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  • "The first thought that went through my head was that it was not meant to be... ...this is not the end of your story, you are still needed on this planet, in this life"

    Key takeaways from this podcast

    We don't always have internal permission to do something, to open up. So by doing it slowly, gently and carefully Tom was building courage to remove stigma.

    Tom van den Hurk revealed his own suicide attempt in a previous episode of the podcast when he was talking about called A Little While Longer. The film told the story of three men who had survived and were rebuilding their lives.

    But Tom had his own story, that the film didn’t tell. He had attempted to take his own life when he was a teen, Tom joins Dan again to talk about the how the day he survived that attempt, age 16, turned his entire life around.

    Listen to the episode with Tom talking about his film: https://pod.fo/e/2591a5

    If you need someone to talk to, you can text Mikeysline on 07786 20 77 55 or contact via messenger, webchat or X. Sun-Thurs 6pm-10pm & Fri-Sat 6pm-11pm.

    Or come and visit at 4 Strothers Lane, Inverness IV1 1LR, Sun-Thurs 6pm-10pm & Fri-Sat 6pm-11pm.

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    Speaking of Suicide hosting is supported by D and D Paving Ltd.

    Speaking of Suicide is produced and presented by Adventurous Audio

  • "Suicide is the leading cause of death in the first year after a mum has given birth"

    Key takeaways from this podcast

    Compassion, kindness and listening to someone goes a huge way to helping people who are struggling with their mental health or feeling suicidal.Having the courage to speak to someone about your mental health can bring you hope.

    Like a lot of new parents, especially mums, Gill Skene was both scared and excited about becoming a parent but for Gill, the birth of her daughter was anything but perfect and the impact left her deeply shocked. Gill suffered from post-natal PTSD – something which is estimated to affect more than 30,000 women in the UK each year. After her daughter was born, Gill attempted suicide twice. She now feels ready and able to talk about that period of her life for Speaking of Suicide and how recovery led her to set up a peer support charity LATNEM to help other’s cope with traumatic birth experiences.

    https://latnem.org/

    If you need someone to talk to, you can text Mikeysline on 07786 20 77 55 or contact via messenger, webchat or X. Sun-Thurs 6pm-10pm & Fri-Sat 6pm-11pm.

    Or come and visit at 4 Strothers Lane, Inverness IV1 1LR, Sun-Thurs 6pm-10pm & Fri-Sat 6pm-11pm.

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  • Eksik bölüm mü var?

    Akışı yenilemek için buraya tıklayın.

  • I think we feel a huge responsibility for our area and for our community. You always want to be able to do more, to have all the answers"

    Key takeaways from this podcast

    1. There are practical things you can do and learn to help support others around you with their mental health.

    2. Football and wider sport are great vehicles for helping bring suicide support to communities around Scotland and break down stigma.

    For Ross County CEO Steven Ferguson, football has a fundamental role in helping to promote good mental health, right across the community. As a result, for the first time in its history, Ross County Football Club is sporting a charity logo on its strip – Mikeysline. In this frank and thought-provoking conversation, on World Mental Health Day, Mikeysline Ambassador Steven Ferguson talks to Dan Holland about the importance of good mental health both on and off the pitch and how he views both his own role and the role of Ross County as a vehicle of support.

    If you need someone to talk to, you can text Mikeysline on 07786 20 77 55 or contact via messenger, webchat or X. Sun-Thurs 6pm-10pm & Fri-Sat 6pm-11pm.

    Or come and visit at 4 Strothers Lane, Inverness IV1 1LR, Sun-Thurs 6pm-10pm & Fri-Sat 6pm-11pm.

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    Speaking of Suicide hosting is supported by D and D Paving Ltd.

    Speaking of Suicide is produced and presented by Adventurous Audio

  • Key takeaways from this podcast

    Young people affected by suicide can carry huge anger, pain and confusion if they lose a parentThe biggest risk factor for young people affected by suicide is not being able to express their feelings.

    In this extraordinary episode Aileen shares how her husband, Josh, took his own life 10 years ago, leaving her to bring up 3 young children. She talks about how difficult it was to tell her children about what had happened, and the role honesty has played in their coping as a family. Now 18, Aileen’s oldest son, Hamish, talks with breath taking maturity and clarity about growing up without his dad.  A compelling conversation which gives a valuable insight into life after suicide.

