Sisco

13/08/2026

WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT!!!!!!! 🏃‍♂️

My story is probably not what you would expect from someone entering a half marathon.

I came from poverty and disadvantage, with very little opportunity, guidance or positive influence around me. I took the wrong path early in life and, as a result, I spent almost half of my life in prison.
Eight years ago, I reached a point where I knew enough was enough. I had a choice to make: I could continue allowing my past and my circumstances to determine the rest of my life, or I could try to become something different.
I chose different.
It wasn’t an overnight transformation. I had to rebuild my life and, in many ways, learn how to live it again. But once I made that decision, I committed to it.
For the past six years, I have worked within a criminal justice organisation Sisco. There is certainly some irony in that. I went from being a resident within the prison system to working in a role where I now support people who are experiencing many of the same struggles I once did.
Today, my job is about rehabilitation, recovery and hope.
I work from a trauma-informed perspective, but I also bring something that can’t be learned from a textbook, lived experience. When I sit with someone who feels that their life is over because of the decisions they have made, I can look them in the eye and genuinely tell them that it doesn’t have to be.
I know what prison feels like. I know disadvantage. I know what it feels like when opportunities seem almost nonexistent. But I also know that your past does not have to become your future.
And now, for some reason, I’ve decided to run a half marathon!
Until recently, I hadn’t run for nearly two years. I only started running again around seven weeks ago, so I’ve certainly not chosen the easiest way of doing this. But that’s probably quite fitting for me.
When I decide I am going to do something, I finish it.
Running 13.1 miles will undoubtedly test me, but I’ve faced longer and more difficult journeys than this one. I’ve learned that sometimes you don’t need to see the whole road ahead of you. You just need to keep putting one foot in front of the other.
That’s what I’ve done with my life.
So when I cross that finish line, it won’t just be about completing a half marathon. For me, it will represent the distance I’ve travelled over the last eight years.
I’ve gone from spending half my life in prison to spending my working life trying to help other people stay out of it. I’ve gone from needing someone to show me that another life was possible to being in the privileged position of trying to show that possibility to others.
I’m not ashamed of where I’ve come from. It’s part of who I am. But it doesn’t define where I’m going.
This half marathon is another challenge and another finish line.
And if sharing my story helps even one person believe that, no matter how far behind you think you are, it’s still possible to start moving forward, then those 13.1 miles will mean even more.

Help Kevin Coyne raise money to support SISCO

12/08/2026

Another fantastic performative male show at The Fringe with Darren McGarvey and guest Sean Patrick Toal ⚖️

Conversations around justice, addiction and the power of connection ♥️

11/08/2026

Let's create more global change Compassion Prison Project ⚖️✨️

11/08/2026

We miss you Fritzi ⚖️

ACEs, adverse childhood experiences, change the way we see the world and ourselves.

Most of the people in prison have at least one ACE, and 64% of the men and women we surveyed in prison have six or more ACEs. Violence witnessed or experienced during childhood changes the way your brain functions and affects our behavior, decisions, and outcomes.

When we are aware, we can repair.
Help us bring this work to people throughout the United States and around the world.

Learn about ACEs on our website at compassionprisonproject.org.

06/08/2026

What a brilliant day at Edinburgh Fringe ✨️

"Performative Male: In Conversation Around Trauma, Poverty & Violence" with our trauma guru James Docherty from the Scottish Violence Reduction Unit and the brilliant Darren McGarvey.

Real change begins with conversations that challenge us. When we're willing to sit with discomfort, listen openly, and consider new perspectives, we create space for understanding, growth, and lasting change.

06/08/2026

We're delighted to announce that Fever is coming to the Showcase Cinema, Coatbridge on 10 September.

Many of you will remember seeing Fever performed live in the theatre. We later adapted it into a film so it could be shown across the Scottish Prison Service, helping ensure that everyone in custody had access to important messages about harm reduction, su***de prevention, and hope.

Now, we're excited to bring the film to the big screen for a special public screening.

After the film, we'll be joined for a Q&A by one of Scotland's leading voices on trauma-informed practice, James Docherty.

If you missed Fever the first time around, don't miss this opportunity to experience it on the big screen. We'd love to see you there.

Showcase Cinema, Coatbridge
10 September
Screening followed by a live Q&A with James Docherty

Scottish Prison Service
Scottish Violence Reduction Unit
Scottish Recovery Consortium
Police Scotland Greater Glasgow

Browse showtimes and purchase your tickets online for SSF 2026: Fever + Q&A at Showcase Cinemas - UK

05/08/2026

Today was one of those days I never wanted to come.

Even now, I'm sitting trying to compose myself to write this, because saying goodbye to our Kirsty just doesn't feel real.

Kirsty has been with Sisco since the very beginning. She's been so much more than a member of staff, she's been family. She's the one who made sure everyone had their breakfast roll, a banana for later, and, more importantly, that every single person who walked through our doors felt seen, welcomed and cared for.

She never did it because she had to. She did it because that's just who she is.

Over the last six years, Kirsty has poured her heart into Sisco. The love, kindness and compassion she's shown to our clients can't be measured. The relationships she's built are something really special, and so many people will feel the gap she's leaving.

