This is another instance where the quality of the recording does not match up to the quality of the content. Thomas Seisay is a wonderful example to all of us.

He and his husband adopted two children who had both been in the care system. That marks them out as caring, committed and compassionate even if they had not done anything else, but they have done so much more. They saw the challenges that their son faced and then their daughter and did all that they could as parents to support them. They then felt that was not enough. If their children, emerging from the care system, needed more love, more care and more opportunities, other young people from the same sort of circumstances would need that too. They asked themselves the question "what can we do, not just for our family, but for others?"

The answer was to establish Haus of Seisay. It's a charity providing training through SQA and SVQ courses in hairdressing for looked after young people. They already ran a salon and provided training through that, but they made the commitment to concentrate that on those who needed it most. You can read the story on their website here https://hausofseisay.org/home.

Thomas has been told that the "business model" wouldn't work, but, in the words of the great American writer James Baldwin, 'Those who say it can’t be done are usually interrupted by others doing it." Thomas was doing the interrupting!

The model is working and is generating amazing successes. Young people are blossoming through getting the right sort of support. Haus of Seisay offers so much more than vocational training. They work on confidence, wellbeing, employability and, above all, they put the young person at the centre and tailor whatever they do to their needs..

Please check Haus of Seisay out on Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/hausofseisay/ or on X https://x.com/hoshairdressingor look them up on Linkedin and think about supporting them. Thomas is a classic example of "do what you can, and use what you have". He and his colleagues have done that and a lot of young people are benefitting from it

I hope that the title for this episode got your attention. It was difficult to know what to call it, but it was delight to be part of it! Essentially, it is me trying to interview Angela Gardner from St John the Baptist Primary School in Fauldhouse - and not Falkirk as I suggest - Eileen Brennan, from Our Lady of Lourdes in Blackburn, West Lothian and Frances Burns from St Joseph's in Whitburn. In reality, it is like herding budgies with me trying to keep up as three fabulous headteachers interact, interrupt and tell a wonderful story of schools who are genuinely countering disadvantage. I should also mention Eileen's watch which keeps making unscheduled guest appearances!!

All three heads are enthusiastic, joyful, resolutely positive and always constructive.

They have done a massive amount in their schools from changing culture and policy around behaviour to establishing professional supervision for staff. They speak about all of that with great modesty and are very quick to give credit to each other and to those who have informed, inspired and motivated them, notably Dr Jenny Nock, from Jenny Nock Training and Consultancy whose Attachment and Trauma Sensitive Schools Award really encouraged them and Dr Suzanne Zeedyk who will be well known to listeners to this podcast. They recognise Suzanne's contribution to beginning their efforts to improve their schools and communities and her ongoing support.

They are too modest. All three have been brave, creative and imaginative. They have taken bold decisions and I am delighted by he success that has brought and the recognition that they have already received.

This may sound like an "education episode" but it reaches beyond any defined audience and underscores the message that the three heads give - make small changes, do what you think is right and be prepared to learn from mistakes.

Following on from the inspirational conversation with Danny Gemmell, here is another wonderful example of individual and community activism. Sandra Sutton is a force of nature. She is full of drive and energy and she has devoted that to the former mining village of Twechar in East Dunbartonshire.

Twechar could have been another dying community left behind after the pit closure and the impact of economic change. Instead, it is thriving. It has a growing population and a vibrant community and much of that is thanks to Sandra. Twechar is a community that refused to sink into depression and demise. Villagers fought to protect their community centre when it was under threat of closure. They took it over and transformed it into a genuine hub for the village.

The range of activities around the centre is striking. I love the work that they do on local history building pride in the village and recognising the legacy of those who have gone before.

That is only one example of the activities, so listen and find out more.

Sandra is wonderfully dynamic. When she was asked why she had done so much and given so much to Twechar, her answer is simple, direct and powerful - "I could, so I did"

At a time when our society is riven by individualism and isolation, Sandra offers the benefits of collectivism and community. I was completely energised by her. She revived hope for change, not through the big political parties or policy changes at national level, but through taking our futures into our own hands and taking action to make these futures better. If we can do that, we can make the case for the bigger changes and put pressure on our politicians.

This is also a classic Taking Action podcast. The sound is not top quality and you will need to out up with some echo, but the content makes that more than worthwhile. We are not professionals and we won't always be recording in the best environments, nor have the best of connections, but, as in this episode, we are telling stories worth listening to