    Child and young persons bereavement support at Crocus Highland

    If you need someone to talk to, you can text Mikeysline on 07786 20 77 55 or contact via messenger, webchat or X. Sun-Thurs 6pm-10pm & Fri-Sat 6pm-11pm.

    Or come and visit at 4 Strothers Lane, Inverness IV1 1LR, Sun-Thurs 6pm-10pm & Fri-Sat 6pm-11pm.

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  • "It's absolutely true that bereavement by suicide is completely different from any other kind of bereavement. And don't think you ever get over it."

    Key takeaways from this podcast

    Don't assume that just because a family member may have been ill for some time, the grief and sense of loss is any less. It's not.Talking about grief and loss for some people is very hard and crippling.Find a way to get support that works for you if you are grieving.

    Writer Sheila Lockhart shares some of her recent poetry collection, Brother, inspired by her brother, Simon, who took his own life 8 years ago after a lifetime of mental ill health.  Hugely bright and intelligent but reclusive and withdrawn, Simon shared little of his struggles of living with bi-polar. Despite previous suicide attempts, his choice to take his own life at the age of 62 had a huge impact on Sheila.

    Moving, hugely thought provoking and beautifully written, Sheila’s work is a deeply honest study in grief and loss, and the ways in which losing Simon has haunted her.

    Links: http://vpresspoetry.blogspot.com/

    If you need someone to talk to, you can text Mikeysline on 07786 20 77 55 or contact via messenger, webchat or X. Sun-Thurs 6pm-10pm & Fri-Sat 6pm-11pm.

    Or come and visit at 4 Strothers Lane, Inverness IV1 1LR, Sun-Thurs 6pm-10pm & Fri-Sat 6pm-11pm.

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  • "I pulled into lay by, and I cried my heart out. I howled, I pleaded, I looked at the sky, looked at everything, and I was like, please help me. I need some help"

    Key takeaways from this podcast

    It is possible to recover from trauma. When someone is struggling with their mental health don't ask "what's wrong with you?" Instead ask "What happened to you?"There is no one way to find healing for your mental health. Everyone is different in what they find helps.

    Riddled with anxiety, struggling with depression and feeling suicidal, Paul Cameron started using social media as his superpower to shift his way of thinking about himself. By recording short regular videos and sharing them online, Paul has come to realise that exposing his vulnerabilities gives him strength and helps him be positive about the world.

    After a chaotic childhood Paul struggled with life that didn’t lurch from one out of control event to the next. But parenthood meant he had to try and find clarity and calm in his head to be able to bring up his child.

    In this episode Paul talks candidly about how Tik Tok helped him turn a corner.

    Paul Cameron The Proud Dad on Tik Tok

    If you need someone to talk to, you can text Mikeysline on 07786 20 77 55 or contact via messenger, webchat or X. Sun-Thurs 6pm-10pm & Fri-Sat 6pm-11pm.

    Or come and visit at 4 Strothers Lane, Inverness IV1 1LR, Sun-Thurs 6pm-10pm & Fri-Sat 6pm-11pm.

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  • "He'd come into the kitchen, obviously, to eat his lunch, and something in his head thought, nah, like, just do it now"

    Key takeaways from this podcast

    There are some risk factors that can lead to suicidal thoughts which can be identifiedSuicide is nobody's fault, there is no blame linked to suicide.

    There isn’t a day that goes by that Georgia doesn’t think about her brother Callum and his profoundly shocking choice to take his own life in what seemed like a spur of the moment decision. Nothing had prepared Georgia for suicide and the impact it has had on her life is heartbreaking. An incredibly raw, challenging and emotional listen which brings into sharp relief just how painful suicide is for the loved ones it leaves behind.  

    If you need someone to talk to, you can text Mikeysline on 07786 20 77 55 or contact via messenger, webchat or X. Sun-Thurs 6pm-10pm & Fri-Sat 6pm-11pm.

