International Women’s Day takes place on March 8. To mark they occasion we are celebrating the stories of incredible women in the Highlands. Meet Donna:

It is said that the hardest part of being a parent is watching a child go through pain and suffering and not being able to fix it for them.

When Donna Brady’s son went through a period of poor mental health she did everything that she could to help him. She was in the fortunate position to have the support of friends and family around her to help her with this, as she helped him as best she could.

After three years of ordeal, Donna’s son entered recovery and after her family’s personal experience she felt compelled to do something to support others in a similar position, who may not have access to the same help she did – so she became a volunteer at Mikeysline.

Donna explained more: “I was very fortunate to have the support of friends, family and the wider community around me during the experience with my son, however I was aware that not everyone is in this position, and I wanted to put my lived experience to good use.

“I joined Mikeysline as a textline volunteer three years ago, during the first lockdown.

“I spent three months training from home before my first textline shift, and spent one year as a volunteer.”

After this year, Donna decided to apply to become a member of staff at Mikeysline; for the last two years she has been working as a support worker at the Inverness Hive.

She sees people for appointments, offering them support and signposting them to other relevant services. For Donna, there is nothing like a good conversation to help people who feel like they are alone.

She said: “Being able to be there for someone and just listen to them when they are struggling can do so much for them.”

Donna is particularly passionate about helping other women, who are experiencing struggles in life. She said: “There is a saying ‘when women support women, incredible things happen’, which rings very true to me.

“Women connect on so many levels, due to their shared roles as mothers, wives, sisters, partners, daughters, and all the responsibilities and experiences that we share.

“There is a huge variation of issues that women seek support for, from mothers of children experiencing mental health issues to relationship problems to drug and alcohol dependency and young people in need of support. Each woman that comes through the door has different needs, but they all benefit from the power of a good chat.”

Explaining more about the work that she and the team at Mikeysline do, Donna said: “There are substantial benefits to be gained from peer support.

“We provide a safe, non-judgmental space to have open and honest discussions that might be more difficult with those we are closest to.

“Being able to really take time to listen and make women feel empowered is a huge privilege and one I don’t take lightly.”

One in five women struggle with their mental health. You don’t have to struggle in silence, text Mikeysline on 07786 20 77 55.

Mikeysline Launches Moving Podcast Season Finale for World Mental Health Day

A mental health charity providing vital text-based and face-to-face support services has released the season finale of its popular podcast series for World Mental Health Day (October 10).

Mikeysline has released the final episode of the current season of Speaking of Suicide, which features the compelling story of The Canmore Trust’s John Gibson.  In June 2022, John started walking the length of Great Britain – 1,200 miles from Land’s End to John O’ Groats – with the aim of starting a national conversation around suicide.

John’s son Cameron took his life without warning in 2019.

Left feeling utterly helpless, John found walking a huge part of his finding his feet again.

As well as founding the Canmore Trust, John has been walking and talking the length and breadth of the country to better understand what can be done to prevent families like his facing similar tragedies.

CEO Emily Stokes said: “John’s story is thought provoking and moving – as are all those featured on the Speaking of Suicide podcast.

 By sharing these real experiences, we are able to learn more about our own mental health and that of others around us – and find solaces in the fact that we are not facing these challenges alone.

” The theme of this year’s World Mental Health Day is to make mental health and wellbeing for all a global priority.

“By addressing the stigma around mental health and suicide prevention in the Highlands and Moray, we are contributing to the global conversation – and allowing the stories and experiences of people in our communities to be heard around the world.

” Suicide rates in the Highlands are still sadly much higher than in most other places in Scotland, so there is clearly much more to talk about.

“And the more we discuss subjects that were onces considered taboo, the easier it is for people suffering to realise that it’s ok not to be ok.

“We facilitate this conversation in communities throughout the north of Scotlandwith our work in schools, sports clubs and associations and businesses.

“And our text based support, and individual and group face-to-face services, allows those struggling with their mental health and suicidal thoughts to be heard too.”

The Speaking of Suicide podcast features high profile guests – musicians, sportspeople, professioals and campaigners – discussing their experiences of mental health and suicide, with frank and honest discussions about the ways in which it has impacted their lives. Guests in the recent season have included:

Gary Innes – 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. Over the next 20 years, a further five of his Lochaber Shinty Club teammates would do the same thing. Today, Gary is trying to talk as much as possible about mental health, about remembering that it is ok not to be ok, that there is no shame or stigma, and there should be no silence. In this episode, Dan Holland speaks to Gary about his teammates and what he feels the world of shinty should be doing to help further support players and their families.

Russell Mullen – Imagine you are a cancer doctor who starts to worry that you too have cancer, but that worry grows into an all-consuming obsession. Sounds like a version of hell but that’s just what happened to Russell, who talks to Pennie.  We don’t often hear from doctors about their own health problems, but in this episode, we hear and open and honest chat about what it feels like to become mentally ill when you’re a healthcare specialist.

