Heroes National Instructor Spotlight

Graham Goulden — Trainer and Consultant with Cultivating Minds UK

Graham Goulden is a trainer and consultant with Cultivating Minds UK, who has spent the past two years working as a Heroes National Instructor. His approach to active bystandership is grounded in the belief that people can overcome personal and situational challenges to do what is right and support others. He is particularly motivated by helping individuals understand the underlying science of bystander behaviour, noting that once people grasp these concepts, their perspective on everyday situations shifts in a lasting way.

In his training, Graham identifies leadership as one of the most significant barriers to effective active bystandership. He emphasises that stronger engagement from leaders is essential to create environments where early intervention is encouraged and supported. This is especially important in public safety settings, where high levels of stress, fatigue, and rigid hierarchies can make it difficult for individuals to act. He believes that with the right training and organizational backing, many forms of harm can be reduced or even prevented.

One particularly impactful example of this involved a group of volunteers supporting businesses in Edinburgh’s night-time economy. After receiving training, they became more observant and curious in a situation involving a distressed woman being led away by two men. Their willingness to ask questions and escalate their response ultimately disrupted what was later confirmed by police to be an attempted abduction. Experiences like this reinforce Graham’s belief in the effectiveness of active bystandership training. Outside of his professional work, a surprising fact about him is that he once played drums for the late Queen of the UK.