    Or come and visit at 4 Strothers Lane, Inverness IV1 1LR, Sun-Thurs 6pm-10pm & Fri-Sat 6pm-11pm.

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    Speaking of Suicide is produced and presented by Adventurous Audio

  • "When I was a teenager I just felt I couldn't carry this pain any longer, it was just too much"

    Key takeaways from this podcast

    There is huge value in just pausing and taking a little while longer before taking any actions. If you stop and pause then hopefully you will find other routes out of your pain.

    Every 2 hours a man in the UK takes his own life. Inspired by that appalling statistic, film makers Tom van den Hurk and Dr Isa Rao spoke to 3 men about their mental health in their compelling documentary film, A Little While Longer, filmed on Arran. In this episode Tom van den Hurk and David Barbour, who took part in the film, talk candidly about their own experiences of surviving suicide and the value of breaking down stigma through stories. 

    Take away: Shona Macpherson talks about the value of pausing and staying ‘just a little while longer’, long enough to hopefully find other routes out of a place of pain.

    Watch A Little While Longer here

    If you need someone to talk to, you can text Mikeysline on 07786 20 77 55 or contact via messenger, webchat or X. Sun-Thurs 6pm-10pm & Fri-Sat 6pm-11pm.

    Or come and visit at 4 Strothers Lane, Inverness IV1 1LR, Sun-Thurs 6pm-10pm & Fri-Sat 6pm-11pm.

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  • “I got home and that’s when the sort of night terrors and the day terrors started. I was overwhelmed by fear for the baby’s health, I assumed I would be the person that would cause her pain and suffering and therefore it would have been better for me to be elsewhere”

    Key takeaways from this podcast

    We need to normalise the conversation about post-natal depression without stigma or judgement.Post-natal mental health difficulties can manifest themselves in several different waysNone of the conditions associated with post-natal depression mean that you are a bad mother or parent.

    Kate Forbes MSP talks candidly about what she went through as one of the 1 in 10 women who experience crippling post-natal depression, something which left her with a deep fear of her baby daughter coming to harm. 

    In this engaging and utterly honest conversation Kate talks about her expectations of becoming a mum and how the reality left her feeling like a total failure, out of control and unable to sleep for fear of something bad happening to her daughter, Naomi. Nothing had prepared her for the psychological turmoil of post-natal depression, she didn’t even realise that what she was experiencing was post-natal depression. Kate also shares how the experience has changed her as a politician, made her more compassionate and want to focus on mental health support across society.


    If you need someone to talk to, you can text Mikeysline on 07786 20 77 55 or contact via messenger, webchat or X. Sun-Thurs 6pm-10pm & Fri-Sat 6pm-11pm.

    Or come and visit at 4 Strothers Lane, Inverness IV1 1LR, Sun-Thurs 6pm-10pm & Fri-Sat 6pm-11pm.

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    Speaking of Suicide is produced and presented by Adventurous Audio

  • Episode take-away: Find out what the specific thing is which helps you deal with losing someone you love and if you come from a world where silence is the norm, find a way to break it.

    It’s coming up for 10 years since Catherine Simpson’s sister, Tricia, took her own life.  In the aftermath of Tricia’s death Catherine – who’s a journalist and writer – went on a quest, picking through Tricia’s diaries, to try and get a better understanding of who her sister was and why she decided to take her life.  The resulting book When I had a little sister is beautifully crafted, hugely thought provoking, at times funny and of course desperately sad.  Most of all its profoundly honest.

    Catherine never thought she’d be able to write about Tricia, that she’d find it too hard, but the process of writing, when she came to it, felt like she’d spent time with her sister which was very healing and thought provoking. 

    “In a way it was almost been like a joint project with Tricia to try and de-stigmatise mental health, to talk about suicide”

    It’s a story of frustration and anger certainly, some of which is directed at the consequences of growing up in a rural community where feelings were never discussed and silence prevailed, but more than anything else it’s a story of deep affection “in a way it’s a love letter to Tricia…a loving memorial to her”.

    If you need someone to talk to, you can text Mikeysline on 07786 20 77 55 or contact via messenger, webchat or X. Sun-Thurs 6pm-10pm & Fri-Sat 6pm-11pm.

