Loss 26/101: Loss of a daughter in a school shooting: Mick North

#037. On 13 March 1996, a 43-year-old man walked into Dunblane Primary School near Stirling, Scotland, and shot dead sixteen pupils and one teacher. Fifteen others were also injured before he killed himself. It remains the deadliest mass shooting in British history.Loss #26 of 101 - Loss of a daughter in a school shootingThe outpouring of loss and grief that follows a school shooting is vast and wide-reaching. In the wake of the recent school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, we have taken the opportunity to speak to someone who's been at the heart of such a tragedy.Mick North is the father of Sophie North, one of the five-year-old girls shot and killed in Dunblane. And sadly, this wasn't the only loss Mick faced in the 1990's as just two-and-a-half years earlier, Mick's wife died of breast cancer. While coming to terms with this, Mick also stepped back from his successful academic career, driven to campaign work for tighter gun laws in the UK.Mick shares with us about the ups and downs of having to grieve so publicly, the challenges of dealing with two huge losses so close together, his memories with his family, his work campaigning in gun control to prevent further tragedies happening, and how he feels every time there’s another school shooting somewhere in the world.And we end with a special quote which explains why this week's episode artwork has a snowdrop in it (check out our social media to see that).For more about Mick, Sophie and the Sophie North Charitable Trust visit: https://www.facebook.com/SophieNorthCharitableTrustHere's where you can buy Mick's book; Dunblane: Never Forget:https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dunblane-Never-Forget-Mick-North/dp/1840183004To watch the Dunblane families and survivors read their letter to Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, as described by Mick, visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-nEzMbfyNk  Send us Fan MailSupport the show-----thesilentwhy.com  |  Instagram  |  Facebook  |  Twitter  |  LinkedIn What's a Herman? / Buy a Herman - thehermancompany.comSupport the show: buymeacoffee.com/thesilentwhySign-up to my mailing list (only used for sharing news occasionally!): thesilentwhy.com/newsletterHow to talk to the grieving:  thesilentwhy.com/post/howtotalktothegrievingReview the show: Apple Podcasts  |  Spotify  |  GoodpodsEpisode transcripts: thesilentwhy.buzzsprout.comThank you for listening.