Kathy Stiff 💙

Customer care expert, rugby fan (Tigers & Scotland)

[Tam Dodds @DoddsDodds17]

Rest In Peace Chris Rea 🙏🏻 some great songs 🎶❤️🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿😘❤️

[Kathy Stiff 💙 @KathySCC]

And his Parliamo Glasgow in the Sunday Post years back was an absolute joy! Helped my sassenach husband understand my Scottish relatives at our wedding. SB was a legend

[Rory Bremner 💙🇺🇦 @rorybremner]

Naughty, risqué, a precocious child performer, fine comic character actor and gifted impressionist. Seeing him in panto made me do what I do. Orrabest and seeyouzefter, maestro. X

[Brendan May @bmay]

The Covid report brings into sharp focus one thing we already knew: Johnson's tenure as PM was a puerile, chaotic, toxic failure of leadership, of good governance and it tarnished the office he held, shaming Britain.

Do not, for God's sake, repeat the same mistake with Farage.

[Baroness Patricia of Plague Island @Patrici89225734]

A list of everything they did to make sure harm was done to us all!

[Kathy Stiff 💙 @KathySCC]

Couldn’t agree more! And while we’re at it, it’s not a swede it’s a turnip (neep) - much harder to carve than a pumpkin!

[Muriel Gray @ArtyBagger]

I stand with this. In Scotland it’s GUISING!!! No threat of egging windows. You have to do a song, or poem, or trick or something worthy of reward. The utterly darling children we’ve seen over the years with their wee rehearsed performance is treasure!!!! Keep it alive. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

[Being Scottish @BeingScots]

I was today years-old when I found out that 'pass-remarkable' (meaning excessively critical) is a Scots term

[Stan Collymore @StanCollymore]

Suicide.

I'm choosing to be deliberately blunt and provocative in this post because it's necessary. Government, charities, football clubs are all pushing water up a hill in highlighting what is undoubtedly a major health crisis.

You take a rope.
You put it up in a garage or a tree nearby or far away.
You're thinking about every loved one you'll leave behind as you put that rope around your neck.
Then you drop.

Some are decapitated.
Some aren't.
All are found by someone who has a lifetime of trauma that will never leave them.
A son.
A daughter.
A brother.
A sister.
A mother.
A father.

I know 2 men who hung themselves.

One was found by his Mom.
One was found by his brother.
Neither have recovered fully. 20 and 30 years on.

A life sentence for people who were already worrying, terrified their loved one may do something.

So just visualise the above and ask, "is there another way"?

A segway for a moment.

I do a few Q&A's every year. Tales of yesterday with a 99% male audience of my age group.

After the stories and fun, my last question back to the audience is..

"Hands up if you struggle with a mental health issue".

Nobody ever puts a hand up. Despite 1 in every 3 of 500 attendees statistically struggling.

"Ah, nobody, that's fucking brilliant! Well I do! ". I then graphically tell people, stunned into silence about how a rope around my neck in the middle of nowhere jolted me to go home and cry like a baby to my Mom.

After the Q&A has finished, something always happens. I'll be chatting to a few guys, saying bye and one by one, men will come over and whisper " I struggle".

Or my mailbox the next day will have 30 emails from guys, their partners or kids saying " Dad/Uncle /Brother was there last night and what you said hit them hard".

And that's how some people realise that it's time to speak to a pal or family member or even rant to me in an email. It works, I often get a follow up email a year or 6 later saying that they took responsibility for their suicidal feelings and are now flying.

Humans are programmed to want to live, to have families and to keep the species growing and thriving. So for a human to want to short circuit that desire isn't normal, and it should never be spoken of as normal. It's the ultimate red flag.

If you suspect your mate, Dad, Brother, Uncle is struggling mentally, they deserve your intervention.

They deserve a " are you OK, please tell me what's up".

They deserve an opportunity to get past wanting to hang a rope over a tree or in a garage and slowly struggle until they die and you find them.

If you've been there and trust me I have plenty, then you'll know that text out of the blue, or a footie mate or one of your kids asking jow you are can open the curtains to some sunshine.

Because when suicide is your only answer, the room is already dark, and you can't see a way out.

So please, fucking pretty please, ask that husband, Dad, Uncle, Cousin, footie pal TODAY how they are.

You may be shocked what comes back but extremely glad that you asked.

For those who struggle, you're not alone.

[Kathy Stiff 💙 @KathySCC]

A fabulous album and a brilliant movie!

[Simon Forrest @SimonForrest11]

It's still one of my favourite albums, most often played, and one of the greatest Scottish albums of all time. 👓👓💙💙

[Liberal Democrats @LibDems]

It's clear to everyone the BBC is giving Nigel Farage and Reform far too much coverage. It is dangerous and it has to stop.

[Ed Slater @edslater]

My silence isn’t a choice. If you had 21 seconds left to speak what would you say?
😶 Take 21 seconds of silence.
📱 Text '21SECONDSFORMND' to 70560 to donate & help
🫂 Nominate 3 friends to do their 21 second silence
#GlobalMNDAwarenessDay

[Kathy Stiff 💙 @KathySCC]

@Sandra55 @Layo_FH As a boomer myself I couldn’t agree more with your comments Sandra. We didn’t make the rules and many of will donate this money that we don’t need to charity!

[Kathy Stiff 💙 @KathySCC]

@CrumbieSte They did it! What a game!

[Viviane: RNLI supporter, no Burnham fan @LaindonFEMINIST]

Sometimes when everyone’s being hysterical over not a lot you need to
Look at the stories getting no visibility. The Covid Inquiry yesterday declared 180,000 Brits died because Johnson and Hancock ignored expert advice. 180,000 people.

[Kathy Stiff 💙 @KathySCC]

@DoddsDodds17 You too!

[Kathy Stiff 💙 @KathySCC]

@VictoriaPeckham As an “old married” of almost 45 years, your Times article on Saturday was so lovely to read. Thank you!

[Kathy Stiff 💙 @KathySCC]

@rubyturnersoul Take good care. having had 2 knee replacements, it’s definitely worth the pain. And always do the physio! We want to see you back on stage x

[Kathy Stiff 💙 @KathySCC]

@RoslynByfield And the irony of his talking just now on @bbclaurak about how the country needs to trust its institutions!

[Kathy Stiff 💙 @KathySCC]

@JamesMelville @Nic___w Me too! In Scotland in the late 60s

[Kathy Stiff 💙 @KathySCC]

@SaffronKim So good to hear that you’re doing ok xx

[Kathy Stiff 💙 @KathySCC]

@DoddsDodds17 @YouTube A fabulous track!