My Personal Experience of Being Bereaved by Suicide
So where shall I begin? My life before my brother died, my experience of being bereaved by suicide, my work as a researcher, my vision to develop the first suicide bereavement research unit in...
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I Didn’t Expect this Response!
29th November, 2020 Dear Diary ‘There is no power for change greater than a community discovering what it cares about Margaret J. Wheatley It is fair to say, that I am an...
Our Time to Step Up
31st August 2020 Dear Diary These are unprecedented and unpredictable times. COVID-19 and its implications (e.g. lockdown and government restrictions) have been disabling in so many ways, for individuals, communities and businesses. We are...
Welcome Back Mum
2nd August, 2020 Dear Diary ‘The true measure of any society can be found in how it treats it’s most vulnerable members.’ Mahatma Gandhi My mum aged 82 and only 4 foot 8 inches,...
Us Up North
26th July, 2020 Dear Diary I find this skit about Northerners travelling around London really funny. However, joking apart, us Northerners’ are so much more than talkative and friendly. We are innovative, creative, dare think...
The Joy of Builders Working in Your Home
19th July, 2020 Dear Diary I live in Lancashire, in a stone cottage built in the 1800’s, which were originally built for those working in the mills. These two up and two down cottages,...
Please tell me I am not the only one!
14th July, 2020 Dear Diary Working from home comes with many challenges, especially if you have children. This BBC interview is a classic example. The poor dad must have been mortified. Whilst I felt sorry...
So Who Are You Going to Invite?
5th July, 2020 Dear Diary ‘People who need people are the luckiest people in the world.’ Barbara Streisand As a nation, lockdown has been frightening, heart breaking and full of uncertainty for so...
Missed Opportunities in Suicide Prevention Strategies
June, 2020 Dear Diary ‘It is in the shelter of each other that the people live.’ Irish proverb I was recently interviewed on Voice of Islam radio station , to talk about male suicide...
When Two Worlds Potentially Collide
21st June, 2020 Dear Diary A couple of weeks ago I was invited to write a post for the National Institute for Health and Research (NIHR) Greater Manchester Patient Safety Translational Research Centre (PSTRC). ...
I Forgot to Mention …
31st May, 2020 Dear Diary During the past few weeks I been so pre-occupied with my personal observations of Covid-19, that I have forgotten to update you on recent developments, associated with my work....
No Man is an Island
20th May, 2020 Dear Diary ‘No Man is an Island’John Donne (1624) The past few weeks have created so much uncertainty for us all, including my organisation Suicide Bereavement UK. We have even debated...
Reflecting on my Organisation During Lockdown
Dear Diary 10th May, 2020 “I get knocked down. But I get up again.You’re never going to keep me down.” Chumbawanba The above lyrics are my mantra for this difficult and uncertain time. Granted...
I’m not a Fussy Eater but….
Dear Diary 22nd April 2020 For those that are not aware, I created my blog in 2014, in preparation for my Winston Churchill Travel Fellowship to Australia and New Zealand. Ultimately, the aim of...
60 is only a number!
Dear Diary 12th April, 2020 I was born in 1960 and part of the ‘baby boomer’ generation. Fast forward to the 11th April, 2020 and this ‘baby boomer’ is celebrating her 60th birthday! If...
Reflecting on Uncertain Times
4th April, 2020 Dear Diary What strange times we are currently living in. Our lives have been turned upside down. We are all confined to our homes and unable to visit family and friends. ...
Doing Things Outside Our Comfort Zone: Attending a Silent Retreat!
Dear Diary A couple of months ago, my daughter asked if I would go with her to a one day silent retreat where we would learn the basic principles of meditating. I agreed, as...
Publicly Thanking my Academic Supervisors
12th January 2020 Dear Diary Suicide Bereavement UK has now been trading nearly four years. For those that have read previous posts, you will be aware, that I had previously worked at The Centre...
The Purpose of My Blog
About This Blog This blog is not a support network for those bereaved by suicide. If you are in crisis and struggling to cope please contact either your GP or the Samaritans on 116 123...
Reflection of the Previous Decade
Date: 31.12.19Dear Diary The end of a decade is approaching and a time for quite reflection. This decade has been very eventful both personally and professionally for me. There have been lots of twists...
