Musician, writer and filmmaker Stuart Murdoch is to be a guest speaker at the launch of Action for M.E.’s new guide to living with the condition, informed by the experiences of people with M.E. and their carers.

The lead singer of Belle and Sebastian will be talking about his own experiences of living with M.E. at the Centre on Wed 23 Mar from 7pm-9pm. The event will also feature participants from Action for M.E.’s Scottish Storytelling Project, who will share their stories of living with the illness.

Stuart says, “I used to keep my M.E. a secret, I hated talking about it. But I am pleased to stand beside others affected and bring it out into the open, to take away that stigma. These days my symptoms are more manageable, but it wasn’t always like this.”

Stuart became severely ill with M.E. when he was 19, and was incapacitated for seven years, including two spent bedbound. Looking back at that time in his track Nobody’s Empire, on last year’s album Girls in Peacetime Want to Dance, he calls it a “vision of Hell.”

Along with other people affected by M.E. and healthcare professionals who specialise in M.E., Stuart will take part in a Q&A discussion chaired by Blythe Robertson from the Scottish Government’s Health and Social Care Quality Unit, followed by a drinks reception where copies of the new guide to living with M.E. will be available.

To register call 0131 556 9579 (open 10am-6pm Mon-Sat) or book online (Nb. a £1 fee applies to online and phone bookings). Tickets can also be booked in person at the Centre Box Office.