    Or come and visit at 4 Strothers Lane, Inverness IV1 1LR, Sun-Thurs 6pm-10pm & Fri-Sat 6pm-11pm.

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    Speaking of Suicide hosting is supported by D and D Paving Ltd.

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  • Episode takeaways: support makes all the difference and breaking the shame cycle means change can happen. Struggling with an eating disorder significantly increases your risk of suicide so don't struggle on your own.

    Gemma's takeaway is “please don’t give up on yourself, seek support, reach out…it is possible to have a life after an eating disorder”

    Gemma was very young when she started to struggle with how she felt about her own body.  What started as over exercising spiralled into a long-term battle with bulimia and eventually, she attempted to take her own life. This is a hugely honest and insightful deep dive under the skin of how isolating and shameful it feels to have an eating disorder.

    Eventually Gemma managed to find the support of others and gradually turned her life around.  She says “recovery is not a straight line, its not easy” but recover she did and she’s now sharing her story with the aim of giving hope to others.

    If you need someone to talk to, you can text Mikeysline on 07786 20 77 55 or contact via messenger, webchat or X. Sun-Thurs 6pm-10pm & Fri-Sat 6pm-11pm.

    Or come and visit at 4 Strothers Lane, Inverness IV1 1LR, Sun-Thurs 6pm-10pm & Fri-Sat 6pm-11pm.

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    Speaking of Suicide hosting is supported by D and D Paving Ltd.

    Speaking of Suicide is produced and presented by Adventurous Audio

  • Episode takeaway: Everyone is different. Xani found cycling as his way forward but yours might be writing or journaling or walking or something else, work with whatever helps you to make sense of the grief of suicide.

    Xani had planned that it would be his sister Alice helping him cycle his tandem but after she took her own life at the start of 2022 he decided to turn the back seat of his tandem into a way of both remembering her and helping others.

    In the summer of 2023, on what would have been Alice’s 30th birthday, Xani set off to cycle 3500 miles round Great Britain by tandem inviting people impacted by suicide to take a seat, help him pedal but also so he could listen and learn from the sharing of their stories. 

    Pennie caught up with Xani on day 80 of his 88 day journey to learn what he’s discovered about himself and those who’ve travelled with him on this challenging but enlightening ride.

    Xani found Survivors of Bereavement by Suicide a particularly useful organisation and Rory O'Connor's book When It Is Darkest. If you want to find out more about Xani's fundraising efforts through Tandem Against Suicide click here.

    If you need someone to talk to, you can text Mikeysline on 07786 20 77 55 or contact via messenger, webchat or X. Sun-Thurs 6pm-10pm & Fri-Sat 6pm-11pm.

    Or come and visit at 4 Strothers Lane, Inverness IV1 1LR, Sun-Thurs 6pm-10pm & Fri-Sat 6pm-11pm.

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    Speaking of Suicide hosting is supported by D and D Paving Ltd.

    Speaking of Suicide is produced and presented by Adventurous Audio

  • Episode take-away: how to build resilience in the face of bullying through drawing on your support network, asking for help, growing your confidence and your sense of perspective.

    “He was the smiley one that everyone would go to for a laugh”

    16 year old Neve lost a good friend to suicide when he was just 13, now, in a bid to inspire other teens to feel more able to share when they’re struggling and hopefully be less afraid of the consequences of asking for help, Neve is opening up about her own battles with depression and anxiety. 

    Hearing from Neve gives a great insight into some of the barriers which stop teens from speaking out about their problems.  One of the biggest issues for her is fear of judgement, how you’ll be perceived if your peers know you’re asking for help.  She readily admits, however much the adults in her life provide support and an ear, “most of me is shaped by my friends”. 

    Neve says a lot of her peer group worry that they’ll be bullied if people know they’re having mental health problems.  Neve herself was subjected to photos being taken of her and constant teasing and intimidation but now, having lost her friend to suicide, she’s worked hard to re-gain her confidence and is determined to reach out to others, so they feel less alone.

    Joanne, Neve’s mum, also shares her worries as a parent of a teen in the digital world and the capacity for bullies to hide behind the keyboard. 

