I am delighted to have joined the team at Child Bereavement UK recently as National Development Coordinator for Scotland. 

For information about the organisation, who provide support when a child dies or when a child grieves, check out the array of resources here: https://www.childbereavementuk.org/

Also, here is my recent piece for the organisational magazine which says more about what we do, and what I do: 

I joined Child Bereavement UK in early August. I’m grateful for such a warm welcome from other team members, and from external partners and others that we collaborate with, which I think speaks volumes for Child Bereavement UK and the work that we do in Scotland.
 
My role involves collaborating with lots of dedicated and passionate people to provide the best guidance and support to other professionals, families, children and young people when they need it most. I feel privileged to spend time designing and delivering training, helping people to find the direct support that is needed for the people that we are working with and discussing, planning, and actioning new developments in bereavement support across Scotland. All of this is anchored by the work that I do to continue the facilitation and development of the local bereavement support networks that have been so well established by other team members at the charity, both past and present.

There are lots of different priorities in my job and I am responsible for work across the whole of Scotland which, although relatively small compared to many other countries in Europe in terms of population, has such rich variety in terms of the nature of the needs of different communities including those related to the geographical spread and location. The opportunities to connect with people that live in remote locations (including travelling when possible) on one day and then working in a vibrant and diverse urban community in a city or town on another day are amongst the things that I enjoy about this job.
 
I am counsellor,  psychotherapist and practice supervisor and have been working as a mental health consultant for the last few years including designing and delivering training on things including counselling, counselling skills, staff wellbeing, trauma awareness, and supporting people impacted by alcohol and other drugs. I also did some coaching and sports psychology with individuals and teams. I have worked with and for several different third sector organisations and have some statutory sector experience both in Scotland and other parts of Europe – all focused on providing therapeutic support to people.

My roots are Ellesmere Port on the Wirral (close to Liverpool), but Edinburgh is very much my home, one I share with Claire. I feel very grateful for our house, and outside space just to the south of the city centre, where we love to cook and eat – not least food that we have grown ourselves (we try hard to be kind to the environment at all times).
 
We are fortunate to have a wider family that we enjoy spending time with including parents, siblings and nieces and nephews. We also  love to share time with our friends both here in Scotland and in our second home in the North West of England, and to connect with friends as we travel  around Britain and abroad. Our house is full of music of many types and we both play instruments. We also have other types of art, photographs and plants in our home, and our garden is a place where we love to be and get so much energy from.
 
I like to travel and explore and to learn, to connect with people in my community and work towards positive change. I enjoy learning languages and about dialects and accents, about science and history, and nature. I see self-development as a very important part of my life, and enjoy learning about psychology, biology and self-care. I love to walk and to run and enjoy the mental and physical workout of boxing training and to play and watch football (not least Liverpool FC). I like to swim (particularly in seas and lochs) and to spend time in nature and wilderness including foraging and camping and I love live music, events and festivals and experiencing food from every culture.