Testimonials

  • Claire Maguire: creator of WriteWell

    “Author and wellbeing tutor Ella Dove was the guest speaker for WriteWell's monthly writing workshop September 2021. I was immediately struck by Ella's warmth and humility. Ella's story is so moving. She shared with the group her life journey so far, from trauma to healing and it was so empowering. The writing workshop was thought provoking and deeply meaningful. I could listen to Ella for hours. I felt connected to her story. I felt connected to her voice. “

  • Shahroo Izadi: Behavioural Change Specialist and Balance festival organiser

    “Ella is an engaging and knowledgable speaker who seamlessly draws from both personal and professional experience to really hold an audience. There isn’t a setting in which I couldn’t imagine her being incredibly well received and I wouldn’t hesitate to book - or work with - her again.”

  • Debbie Bent: CEO of The Limbless Association

    “Ella’s is a story of incredible tenacity and resilience. As Young Ambassador Lead and Trustee of the LA she ensures her experience and learning can support her peers to overcome the many challenges of the limb loss journey.

    Ella is an engaging, warm and insightful speaker, writer and presenter who is also able to see the ironic side of life as she adapts to life living with a disability. Her positive and empathetic approach is able to support others experiencing similar to realise light and hope where they might feel there is none.

    As creator and presenter of the AmpLAfy podcast series she skilfully gets the best out of her guests by being informed and super prepared. Ella has been a key contributor to the LA’s Virtually Speaking thematic series, having run several workshops whereby her warmth and ability to engage her audience is second to none. It’s been a privilege to see Ella flying (figuratively) in the face of adversity.”

  • Transport For London

    “Ella generously did a talk for TfL and we had excellent feedback from those who attended. It was very engaging and informative. Our Staff Network Group chairs for Disability attended and have shared it amongst their network, as well as the Carers, Parents and Guardians group. This specific topic is not something that is widely talked about at TfL and it was a welcome change for us and excellent learning point. Some of those on the call are managing projects associated with cycling facilities for those with disabilities so this really helped their understanding too. We especially loved that Ella has written a book which goes a way to reducing the gap in the market for a topic which, like many, is underrepresented in that space.”

School workshop testimonials

Stephanie Davies, SENCO at Lunsford Primary School, Kent:

“Ella delivered a Writing for Wellbeing workshop for our teaching staff. From the moment you meet her, Ella engages you with her warm and positive outlook.

The workshop was an interactive and engaging session, during which Ella was able to establish an open atmosphere enabling all participants to feel safe and accepted. I would not hesitate to work with Ella again and can’t wait to book another session.”

 

Louise Ritchie, headteacher at Soho Parish Primary School:

“At Soho Parish, we have worked with Ella over many years. She led several long term projects with our older pupils, including magazine editing and writing a year book. These have been inspirational for our budding journalists, editors and photographers, who have come to understand the richness of the world of work and developed sophisticated techniques when writing for an audience.

Ella also delivered an engaging and thought-provoking assembly on living with disability and developing resilience. This was a real eye-opener for our children, who were fascinated to hear about prosthetics and the practicality of disability, as well as the mental strategies and fortitude needed to overcome it. Due to the pandemic this assembly was virtual, yet very engaging. A follow up visit from Ella established her as a firm favourite and 'celebrity' in our school. Ella's talk stimulated so many questions and brought positive conversations about disability to the fore.”

Maidstone Grammar School For Girls:

“Year 8 had the opportunity to meet and greet former student, author and journalist, Ella Dove. Ella lost her right leg in a freak accident whilst out running with her sister. She has drawn on her experience to write some wonderful books. Year 8 were completely engaged during the workshops asking some very insightful questions. Including, What is the publishing process? How do prosthetic limbs work? and do you get phantom limb syndrome?  Ella was insightful when answering all their questions, demonstrating how her leg works and telling them about her accident.

Each class had different activities to complete during the workshop. They either had to think about what a disability is. Coming up with a definition and thinking about what obstacles people with disabilities have to overcome. Or they wrote a bucket list, like Maya did in the book, How to Roller-Skate on One Leg. Thank you Ella for enriching our students’ lives. We can’t wait for your next book!”

Bishop Chavasse Primary School, Tonbridge:

“We were absolutely delighted to welcome Ella to speak with our children. From the moment she began, the room was completely captivated, there were so many children hanging on her every word. Ella shared her story with such warmth and honesty.

The children were deeply inspired by Ella’s story and by the themes in her book. Long after the talk ended, they were still discussing it with excitement. Many were eager to get their hands on the book - so much so that one child even went to the library that very evening to borrow a copy and proudly brought it into school the next day.

The impact extended beyond the pupils. Teachers left the session equally inspired, buzzing with enthusiasm and continuing to talk about the event long afterwards. Ella created a truly memorable experience that sparked curiosity and a genuine love of reading across our school community.

We are so grateful to Ella for such an engaging, unforgettable visit!”

Lady Eleanor Holles Junior School:

“Ella’s visit was inspiring. She led a great workshop, talking about how she came to write her books and how she developed her characters.   Our pupils became very engaged in the writing process and Ella encouraged them to be free with their creative thoughts and writing.  Ella was very open to answering all, and every question that curious 10 to 11 year olds can pose.  Thank you for a great visit."