Hairy Piper Ali hits the right notes to break PTSD silence
A Tarbert man known as The Hairy Piper is taking on a 30-day musical challenge to help break the silence around Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and mental health among armed forces veterans.
Ali Duff is also raising money for armed forces charity Poppyscotland through his daily piping challenge dubbed ‘Skirlness’.
Each day in April, Ali will play his pipes in a variety of locations, live-streaming his performances on his Facebook page.
Ali spoke honestly and movingly about his reasons for taking on the challenge.
‘I’m a veteran with PTSD from the conflict in Kosovo,’ he explained, ‘where I served as a gunner in 32 Regiment Royal Artillery. A few years ago I became suicidal and my wonderful partner Siobhan and I lost our bed and breakfast business due to my mental health and not being able to work to help with the running costs.
‘We become homeless on Christmas Eve 2017.
‘With the help and support of Poppyscotland, the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association and other veterans’ charities, we found a house in Tarbert and we were given the keys on February 14 2018.’
When he moved to Tarbert, Ali started playing the bagpipes again after a 25-year absence and found his mental health improving through the power of music.
With a desire to share that experience, and some encouragement from Siobhan, Ali set up The Hairy Piper Facebook page and played every day for the first month of lockdown.
He then began raising money for Poppyscotland and now wants to reach the £3,000 target on his JustGiving page by Armistice Day, November 11.
The charity Poppyscotland has been supporting Scotland’s ex-servicemen, women and their families since 1921. Whether a veteran is struggling with a life-changing battlefield injury, psychological trauma, financial hardship, homelessness or has turned to substance abuse as a way to cope, Poppyscotland is there to help.
To support Ali and Skirlness, search the JustGiving website for ‘Ali Duff Hairy Piper’ and scroll down to find the page.