Gillian Harvey is a freelance writer and mother of five living in France. She is the author of One French Summer
July 2024
After 15 years away I moved back to the UK fearing the worst. What I found startled me
Gillian Harvey
Despite years of austerity and Tory rule, I have seen incredible resilience, humour and optimism, says the writer Gillian Harvey
June 2023
The ‘work hard and you’ll get a good job’ mantra is no longer true – so what do I tell my kids?
Gillian Harvey
How should we prepare young people for an uncertain future, when steady jobs are no more and they’ve seen their parents burn out? asks Gillian Harvey
August 2018
Why you should give your children the gift of boredom this summer
Gillian Harvey
Left to their own devices, children grow in resilience and gain skills – including learning how to entertain themselves, says freelance writer Gillian Harvey
June 2017
‘My sister turned out to be my mum’
When Sue Walsh was seven, her world changed for ever. She was told her glamorous sister wasn’t who she thought she was. At first, she was beside herself with joy, but there was another revelation to come
January 2017
Like many older women, I have an eating disorder. Time to remove the stigma
Gillian Harvey
Anorexia and bulimia are mental illnesses. They may start with a wish to have the perfect body, but a pattern emerges that is akin to drug addiction
December 2016
Why I’m tempted to contact my late nan on Facebook
My nan was 91 when she died last year, but that hadn’t stopped her joining Facebook – and her continued online existence makes it possible for me to pretend, if just for a moment, that she is still around
November 2016
French mothers don’t suffer from bladder incontinence. And nor should you
Gillian Harvey
Unlike Nadia Sawalha, I am a stranger to urinary accidents, even after four vaginal births – because I’ve had my pelvic floor electronically re-educated
March 2016
I couldn’t have got through my teaching years without alcohol
Gillian Harvey
It didn’t surprise me in the least to hear that teachers are drinking more to cope with the constant pressure. Surely this is a sign that things need to change
