Starting to get somewhere

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By Frances Beck

What a week it’s been this week

I’m feeling like we’re starting to get somewhere at last. Tuesday saw Conor’s good friend and my now partner in crime, Stephanie, and myself, at the Scottish parliament in Edinburgh. Here we mixed with MSPs, government officials, staff and supporters of the Mental Health Foundation (MHF), and some of their third sector partner organisations. We had been filmed for the MHF’s #MakeItCount campaign video. The video launched at the parliamentary reception with the aim of embedding mental health education into the heart of the school curriculum.

Starting (1) - Starting to get somewhere: Things may appear to be moving slowly at times, but it's amazing to see how far you've come when you stop and look back.

As you probably know, it’s something that’s extremely important to me. To try to prevent mental health problems developing and build emotional resilience in young people to better help them deal with life’s inevitable hard times, which will reduce the pressure on mental health services, allowing those in most need to get timely, effective support and hopefully lead to a reduction in suicide rates. It was emotional watching the video, and hearing how Conor’s story had impacted on people. It was great to speak to so many people with a shared vision, and left me reflecting on how far we’ve actually come in a relatively short period of time.

Approaching those in power

Disappointingly, we still didn’t get the chance to speak to the Minister for Mental Health. The Minister disappeared straight after the speeches.

Stephanie and I both emailed a number of ministers and MSPs in the months following Conor’s death. We tried to have conversations to find out how the people in power were going to try to improve mental health. We wanted to know how they would improve access to services and prevent suicide.

Stephanie and I were desperate to prevent our nightmare being experienced by others. We weren’t satisfied with the answers we were receiving, when indeed we actually received any. Growing increasingly disappointed and angry at being brushed off, we discovered the fabulous work of the MHF. The Mental Health Foundation have prevention at the heart of everything they do. We approached the Scottish team, who listened to our frustrations and gave us a platform for our voices to be heard. We’ve been involved in their Mental Health Awareness week, have been prominent in their Make It Count campaign, and continue to support them in the vital work that they do.

Women of Scotland Lunch

As a thank you, we were invited to the Women of Scotland lunch on Friday, where the MHF is this year’s chosen charity. It was an amazing day with some amazing women. Listening to the inspirational speakers talk about their own experiences of mental health was illuminating.

Sarah Brown, the main guest speaker, spoke so eloquently about her daughter Jennifer who sadly died shortly after her birth, and the charity she started because she was compelled to ensure that her daughter’s life had meaning, to bring something positive from such a heartbreaking tragedy, and to try to prevent others having similar experiences. This completely resonated with me. It very much describes how I feel, and why I’m doing what I do.

I think at times we all, women in particular, underestimate just how powerful sharing our own stories and experiences can be, and how they can be a catalyst for positive change. I encourage you to do so too. There is still much to be done to make this world a better place. Things may appear to be moving slowly at times, but it’s amazing to see how far you’ve come when you stop and look back. So, onward… (After I’ve had time to recover from this week).