Recovery within relationships.

Lindsay remembers first becoming aware of rough sleeping at the age of eight, when The Streets of London was regularly sung in school assembly. The subject stayed with her. She later spent time befriending Newcastle's street and homeless community, who accepted her as one of their own.

Her working life in homelessness began in 1996, first as a volunteer in a local drop-in centre and then in paid frontline roles. For the best part of 30 years, she has worked predominantly in Central and South London and North East England, across street outreach, cold-weather and night shelters, supported accommodation and addiction services.

Lindsay is trained in trauma-informed approaches and has a diploma in Working with Addictions. Increasingly disheartened by the direction of mainstream homeless support services, she began approaching other like-minded people about creating a grassroots alternative.

She has travelled extensively around Scotland's west coast and islands, including trips with people who have experienced rough sleeping. What continues to motivate her is seeing how people can flourish when they are brought together, given breathing space and immersed in nature and a nurturing community.

Brendan followed a nomadic path for much of his life until becoming a father ten years ago. Lindsay and Brendan met through Bill - whose story inspires RUSS's Into the West Billgrimage journeys - 28 years ago, during travels to Lincoln and Brighton, where Brendan was busking. They became lifelong friends.

He became involved with the GalGael Trust, a Glasgow-based charity that supported people to reclaim traditional skills and Scottish heritage in Govan, including building and using birlinns, traditional Scottish boats. Through GalGael, Brendan was sent to Finland to learn how to build log cabins and, while there, was accepted onto a wilderness course. This took him into remote places, including the Taiga forest in Russia.

He has turned his hand to many things over the years, including tree planting and forestry, horticulture, running a survival-skills course for children and traditional building work. He has travelled extensively in west Scotland's wild places. The pull of the outdoors, and of wild and free places, remains strong and essential to his wellbeing.

Brendan became involved in RUSS because he wants to support others like himself who do not necessarily fit society's norms, helping them to be included in a caring community where putting down roots is not essential.