Caroline Roodhouse - surviving and thriving after loss by suicide

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.

22 Sep 202237min

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

15 Sep 202253min

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.

8 Sep 202245min

At 18, Sandy Clunas left Nairn in the north of Scotland and headed off to Australia to become a windsurfing instructor.  In the following 10 years he travelled the world competing and teaching windsurfing, on the surface of it he was living the dream until it all came crashing down and he found himself in a very dark and difficult place, contemplating suicide.  In this honest, open and engaging conversation Sandy shares how he’s managed to climb back up and start to love life again. He talks about his new career away from water sports and about how he came to start a podcast The After Hours Lounge aimed at supporting more men to talk about their mental health.  If you need someone to talk to, you can text Mikeysline on 07786 20 77 55 or contact via messenger, webchat or twitter.  Sun-Thurs 6pm-10pm & Fri-Sat 6pm-11pm. Or come and visit at The Hive, 19 Academy Street, Inverness, Sun-Thurs 6pm-10pm & Fri-Sat 6pm-11pm. This episode of Speaking of Suicide is sponsored by D&D Paving Ltd. The music is by Tom Ireland with special thanks to Dave Martin

12 Maj 202244min

Pennie talks to Dylan Cathcart about how he managed to transform his life and ability to be open about his ups and downs after he decided to take the brave step of talking to a therapist.  In Dylan’s words therapy has been ‘a tornado of an experience’ but he’s really passionate about how it’s helped him, and it’s fuelled his hope that he can help others too.  As well as being open and honest about his own struggles Dylan’s set up a clothing company ACTIV3 Clothing which will help raise money for charities in the Highlands.  If you need someone to talk to, you can text Mikeysline on 07786 20 77 55 or contact via messenger, webchat or twitter.  Sun-Thurs 6pm-10pm & Fri-Sat 6pm-11pm. Or come and visit at The Hive, 19 Academy Street, Inverness, Sun-Thurs 6pm-10pm & Fri-Sat 6pm-11pm. This episode of Speaking of Suicide is sponsored by D&D Paving Ltd. The music is by Tom Ireland with special thanks to Dave Martin

20 Apr 202231min

In this episode Pennie talks to her oldest friend, Bastie Morrison.  Although they’ve known each other their whole lives, they’ve never discussed the fact that Bastie’s mum Jill took her own life when he was only 5 years’ old.   Bastie wasn’t ever directly told about his mum’s suicide – something he feels was seriously misjudged at the time – and it was only through piecing together what little he knew that he eventually discovered the truth. Bastie shares his story with extraordinary insight and compassion, talking about how, after all these years, he’s come to a place of understanding and deep love for his mum along with the ongoing sadness that he never got to know her. If you need someone to talk to, you can text Mikeysline on 07786 20 77 55 or contact via messenger, webchat or twitter.  Sun-Thurs 6pm-10pm & Fri-Sat 6pm-11pm. Or come and visit at The Hive, 19 Academy Street, Inverness, Sun-Thurs 6pm-10pm & Fri-Sat 6pm-11pm. This episode of Speaking of Suicide is sponsored by MKM Building Supplies in Inverness with additional support from D&D Paving Ltd. The music is by Tom Ireland with special thanks to Dave Martin

9 Mars 202246min

What would you say right now to someone, a friend, a family member if they came to you and said they felt that life wasn’t worth living? It’s tough isn’t it. Even harder if you’re not expecting it. For this episode of Speaking of Suicide, Dan Holland is in Edinburgh to meet and go for a walk with Christo Hudson. Christo is a former commercial pilot.  When the pandemic took grip on our world and lockdowns became a way of life, like for so many of us, for Christo life changed very suddenly. Today he’s a mental health first aid and suicide prevention trainer and it’s his story of going from the cockpit to the classroom that we can all learn something from. Christo describes someone opening up to you as them passing you a red hot ball. So today, we hear how to carefully hold and nurture that red hot ball you’ve been given. If you need someone to talk to, you can text Mikeysline on 07786 20 77 55 or contact via messenger, webchat or twitter.  Sun-Thurs 6pm-10pm & Fri-Sat 6pm-11pm. Or come and visit at The Hive, 19 Academy Street, Inverness, Sun-Thurs 6pm-10pm & Fri-Sat 6pm-11pm. Speaking of Suicide is made thanks to the support of D&D Paving Ltd. The music is by Tom Ireland with special thanks to Dave Martin Christo Hudson’s Black Box Approach

23 Feb 202245min

A real story of hope this episode as Pennie Stuart and Matt Wallace, founder of Clarity Walk, take a walk and talk through Reelig Glen.  Matt talks about how a move to Glasgow left him isolated and increasingly depressed, so much so he became suicidal.  His mental health started to impact on his physical health, and he became locked in a circle of misery.  Thankfully Matt realised in time that he needed to make some dramatic changes, so he went on a digital detox, limiting his time on the phone and reconnecting with nature through walking.  The impact was huge and now Matt’s helping others to help themselves through his Highland based social enterprise Clarity Walk. If you need someone to talk to, you can text Mikeysline on 07786 20 77 55 or contact via messenger, webchat or twitter.  Sun-Thurs 6pm-10pm & Fri-Sat 6pm-11pm. Or come and visit at The Hive, 19 Academy Street, Inverness, Sun-Thurs 6pm-10pm & Fri-Sat 6pm-11pm. Speaking of Suicide is made thanks to the support of D&D Paving Ltd. The music is by Tom Ireland with special thanks to Dave Martin   Matt Wallace's Clarity Walk

9 Feb 202234min