HERE I am sitting in the middle of nowhere in Suffolk.

A cup of coffee steaming in the morning sun and I just ordered a full English.

I’ll need a full belly today as I have a long day of work ahead of me.

You might think a full English is a little decadent for midweek but this is a very special day of work as today I will be filming with BBC nature for Springwatch.

Being disabled comes with ebb and flow.

Sometimes when I’m struggling up a hill, or my legs are spasming like mad I feel like fate dealt me a bad hand but, today, I feel the complete opposite.

Without my disability, it is most unlikely I would be here.

Today, I will be filming a feature about accessible nature; clearly you need to be disabled to comment on that with authority. Or at least that’s my excuse.

Today feels like the culmination of years of work.

Last night, I arrived to meet the crew in the pub for a drink after the first Springwatch episode of the season.

I was a bit nervous coming in through the pub doors. Who would I see? Would they remember from my dabble with TV last year? It was lovely.

The door opened to a sea of faces that I recognised and these faces lit up and said “Hi Niall, good to see you.”

I had that vibe of going to the pub at Christmas and seeing old mates.

Often with a disability and a crowd, you can be marginalised and different but the Springwatch crew treat me like one of their own and, given that in a few hours I will be in a reed bed or on a beach I might be feeling a bit different, that kind of welcoming attitude is perfect.

Recently I have been wondering about whether I have let go of my past as conservation biologist.

While I try to keep my hand in, we all need money. I’d love to disappear off to foreign lands and conduct some research. I have bills to pay and an important job at the university to fulfil.

Doing a gig like this is the perfect combination of my favourite things: nature, getting outdoors, talking, giving a positive message about disability and, of course, a bit of media and attention on me (eek).

I’m really pleased I have put the effort in and not given up years ago after the knockbacks.

Today I can hold my head high thanks to the BBC embracing the message that disability permeates all sectors of the population, including those who love nature and that it needs representation on flagship programmes like Springwatch!

A big thank you to the crew for all their support last year and for the inevitable Niall in a “stuck in mud moment” later today.

Sadly, my breakfast is over and my coffee cup is dry. Now it’s time to hit the shower and choose my TV outfit. Exciting times.