“As someone that has always been involved in sport, I firmly believe th...” — Tanni Grey-Thompson Quote

As someone that has always been involved in sport, I firmly believe that people do need to be fitter and healthier in general. This isn't just about running marathons or winning medals - being more active in general, whether that's leaving your car at home or joining a local sports team, will bring all kinds of benefits.

At 70, my late father, Peter, underwent a foot amputation after surgical complications. There were suggestions that at his age being in a wheelchair was no life for him. Yet the time we had together after the operation was something I will always remember. In other words, his quality of life was misjudged.

Through my professional life as both an athlete, and latterly with organisations such as the Youth Citizenship Commission, I've seen first hand the power that sport possesses as one of the few vehicles that actually engages with young people and gets them interacting with each other and the communities in which they live.

The thing most disabled people cite when they are seriously or terminally ill is not the pain, not the suffering - it's being a burden.

I urge you children to be patient with your parents. If they seem to be out of touch on such vital issues as dating, clothing styles, modern music, and use of family cars, listen to them anyway. They have the experience that you lack.

Anyone who has ever been privileged to direct a film also knows that, although it can be like trying to write 'War and Peace' in a bumper car in an amusement park, when you finally get it right, there are not many joys in life that can equal the feeling.

Bad debt is debt that makes you poorer. I count the mortgage on my home as bad debt, because I'm the one paying on it. Other forms of bad debt are car payments, credit card balances, or other consumer loans.

I think a lot of writers, male and female, write as if their parents were killed in a car accident when they were 2, and they have no one to hold accountable. And unfortunately, I don't have that. I have parents who I care about what they think.