    Hugely engaging and insightful, Neve talks with a maturity way beyond her years and provides a real beacon of hope, even offering an olive branch of empathy to the bullies themselves.

    If you need someone to talk to, you can text Mikeysline on 07786 20 77 55 or contact via messenger, webchat or X. Sun-Thurs 6pm-10pm & Fri-Sat 6pm-11pm.

    Or come and visit at 4 Strothers Lane, Inverness IV1 1LR, Sun-Thurs 6pm-10pm & Fri-Sat 6pm-11pm.

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    Speaking of Suicide hosting is supported by D and D Paving Ltd.

    Speaking of Suicide is produced and presented by Adventurous Audio

  • Episode take-away: The value of finding a vehicle to process our grief journey through suicide and why writing might be a good way to process pain.

    Heartbreakingly honest and deeply thought provoking. 

    Only a few weeks after Victoria lost her younger brother Sean to suicide she asked to share her experience of loss with us.  Victoria felt really strongly that hearing about the early stages of grief is important, so anyone else going through a similar loss could find someone they could relate to.  Throughout the episode we also hear some excerpts from Victoria’s diary – read by an actor.   Her writing is a searching, honest, raw and painful sift through the mass of emotions that come with losing a loved one to suicide.  Questions of why Sean made the choice he did and whether she could have done anything to change his mind continue to spiral round and round and are reflected in her writing and thoughts.

    We’re publishing this ep on 22nd September, one year on from Sean’s death, in memory of his loss.

    Credits: Victoria’s diaries are read by Ali Ellam

    If you need someone to talk to, you can text Mikeysline on 07786 20 77 55 or contact via messenger, webchat or X. Sun-Thurs 6pm-10pm & Fri-Sat 6pm-11pm.

    Or come and visit at 4 Strothers Lane, Inverness IV1 1LR, Sun-Thurs 6pm-10pm & Fri-Sat 6pm-11pm.

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    Speaking of Suicide hosting is supported by D and D Paving Ltd.

    Speaking of Suicide is produced and presented by Adventurous Audio

  • Episode take-away: The value of honesty and how to break the cycle of shame, isolation and helplessness that comes with addiction.

    “We need to change how we view addiction so that people from all walks of life feel able to emerge from the shadows and seek help”. 

    Open, brave, honest and seriously inspiring, in this episode Rachel Smart, a journalist and recovering addict, who’s battled with depression and suicidal thoughts over many years, shares her story and how she managed to turn life around, emerge from those shadows and get her life back.

    For Rachel, her slide into addiction happened when she started working in a bar, mixed with a particular crowd and got regular access to drugs.  But, far from solving the depression which she’d been battling with for large parts of her life, her drug use made her anxiety and depression much worse.  

    Rachel describes life as an addict as feeling “suffocating, overwhelming, a dark cave you couldn’t escape from, a failure”, she goes on to explain how ashamed she felt of not being able to get her life together.

    Eventually Rachel moved to a new city and changed jobs but even then, her drug use continued.  Then, one day, she heard about an online ‘recovery room’ which she decided to attend and bit by bit, by listening to other people share their stories and listen to hers, she found hope and was able to make the decision to stop using.  After 2 weeks she stopped her drug taking and has now been clean for over a year.

    Now she wants other addicts to know they’re not alone, not a failure and that there is help out there.

    If you need support for addiction the following might help:

    Addiction Counselling Inverness

    Gamblers Anonymous

    Cocaine Anonymous

    Drug Addicts Anonymous

    Marijuana Anonymous

    East Coast Scotland Narcotics Anonymous

    If you need someone to talk to, you can text Mikeysline on 07786 20 77 55 or contact via messenger, webchat or X. Sun-Thurs 6pm-10pm & Fri-Sat 6pm-11pm.

    Or come and visit at 4 Strothers Lane, Inverness IV1 1LR, Sun-Thurs 6pm-10pm & Fri-Sat 6pm-11pm.

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    Speaking of Suicide hosting is supported by D and D Paving Ltd.

