Jim Hume is Director of Public Affairs and Communications at Support in Mind Scotland. That organisation has 50 years’ experience in tackling mental health, employs 170 people and looks after 1,500 individuals every week. Support in Mind Scotland partners with 3 other mental health organisations in the UK, under the umbrella organisation of Mental Health UK.

Jim set up and Convenes the National Rural Mental Health Forum. That Forum has over 220 membership organisations from third, private and public sectors, which tackles mental health through awareness raising; building resilience in communities and organisations; encouraging mental health training, furthering research and informing policy. He also chairs The Worshipful Company of Farmers’ Health and Wellbeing Forum, which has representative rural support organisations from across the UK.

Jim is a former Member of the Scottish Parliament, having served 9 years from 2007-2016. During his time in Parliament, he was a health spokesperson and advocated for mental health, holding that Parliament’s first summit on mental health. 

When in Parliament Jim succeeded in getting his own Members’ Bill passed on protecting children in cars from second hand smoke (Smoking Prohibition (Children in Motor Vehicles) (Scotland) Bill). 

Prior to being a MSP Jim was a Hill Farmer in the Scottish Borders, during which time he was a Director on Scottish Enterprise Borders’ board (economic development agency), he was a founding Director of the South of Scotland Loan Fund Scheme, a member of the Forestry Commission’s South and Central Scotland Forums, a Borders’ Forest Trustee, Chaired the Borders’ Foundation for Rural Sustainability, and was twice on the Board of NFU Scotland, once as their Environment & Land Use Committee and once as the President of NFU Lothians and Borders during the foot and mouth crisis of 2001.