It has taken me 6 months to be able to write this post, but I want to pay tribute to one of my best mates for 35 years, without whom Show Me CIC would likely not exist.
Ian Michael Scammel, "Mike", passed away in June of this year. He took his own life. He continually struggled with mental health and we are all so, so sad that it all became too much for him.
There are no words. So I will focus on his commitment to Show Me.
After several years of discussion, and having worked together in other areas for many years, Mike and I co-founded Show Me CIC in July 2020. He helped to create all of our initial plans and supported me throughout their implementation.
Mike was particularly keen to get involved as he had supported Joseph (my son with SEND) throughout his life. In recent years he would meet him from school and spend time with him every week. They formed a strong connection and I know that Mike cared deeply for Joseph, which was a driving force in wanting to promote Show Me.
Mike also spent time volunteering at Joseph's school to learn more about the children we seek to support, and the many challenges of specialist SEND school provision. As a qualified company lawyer, former foreign office civil servant and TV scriptwriter, amongst other varied career paths, he was used to learning about new subjects. His blog post about The Origins of Show Me, stemmed from his initial research into this field.
I know Mike was determined for Show Me to succeed. And I am determined to continue to make that happen. For my mate Mike, and for all the very special young people we seek to support.
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