Watching you walk out those doors after your last shift today absolutely broke my heart.

Although we're devastated to be losing you, we're so proud of you and excited to see you start this new chapter. They have no idea just how lucky they are to have you.

Kirsty, thank you for every early morning, every laugh, every hug, every act of kindness, and every single thing you've done for Sisco over the years. Thank you for loving our people the way you have and for helping make Sisco what it is today.

Please remember this will always be your home. The kettle will always be on, the door will always be open, and you'll always be part of the Sisco family.

We love you, we'll miss you more than words can say, and the truth is... you'll never be replaced.

Go and shine, our Kirsty. We're behind you every step of the way. ❤️

31/07/2026

Our Friday Thank You ⚖️♥️

What a week it's been.

Following the fraud on our charity bank account, we've spent the last week trying to make sure one thing happened above all else, that our staff would receive their wages this month.

We quickly started putting together a contingency plan and reached out to our funders, the Scottish Government and our partners to ask if they could help. It wasn't their responsibility, and they had no obligation to step in.

But they did.

Without hesitation, the National Lottery Glasgow Team worked alongside the Scottish Recovery Consortium to create a safety plan that would ensure our staff were paid if needed. They acted because they genuinely care about the people behind the charities they support.

At the same time,The Robertson Trust Glasgow Team also reached out to make sure they could help and be part of that safety net if required. Again, not because they had to, but because they wanted to make sure our team was looked after.

This is what community care looks like.

It's organisations standing beside each other in difficult moments. It's funders who understand that behind every charity are people who still have mortgages, rent, bills and families to support. It's recognising that when one charity faces a crisis, others step forward to help carry the load.

Over the last two days, so many people picked up the phone, offered solutions and asked, "How can we help?" We'll never forget that.

If this had happened to one of the major high street banks, there would rightly be public concern about people not receiving their wages. We hope situations like ours remind people that charities deserve the same urgency and care when things go wrong. The people who work in our sector rely on their wages just like everyone else.

To the National Lottery Glasgow Team, the Scottish Recovery Consortium,The Robertson Trust Glasgow Team, and everyone else who stepped up to help us create a plan, thank you.

You reminded us that we are part of something much bigger than ourselves.

Community isn't just something we talk about.

It's something we do.

From all of us at SISCO, thank you.⚖️

30/07/2026

This one means a lot.
Fever wasn't just another film we made. It was a conversation we refused to shy away from.

It's about male su***de. It's about asking whether our prison system is really changing lives or simply warehousing people. It's about community, accountability, hope, and what happens when we stop pretending everything is fine.

Somehow, we managed to tell that story with humour, heart and humanity.

Now, thanks to the unstoppable Maureen
at Firewalker Films, Fever is coming back to the big screen.

Showcase Cinema, Coatbridge
Thursday 10th September
7:00pm

(Ticket link below.)

Maureen works tirelessly to champion Scottish independent film and to create opportunities for filmmakers like us to have these stories seen and heard. We genuinely couldn't do this without people like her.

If you missed Fever the first time, this is your chance.

Come and support independent Scottish film.

Come and stand with us in raising awareness of men's mental health.

Come and be part of a conversation that Scotland desperately needs to keep having.

After the screening, we'll be joined by some brilliant guests for a Q&A, where we'll dig deeper into the issues the film raises and explore how we can all be part of creating change.

Because the systems around us don't improve unless we're willing to question them.

And because the next generation is watching how we respond.

If Fever starts one conversation, changes one perspective, or reminds one person they're not alone, then every second spent making it was worth it.

We'd love to see you there.

Let's fill that cinema.

🔥 The Fever crew, let's do this!

Browse showtimes and purchase your tickets online for SSF 2026: Fever + Q&A at Showcase Cinemas - UK

26/07/2026

Let's walk into a new week with a Sisco good news story ✨️.

One year. What a difference a year can make.
Just look at these two photos.

In the first picture, Tina is standing beside our Chief Executive, Natalie, not long after she'd walked through the doors of SISCO.

At that point, she had no idea what her future was going to look like. She was exhausted. Living with the illness of addiction. Carrying years of trauma. She had no safety net, no real sense of safety or security, and very little belief in herself.

Now fast forward just over 365 days.
Look at her now.
Tina is absolutely flourishing.

She's studying for her COSCA Counselling qualification. She's a senior volunteer with SISCO, working both in the prison and out in the community. Every single day she pours love, kindness and encouragement into the people around her, our volunteers, her peers and the staff team alike.

This is why we do what we do.

At SISCO, we don't believe in putting people into boxes or reducing them to a checklist. We believe in people. We meet them exactly where they are, walk alongside them, and give them the time, space and support to become the person they were always meant to be.

We hold their hand, and then we let go... one finger at a time... when they're ready.

We love them until they're ready to love themselves.

We believe in them until they're ready to believe in themselves.

That's the power of SISCO.
We're not just a service.
We're not just a charity.
We're a family.

And sometimes, love is the most powerful intervention of all.

On ye go Tina ❤️