Taking Action

This is the first in a series of episodes which form part of the "Getting to Grips with Trauma" Book Festival which will be held at the Lantern house theatre in Cumbernauld on Sunday 6th September from 10.00 - 5.30. You can buy tickets here  https://lanternhousearts.org/events/book-festival-getting-to-grips-with-traum/ . Remarkably, a £15 day pass allows you to attend 6 sessions from a c...

This podcast was an absolute pleasure for me. I have long been committed to outdoor learning and chaired the Outdoor Connections Advisory Group for Scottish Government, so to combine that with addressing Adverse Childhood Experiences was an irresistible opportunity for me. Conor McNamara, Conor.mcnamara@oytscotland.org.uk , does exactly that through his work with the Ocean Youth Trust. You can get...

This episode takes us back into the territory of community activism and empowerment and that is something that is at the heart of this series. Terry McTernan has a great story to tell about Ferguslie Park and the people who live there. Often highlighted, Ferguslie had become a byword for the extent and impact of deprivation. Sadly, it had often appeared to be a graveyard for efforts at regeneratio...

It is wonderful to come back to the film "Love and Trouble" which we first discussed  in episode 4 of series 1 of this podcast when we spoke to Christo Hird from Dartmouth Films. I now get the chance to talk about not with Kenny and Kerry who are the subjects of the film. I really admire both of them for the way that they have addressed the challenges and issues that they have faced and...

I am absolutely delighted to be able to release this podcast with Laurie Ellis. It is our first episode dealing with all of the issues, which we have dealt with in other episodes, in the world off sport, Laurie makes clear how important it is that everyone dealing with young people, whatever the context, needs to understand them and respond to their characteristics, experiences and needs. He talks...

We are back with a bang! Season 2 of Taking Action kicks off with the indefatigable Melanie Stuart, FE lecturer, activist and more. The list of links and references set out below will give you a flavour of the range of this conversation. Mel is open, honest and brave and shares her own personal development in these notes and on the show, but, above all she gets stuff done which is what taking Acti...

Welcome to the final podcast of series 1 of Taking Action. I will now be 'taking stock" and "taking a break" instead. the podcast will definitely be back, maybe with a renewed focus, format and frequency. Please look out for a return in mid-February. In the meantime, please check out previous episodes on Buzzsprout, Apple and Spotify. I had no doubt about how I wanted to finish...

This is an episode which I have been longing to record. John Carnochan and Karyn McCluskey are, for me, towering figures in Scotland's ACEs movement. They were founding members of the groundbreaking Violence Reduction Unit established  within the Strathclyde Police Force ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Violence_Reduction_Unit ). They would both give credit to others for the building of that u...

This episode really moves us into the final phase of this series of "Taking Action" - (look out for an announcement about future plans soon). We are going to be "looking in" with Warren Larkin to see how Scotland looks from an external perspective. We are then going to look back with John Carnochan and Karyn McCluskey, before we look forward with the return of Suzanne Zeedyk  W...

I know that people can listen to this podcast anytime, but it is being posted as the Christmas edition for 2025 and it is, appropriately, a cracker!! Suzanne Zeedyk has been mentioned in a number of the earlier episodes and has, clearly, been hugely influential in the efforts to make sure that the Scottish public is a familiar as possible with the science of ACEs. The idea for this "Taking Ac...

I have been keen to record another episode of this series which focussed on Further Education to follow up the wonderful episode with Jackie Galbraith from West Lothian College. Kirsten Harrold is a worthy successor.  Kirsten is a brilliant combination intellect and rigour, with a deep knowledge of the theory of child development and of attachment, and a resolute pragmatism and practicality. All o...

This episode marks our quarter century. It also marks a bit of a departure in that it is a discussion with Louise Marryat and reflecting on her 2019 research into ACEs in Scotland. It is about a different sort of taking action, but we wanted to get an overview of where we were in terms of the prevalence of ACEs in Scotland. As the conversation develops it does much more than that.  It delves into...

