Happiful April 2021

positive pointers
When reflecting on this, both
Jeremy and Ian say they’ve always
been sensitive, but the fact that
they’ve lost friends to suicide – as
well as talked people out of suicide
while working at the station –
means that they see first-hand the
power of their words, awareness,
and compassion.
Considering a moment that
became clear, Jeremy tells me
about a message they received
recently from someone who
explained how their poem ‘Don’t
Give Up’ had saved their life.
“It was incredible to read that,
because it just confirmed to us
that we’d done the right thing,”
Jeremy reflects.
Write this way
As Jeremy sees it, it’s the
simplicity with which they make
their points that opens up mental
health topics, but their poetic
medium is something they’re also
keen to unlock.
“We’re not polished speakers or
anything, we just say things as we
do usually,” he says. “Poetry has
become quite closed off to a lot of
people. We’ve simplified it, and
made it a bit more bouncy, in the
way that people usually talk in the
streets, or just to their neighbours.
We used that way of talking, and
people get it.”
On the flip side, the creative
process is also cathartic for
them, and they note how
expressing themselves has
had a positive effect on their
own wellbeing. For Ian, this
is particularly relevant when
considering how he deals with
anxiety attacks.
“They can last about 27 minutes,
but if I can stop and think, ‘I’ll
try to rhyme this word with that
word, and that word with that
word,’ I can work myself out of it.”
“For me, it’s also like you’re
searching for a solution for
things,” adds Jeremy. “Even if it’s
not whatever you’re feeling, you
feel like you’re accomplishing
something.”
We’re about to wrap up our
call, so I ask the pair a difficult
question. Do they have a
favourite board?
“That’s cruel,” Ian scolds.
“Imagine they’re children and
you’re picking your favourite!”
“In our book, there is an
exclusive poem in the ‘In It
Together’ chapter – which is
about the pandemic – and it’s a
poem that my daughter wrote,”
says Jeremy. “So if we had to
choose between children, in
terms of the poems, I’m going
to pick that one, because it was
written by my actual child.”
A sign of the times
Since All on the Board began
in 2017, we have faced many
hardships. In 2021, after an
incredibly difficult year, words
of comfort and hope, like those
the duo specialise in, couldn’t
be more important. So often, it’s
the simplest actions that speak
the loudest, and join us together,
instilling the optimism and unity
that we need to carry on. Now,
more than ever, Ian and Jeremy are
just the ticket.
“We’ve been wearing masks for the
last three years, so we thought we’d
take those masks off, and then put
on the other masks that everyone
is supposed to be wearing. So, it’s
a little bit of a statement without
being a statement,” says Ian.
“That’s us though, isn’t it?”
Adds Jeremy.
Ian nods. “Yeah. Yeah, it is.”
‘All On the Board: Inspirational
Quotes From The TFL Underground
Duo’ is out now (Yellow Kite, £14.99).
happiful.com | April 2021 | 19