Activist, mother, and Strathclyde student Karen McKeown has been fighting tirelessly for six years to improve mental health provisions in Scotland. In 2017, Karen lost her partner and the father of her two children, Luke Henderson, to suicide. They had struggled to get the support he needed prior to his death, and in the aftermath, Karen and her children have still struggled to find support.  

What happened to Luke is not an isolated incident. Suicide and poor mental health are at dangerous levels in Scotland, and with NHS cuts and a lack of prioritisation by the Scottish government, more and more people will continue to suffer. 

In response, Karen has submitted a petition to parliament urging the Scottish Government to carry out a full review of mental health services in Scotland to include the referral process, crisis support, risk assessments, safe plans, integrated services working together, first response support and the support available to families affected by suicide. You can read the full petition here. Karen has been encouraged by the committee’s decision to uphold the petition, but is calling for support in coming months to not let momentum slip.  

Join Karen and the Mental Health Action Group on Tuesday 2nd May outside Holyrood in Edinburgh to show solidarity with Karen. We will be joined by families who have lost loved ones to suicide and a lack of appropriate mental health support to demand a robust mental health services plan to stop unnecessary deaths like this from happening.  

Information about the rally: 

• This is a peaceful and static protest 

• It is outside Holyrood on Tuesday 2nd May, from 11am – 2pm 

• A group of Strath students will be attending together. If you would like to join us (and for your train ticket to be paid for), please get in touch with tessa.qiu@strath.ac.uk 

• There will be stewards and first aiders present at the protest 

Email tessa.qiu@strath.ac.uk for more information about attending the demonstration