Summer holidays are our busiest time at work. The three play projects I help run are open all day every weekday during our five-week playscheme. Today was the start of our second week and all the sites were full of children enjoying the sun and their freedom from school.

I was interviewing children for a report I’m writing when I started to have a ‘ticcing fit’. At the time I was out of my wheelchair, sitting on the ramp that goes up to our big climbing structure. Zoë, who was supporting me, quickly made me safe, taking the cushion from my chair, popping it under my head, and straightening out my twisted limbs. Leftwing Idiot came and helped too, gently answering questions from curious children.

During the fit, Zoë asked me a question that I found very distracting: “Is there anywhere on the playground where you haven’t had a fit?” I started listing such places in my head, ready to fill her in when my speech returned. The top of the climbing rock, the BMX track, and the football pitch are amongst the small handful of places I’ve yet to fit on. This was the first time I’d had one on the ramp, which turned out to be surprisingly comfortable.

Once my speech returned I explained all this to Zoë, and together we watched playground life go by while I recovered.