Some of the most important openings in our cities will never involve a red carpet.
They will be places people walk into quietly, perhaps unsure of what to say, looking for someone who will listen.
That is why the news that SAMH is bringing The Nook to Edinburgh matters to me. The charity has announced that its next mental health support hub is planned for 142 Lothian Road in early spring 2027, extending a network already operating in Glasgow and Aberdeen. It will offer free, non-clinical support for adults, young people and families, without requiring an appointment or a GP referral. Read SAMH’s Edinburgh announcement.
It is a significant development for the capital. For me, it is also a personal story.
I have faced challenges with my mental health over the years, particularly since Covid. It is something I want to speak about more openly, because it belongs in the conversation about my life just as much as the work, travel and experiences I share here.
A website, or an Instagram account, can offer a very selective picture of someone. There are photographs from beautiful places, exciting opportunities and moments worth celebrating. All of those things are real. So are the challenges that might never make it into a photograph.
I am grateful for the life I have, and I have experienced difficulties with my mental health. Both can be true.
I now work with SAMH, Scottish Action for Mental Health, and I think they are incredible at what they do. I want to be clear about that connection from the outset. This is an organisation I work with, admire and care about, and my interest in its work also comes from my own experience.
The Nook gives that work a physical presence in the places we live.
In Glasgow, it is based at Brunswick House on Wilson Street in the Merchant City. The hub welcomes young people aged ten and over, families and adults, including people seeking help to support someone else. Its services include practical information, wellbeing activities, peer support and one-to-one support. People can walk in seven days a week. Find information about The Nook in Glasgow.
There is something powerful about being able to point to an actual door and say: you can go there.
We talk a great deal about encouraging people to open up. That conversation matters. But we also need to think carefully about what happens when someone does.
Where can they go? Who will listen? How complicated will it be to get started?
To me, the walk-in approach is one of the most meaningful things about The Nook. It makes the first step easier to understand. You do not need to have worked out exactly what kind of support you need before beginning a conversation.
The Edinburgh announcement suggests that this approach is reaching people. In September, SAMH reported that 10,000 people had already visited its Glasgow and Aberdeen Nooks. The planned Edinburgh opening will become the third hub in the network.
Those figures deserve attention, but so does the individual behind each visit. Someone taking time out of their day to ask a question. Someone concerned about a person they love. Someone deciding that today is the day they will speak.
I would like to see mental health support become a familiar part of how we think about our city centres. Somewhere visible, approachable and woven into everyday life. The Nook’s arrival on Lothian Road is a welcome step towards that.
It also deserves sustained support. SAMH’s public appeal aims to raise £10 million to establish and run its network of hubs, with an ambition to have five across Scotland by 2028. Opening the doors is the beginning; keeping those services available is the ongoing work.
My own experience is only one perspective. I would never pretend it allows me to speak for everyone facing difficulties with their mental health. What it does give me is a personal reason to care, to listen and to use my platform to draw attention to work I believe matters.
There will always be room here for a memorable dinner, a beautiful hotel and a trip worth taking. There must also be room for the things that affect how we experience all of it.
The Nook’s next chapter is news I am genuinely pleased to share. I hope its Edinburgh doors open onto many conversations that people have been waiting to have.
Find out more about [The Nook and SAMH’s work](https://www.samh.org.uk/about-us/the-nook), including existing services and how to support the appeal.