This is a really important podcast for me. I realised that we had recorded 23 episodes and not included anyone from a black or minority ethnic community. That led me to reflect on how little engagement there has been between these communities and the ACEs movement in Scotland so I wanted to explore why that was the case. I also wanted to explore the whole area of anti-racism, highlight examples of...

I am delighted to be releasing this episode of Taking Action for a number of reasons. First, and most importantly, it features two really committed and passionate people in Gwenne and Jennie, who have an excellent project to talk about. Secondly, it highlights work in health, which is an area that I haven't featured enough in the series. Thirdly, it touches on a lot of themes that have been d...

Angus Bell's story is remarkable. His experience of attending a well known boarding school in Scotland is utterly horrific, but Angus has certainly taken action. He took legal action against the school that he attended and won a significant settlement from them. He gave testimony to the Scottish Child Abuse Enquiry. Both of these actions took considerable courage. They meant confronting his o...

Upstart Scotland -  https://upstart.scot/ - is a remarkable organisation. Here's the link to a very old video by way of introduction  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMaxhELpG7I . It takes a special campaign to bring together academics, writers, educationalists, forest schoolers and police, but Upstart does that and more  It has engaged parents and politicians and built partnerships to attemp...

I am really proud that we have reached 20 episodes of this podcast and am very pleased that it is an interview with Jennie Seed, Deputy Headteacher at Carnoustie High School. Jennie is a classic example of someone meeting Jaz Ampaw Farr's challenge to us to be 10% braver. Jennie is someone who has been prepared to learn from all sorts of experience, in practice, in reading and through learnin...

I am always amazed at how many people are doing things to try to make Scotland a more caring, compassionate and just nation and the different ways that they find to do that. My guest on this episode is a classic example of this.  I wanted to have Laura McGlinn on the podcast because of the short film that she had made about Tina Hendry. Here is the comment about Tina from a blog on the Mind Waves...

I am aware that the episodes of Taking Action are getting longer and this is one of the episodes that justifies that. Apart from the fact that Fiona Duncan, who led the  Review leading to The Promise  and is the Independent Strategic Advisor on The Promise, and advises Scottish Ministers in this capacity,  is a very impressive guest - articulate, bright, committed and passionate with a total comma...

I hope this is as much of a treat for you to listen to as it was for me to record. As is very apparent in the episode, I am a huge fan of Blue Rose Code and of Ross Wilson's work, but the interview is much more than a piece of self-indulgence.  Ross has taken action. He has a real sense of service and makes that clear. He shares his own experience and history and talks about its impact, He sh...

I am delighted by this episode for all sorts of reasons.  Ciara Burke is a joy to talk with. She is effervescent, full of enthusiasm and generosity. I felt energised simply by hearing her. She also has a great story to tell. What Midlothian are doing as a Council, based on their understanding of the impact of poverty, of disadvantage and of disruption on the lives of too many of the people who liv...

This is another instance where the quality of the recording does not match up to the quality of the content. Thomas Seisay is a wonderful example to all of us.  He and his husband adopted two children who had both been in the care system. That marks them out as caring, committed and compassionate even if they had not done anything else, but they have done so much more. They saw the challenges that...

I hope that the title for this episode got your attention. It was difficult to know what to call it, but it was delight to be part of it! Essentially, it is me trying to interview Angela Gardner from St John the Baptist Primary School in Fauldhouse - and not Falkirk as I suggest - Eileen Brennan, from Our Lady of Lourdes in Blackburn, West Lothian and Frances Burns from St Joseph's in Whitbur...

Following on from the inspirational conversation with Danny Gemmell, here is another wonderful example of individual and community activism. Sandra Sutton is a force of nature. She is full of drive and energy and she has devoted that to the former mining village of Twechar in East Dunbartonshire.  Twechar could have been another dying community left behind after the pit closure and the impact of e...

One of the great things about doing this podcast is getting to meet someone every week who is doing something remarkable to implement what they know about the impact of trauma and the healing power of relationships. It gives me hope art a time when that can be a rare commodity. Danny Gemmell really adds to that list of outstanding people. I hope that everyone will check out his website https://www...