Edinburgh Stories: I was a Musselburgh hairdresser, now I save the lives of those in need

Michelle Fox had been a hairdresser in Musselburgh and Edinburgh since the age of 14, however, after nearly 30 years in the industry she looked for a new challenge. She found one in an area that might seem an unlikely transition - Medics Against Violence.

The charity was set up in 2008 by three Glasgow surgeons - Dr Christine Goodall, Mr Mark Devlin and Mr David Koppel. The initial aim of the charity was to try and address that cycle of violence that was rife in Glasgow, the city was dubbed the “murder capital of Europe” by the World Health Organisation in 2005.

The ability to use the skills she had picked up as a hairdresser to help those trapped in a cycle of violence appealed to Michelle, then 46.

Michelle explained: "I just thought that's really interesting and something that I would really like to do, but it wasn't something I could do when my children were younger. But they now were older, so I emailed.

“I explained who I was and said that I would be really interested. They got back to me and said 'there's no jobs but we would like to meet you. I met them for a coffee, and we had a really good chat."

Geraldine Lennon was one of the inspirations behind the Glasvegas song 'Geraldine' | Supplied

When a role as a Navigator eventually came up, Michelle was in prime position to take it on, and the service eventually moved to the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary. That opened Michelle’s eyes to the reality of those she would be helping at Medics Against Violence.

She said: "You get them at their most vulnerable. The one thing with people is when they have had a lot of trauma, they become body language experts, so they know when someone is bullshitting them and I think they have had a lot of that.

“I think sometimes someone just coming in and showing that they care because sometimes they can be dismissed or seen as what's going on in their lives, whether it's an addict or homeless or affiliated with crime and not as the person. We just see the person because we're person centred."

The service deals with a range of issues across the city, ranging from homelessness to violence. Providing advice and assistance in areas where emergency departments don’t have the staffing levels to do so.

Michelle said: "There's a lot of staff in these emergency departments who would love to stay and listen to these patients, but because they are so busy they just have time to fix them medically."

Michelle said she believes that there is evidence that what Medics Against Violence are doing is working: "I think just looking at the reports coming in there's evidence that it working"

Alongside Robert McFadyen upon returning after COVID. | Supplied

Head of Service Geraldine Lennon said the support for those in need has allowed them to turn their lives around, and in some cases even come full circle and work in the field.

She said: “We've supported a lot of beautiful people who have they've lost their lives, either through suicide, through drug related deaths. But we've also supported a lot of people who have been able to make just enough change that they are feeling a little bit happier and they're feeling a little bit more safe within their communities.

“But we've also supported people who have kind of come full circle, and who are now working in the field. So it's everything, it's all of that into and I think for me, the legacy around it is that it is a ripple effect. If we can support one person, it is impacting on them positively, but also then impacting on a community, in that they're impacting their family as well.”

The service refuses to write anyone off according to Geraldine, who has worked with the service since in Edinburgh since 2017.

She said: “I always think, for me anyway, if somebody is still breathing, then they can change. You can't just write off human beings.”