Taken some time off Twitter after a journalist contacted me to ask for more information on my cousin's death (parasite), but they got info from someone, so I'll speak anyway on this & on Unis.
First, thanks to everyone for the sympathy/Condolences. It's really appreciated! 1/?

I didn't know Paul, he was 10y older but we never interacted. I never really went round to their house (1 mile away) as his mum (aunt by marriage) was physically and mentally abusive to the kids and my Uncle. I have seen my Uncle's back where she burned him w/ the iron...

Social Services failed them. Eventually she left them and my Uncle was left to pick up the pieces. Paul started to act out, drinking, drugs, all of this fueled by poverty and the toxic environment that is Blackpool thanks to area deprivation....

My earliest memory of Paul is when I was roughly 6-7 at another Aunt's house. He was drunk and got kicked out. I don't know when it started, but soon after it moved onto Heroin. I never saw Paul in this state, but I saw what it did for my Uncle.....

It is heartbreaking to see someone you care about being hurt by the ones they love the most. Paul regularly burgled him to get money for drugs over the last 15 years. For context my Uncle is >70. He never reported to the police and he didn't want to get him in further trouble...

Inevitably, he ended up in prison (multiple times), and this only exasperated his problems. There was no rehabilitation involved, it only pushed him further into this lifestyle. We all know factors that went wrong, but the system isn't built around helping those like Paul....

At 38 Paul died of a heart attack, alone. I think what's most telling is as a family we were most surprised that it wasn't an overdose. Coroner reports that alcoholism led to fatty deposits around his heart that was a key contribution. Due to COVID I can't go to the funeral....

I can say that although he was family, I am not really 'affected' by Paul's death, in that I didn't know him, like a cousin half the world away, I wouldn't be able to point him out. My sadness comes from what this is doing to my Uncle, who has been through so much in his life....

Reflecting on our family situation, I appreciate more and more the effort my parents made to ensure I didn't go down a similar path to Paul, and I'm grateful for everyone who has led me to where I am today in my life as a whole, from Primary school > PhD....

I'm not proud to say I'm from one of the most deprived areas in England (8/10 most deprived areas in the UK are in Blackpool, https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-49812519), but I am proud of what I've achieved to beat odds that were against me simply because of where I live (+ undiagnosed ADHD!)....

I did struggle in school, partly dad dying, more than a majority due to undiagnosed ADHD (which resolved in last year of PhD), so my grades were not what I now know they could have been. If I was hit with the A-Level algorithm, based on my area and mocks I'd get around UUU ...

Important note: Work of @BrilliantClub is vital, working to get children in these situations opportunities they wouldn't have. Stats on children going to highly selective Unis from my background (Poverty , Free School Meals) are staggering (1 in 50 go)... https://thebrilliantclub.org/research-and-impact/)

I've worked with @BrilliantClub a few times, going into schools and teaching a variety of subjects (including my own course on sleep!), and the impact of having someone come in and tell kids they can achieve this is amazing. My own special moment was going back to Blackpool...

Seeing someone who doesn't just deviate from the idea of a University lecturer (First comment was, "seriously?! but you have tattoos!"), but is from their area and be in the same situation not just go to University but achieve a PhD?! It meant a lot to me and them...

I'm also proud to see the work that many Post-92 Universities (including where I work, @dmuleicester and @dmupsychology) do to increase widening participation not as a token gesture, but as part of their core mission.

While the A-level reversal is welcome, the removal of a numbers cap will harm a lot of students. If 'lower ranked' universities (seriously, what is the point of a league table, especially with entry standards as a factor!) close, those from BAME/Working Class backgrounds...

will be those that are most affected as those Universities as the ones giving people from those backgrounds a chance. Will the UK Government do anything to help? I sincerely doubt it. We need change throughout the system, and I have no faith in the Government to do it...

This has gone off on a tangent, and this is a little stream of thought on my reflections, but more and more it's obvious that deprivation and poverty are root causes of so many problems. I'm proud of the steps taken to try and mitigate it within #HE