Ex-STV journalist Mike Edwards' book to fund dementia charity and back header ban in football

A former TV news man is donating proceeds from his new book to fund the creation of a new dementia charity which will campaign for heading to be banned from football.

Mike is aiming to launch his new campaign soon.

‘You’re Seeing It!’, by Mike Edwards, is published on December 5, and highlights the big news stories he covered during 26 years as a reporter with STV, and his service in Iraq and Afghanistan as an Army Reserve officer.

Mike retired from STV in 2019 to care for his mother Margaret in the last years of her life after she was diagnosed with dementia.

Mike said: “My third book, You’re Seeing It! is an autobiography and an easy win as a Christmas gift because it covers a lot of ground which many people will identify with and all proceeds go to charity.”

‘I was fortunate enough to report on the biggest news stories to have broken in Scotland over a quarter of a century, like the Scottish Independence referendum, the Commonwealth Games and major criminal trials. I witnessed these events and my book tells the behind the scenes story.”

He plans to use the profits from the book to start a new charity in Scotland to help people living with dementia and their families. Mike believes that dementia is all too prevalent in Scotland without adding to the numbers of diagnoses through our national sport.

“There was great news this week with footballers being told not to head the ball in the days before and after games but I believe it has to go further. Football has to change to stop increasing the number of cases of dementia. Heading the ball is a slow but certain killer and I will be trying to get the game’s authorities to alter rules and players and coaches to amend attitudes.”

Mike will launch his charity in the new year and says that once it is up and running, he’ll be lobbying sporting authorities to change rules. Several big sporting names have indicated they will join the board, among them former Scotland and British Lions rugby star John Beattie and Gail Pirie, the daughter of Scotland manager Ally MacLeod, who died after a diagnosis of dementia which his family believes resulted from repeated concussions and heading footballs.