Mike McCarthy – The Baton of Hope – Mike McCarthy’s son wrote 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.

Kev Stacy – Respite Rides with 42 Cycling – Dan Holland 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 experiences 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.

Speaking of Suicide is hosted by Pennie Stuart and Dan Holland, and is produced for Mikeysline by Adventurous Audio.

Highland News & Media choose Mikeysline as their charity for 2022/23

The staff of Highland News and Media have voted for Mikeysline to be its 2022-23 Charity of the Year, and have pledged to raise as much money as they can over the coming 12 months.

Emily Stokes, chief executive of Mikeysline, said:

“We are absolutely delighted that staff at Highland News and Media have chosen Mikeysline as their charity this year and we hope to use this tremendous opportunity to talk generally about mental health and wellbeing and suicide prevention as well as the support that is available for people of all ages.

“Only by talking about these subjects openly can we help others to feel more able to reach out for support when they most need it without fear of judgement or stigma. It’s ok not to be ok, but when we are not ok, talking about it with people we trust and reaching out for support can make a huge difference to our lives and others around us.

 “At Mikeysline we are always striving to develop and expand our services further and as well as providing individual support, we work with schools, businesses and offer group support.

“As a charity, we ultimately rely on fundraising. We have been so lucky and are so grateful for the amazing support that we have received as a grass roots charity since 2015 and are always looking for new ideas and options to raise awareness and funds with individuals, groups and businesses.”

If you can support the charity in any way, you can get in touch at enquiries@ mikeysine.co.uk if you would like to work them or can help get key messages out in local communities. Since 2015, Mikeysline has offered confidential, non-judgemental support to people of all ages dealing with mental health issues, emotional distress or thoughts of suicide in the Highlands and Moray. It does this via a text line service at 07786 207755; WhatsApp at 01463 729000 and via its website; and live chat, Twitter and Messenger via its website (www. mikeysline.co.uk).

Mikeysline also produces a popular podcast, Speaking of Suicide with Adventurous Audio, and will be launching a new series over the next few weeks.

Darrel Paterson, business development manager and charity champion with Highland News and Media, said:

“We are passionate about our communities and our Community Social Responsibility. “Each year we ask our employees to vote for our charity of the year, and it is with great pride that that Mikeysline will be benefactor from September 2022 to September 2023.

“Given the challenges we have faced over the last few years and with the cost-of-living crisis, it is imperative that charities like Mikeysline get the support they need to be able to be there to offer support for when people need it.”

September 10 is World Suicide Prevention day, and Darrel says everyone at HNM is keen to use this opportunity to raise awarness of the work that Mikeysline does. He added:

“Our team will be working on a series of fundraising events and challenges to support that charity, and we would welcome our readers to join us in supporting them.” 

For more information visit www.mikeysline. co.uk – or find Mikeysline on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Reflections on the importance of volunteering on World Suicide Prevention Day

George talks about his work as a volunteer for World Suicide prevention day.

Mikeysline is a Highlands and Moray charity which is saving lives with its vital work. CHRIS SAUNDERSON talks to one volunteer about his work with the award-winning charity organisation.

George King has been a volunteer for five years. HELPING someone at a time of crisis in their life is one of the most rewarding and altruistic things you could do. George King has been a volunteer with Mikeysline for nearly five years. He was prompted to get involved with the charity after the death of an 18-year-old friend to suicide. When he learned of the charity and its vision to support people at risk of taking their own life, George became a volunteer aged just 19.

“The most important thing is to listen to people. It can take a while to get it out of them and reassure them that this is a safe place to talk about anything,” he said. “It gives me great pleasure in knowing somebody has texted and they have reached out to communicate their problems, because that is one of the hardest things in the world to do when you are in a deep, dark pit.”

Mikeysline was founded in 2015 after a tragic number of suicides in the Highland area. It now also provides support to people in Moray and further afield. Its text-based support includes SMS, Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, Webchat and Twitter. It also runs The Hive, mental health and crisis support centres, with 1:1 appointments and drop-in. And in 2021 it launched a Young Person’s Service to support young people.

George said a call or text message to Mikeysline can be the first step down the road to mental health recovery. Volunteers with the charity will listen to each individual and point them in the right direction to get extra support and help. The crucial thing is to be personable, added George, and take time to listen to the person, and understand how they are feeling.

“There was one woman who texted in and I called the police because I was worried about her. She texted back the next day to say I had saved her life. “We all have our problems and sometimes we can make them bigger, in our own heads, than they are. It just takes someone else to say ‘things are not as bad as they seem’.”

George provided textline support and face to face peer help at Mikeysline’s Hive when he first started as a volunteer. The business solutions adviser with the University of the Highlands and Islands, still helps out several times a month with the charity and is one of its longest serving volunteers. “We have a lot more volunteers now and the work is shared out among them.”