Words by Susan Swarbrick and Brian Beacom
JOSH QUIGLEY, CAMPAIGNER
Josh Quigley clearly remembers the moment he decided to end his life. It was 1am as he left his West Lothian home, got in his car and headed for the nearby M8.
In his mind’s eye, he could picture hitting a concrete motorway barrier, the enveloping blackness that would follow and the ensuing relief of no longer feeling pain.
Quigley floored the accelerator and collided with the barrier at the westbound junction of the M8 near Livingston at 80mph. The last thing he remembers was hearing a bang coupled with not knowing if he was dead or alive.
To those looking in, Quigley had the world at his feet. He was a rising star in Scottish business and had won awards for his digital marketing agency SharkDog. Yet the entrepreneur was battling depression.
Miraculously, Quigley, 23, escaped with barely a scratch. He has since vowed to help others in a similar situation. “No-one attempts suicide because they want to die,” he says. “They do it because they want to stop the pain and suffering.”
This year will see Quigley embark on a journey aiming to help eliminate the stigma surrounding mental health issues. He will visit more than 80 countries as the self-dubbed Tartan Explorer, which Quigley hopes will lead to a long-term social enterprise – the world’s largest online community for mental health awareness.
Quigley will share his story with high-profile audiences and volunteer for mental health charities. He will also perform a series of physical challenges at landmarks dressed in his kilt and eye-catching Saltire-emblazoned Morphsuit. Last month he announced plans to travel the globe by bike, citing Mark Beaumont and Sir Chris Hoy as his inspiration.
It is Quigley’s goal to raise £100,000 for the project through crowdfunding which will launch in April.
“I’m not a religious or spiritual person, but I was incredibly lucky and believe I was kept alive for a reason,” he says. “It felt like I had been given a second chance and had to make the most of it. It was like being reborn.
“Around two people in Scotland take their own lives every day – almost 700 a year. My long-term goal is to eradicate suicide from society.”
Quigley hopes that through Tartan Explorer more people will feel confident to speak out on mental health issues and lend support to those who need it. “People will want to help and look out for you,” he says, “But if you don’t tell them how you feel they can’t do that. We need to make it easy for everyone to open up.”
Follow Josh Quigley on Twitter @Tartan_Explorer or visit tartanexplorer.com
JAI DARA LATTO, CAMPAIGNER
Jai Dara Latto has campaigned tirelessly over the past 12 months in a bid to breakdown the stigma facing many members of the transgender community. The 22-year-old makeup artist from Walkerburn, in the Borders, is a volunteer for the Scottish Transgender Alliance, Scottish Borders LGBT Equality and the TIE Campaign.
Latto was crowned the UK-wide winner of the Miss Transgender United 2015 contest last September. This year will see her contest the global title of Miss International Queen which takes place in Thailand in November.
In an interview with The Herald Magazine last year, Latto said she hoped to be a positive role model and use her voice to get transgender issues heard. “People often look at us as freak shows, drag queens or view transgender as being a fetish,” she said. “I want to show we are normal people, who go to work and lead simple lives.”
Follow Jai Dara Latto on Twitter @LattoJay
JOSH LITTLEJOHN, ENTREPRENEUR
Josh Littlejohn is one of the most significant figures in business in Scotland. He isn’t a multi-millionaire but his chain of not-for-profit sandwich shops, in which a quarter of all staff were once homeless, is leading the way in social philanthropy and reminding the world of human values.
The 29-year-old from Stirlingshire founded Social Bite three years ago with then girlfriend Alice Thompson. The idea came about after the pair had travelled to India to meet Nobel Peace Prize winner Professor Muhammad Yunus, a Bangladeshi banker who lends £660m a year to small community businesses. Social Bite donates its profits to a range of charities including Shelter Scotland, Vision Eye Care Hospital in Bangladesh and the STV Appeal.
Since setting up the first Social Bite in Edinburgh Littlejohn has established the Scottish Business Awards. Such is the support for Littlejohn’s endeavours he managed to lure former US President Bill Clinton to the SBA dinner, while other guests have included Sir Richard Branson. More recently, George Clooney visited his Edinburgh cafe.
Littlejohn clearly has the talent and work ethic to make himself a very wealthy young man, but the most he will ever earn at Social Bite is a salary capped at seven times the wage of the lowest-paid employee.
For more information, visit social-bite.co.uk
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