family life as we unrealistically aspire it to be. That is close, in contact, and economically supportive. Today is a happy day at Stand Alone: we…

I dearly wish that we lived in a world without the need for family estrangement. People contact my organisation, Stand Alone, everyday with glum and lonely stories of family relationship breakdown. These people are mothers, fathers, sisters, children or often a multitude of these family roles. But more importantly they are from all ‘angles’ of estrangement: there are people who felt they had no choice but to cut contact with a family member, and there are those people who feel they have been left behind.