    Speaking of Suicide is produced and presented by Adventurous Audio

  • In June 2022 John Gibson started walking the length of Great Britain, 1200 miles from Land’s End to John O' Groats, with the aim of starting a national conversation around suicide.   His walk was in response to the moment in 2019, when John’s son, Cameron, took his life without warning. Left reeling and feeling utterly helpless in the aftermath of this devastating event John found walking a huge part of his finding his feet again so, along with founding The Canmore Trust charity, John decided to walk and talk about suicide with the mission of better understanding what can be done to prevent families like his going through the tragedy of losing a loved one to suicide #onemanwalkingamilliontalking. 

    In this deeply moving and thought-provoking episode, which is sponsored by D&D Paving Ltd, Pennie Stuart meets John as he crosses the Highlands and nears the final few days of his walk. 

    Support or get help from MIkeysline

    Speaking of Suicide is produced by Adventurous Audio

  • In this episode of Speaking of Suicide Dan joins Kev Stacey from Inverness’s 42 Cycling to explore the benefits of the wide-open environment on our mental health. Former Black Watch soldier, Kev takes Dan on a #RespiteRide and along the way talks about his experience of being injured in Iraq by an IED.

    The aftermath of the attack led Kev to struggling with his mental health and a gambling addiction. It was the power of the bike that helped him pull himself back from the dark places that came in the aftermath of his injuries.

    Today, he is using his experiences and love of cycling to help other people with their own mental health. His Respite Rides are a way to widen your horizon, to focus on one thing, to find calm in the chaos.

    To join Kev on a Respite Ride or find out more visit 42 Cycling

    Follow him on Instagram

    Remember it’s okay not be okay and MIkeysline is here for you if you need immediate help and support.

    Speaking of Suicide is produced by Adventurous Audio the podcast platform is supported by D&D Paving Ltd.

  • Mike McCathy’s son wrote him a farewell letter. Ross asked his dad to campaign for better mental health support for people like him, people in need. That was all Mike needed to pick up the baton and devote himself to developing one of the biggest suicide awareness and prevention initiatives the UK has ever seen - The Baton of Hope.

    Dan Holland talks to Mike about Ross and the aim of The Baton of Hope to create a society where suicide and suicide prevention are openly and widely discussed. Where we inspire hope through action and support. Where we remove shame, stigma and silence.

    Find out more about The Baton of Hope

    Support or get help from MIkeysline

    Speaking of Suicide is produced by Adventurous Audio the podcast platform is supported by D&D Paving Ltd.

  • Imagine you are a cancer doctor who starts to worry that you too have cancer but that worry then grows and grows into an all-consuming obsession. Every day, day after day you go into work where you are having to diagnose and treat people with cancer, which all the while feeds your own horror that you might have it too. Sounds like a version of hell but that’s just what happened to Russell who Pennie talks to for this episode of Speaking of Suicide.

    We don’t often hear from doctors about their own health problems - perhaps we’re so often worrying about ourselves that we don’t stop to think about the pressures that caring for us all might have on their mental health - but in this episode we’re going to hear an utterly open and honest chat about what it feels like to become mentally ill when you’re a health care specialist.

    Support or get help from MIkeysline

    This episode of Speaking of Suicide is sponsored by Travis Perkins Inverness

    Speaking of Suicide is produced by Adventurous Audio

  • International Shinty legend, BBC Radio Scotland presenter and acclaimed musician Gary Innes was 16 years old when one of his friends took their own life. At school it wasn’t talked about, it was moved silently to the side. Over the next 20 years a further 5 of his Lochaber Shinty Club teammates would do the same thing. This horror shook not just the world of shinty, but the whole of Lochaber. It left Gary feeling frightened about what would happen next.

    Today Gary is trying to talk as much as possible about his teammates and our mental health, about remembering it is ok not to be ok, that there is no shame, no stigma and there should be no silence.

    Mikeysline and The Camanachd Association have started working together to raise awareness of mental health issues, and in this episode Dan Holland speaks to Gary about his six teammates and what he feels the world of Shinty should be doing to help further support players and their families.

    Support or get help from MIkeysline

    Gary Innes

    Camanachd Association

    This episode of Speaking of Suicide was sponsored by HSBC UK and is produced by Adventurous Audio the podcast platform is supported by D&D Paving Ltd.