Clear blue water

Tomorrow is World Mental Health Day, a day to help raise awareness of mental health and how we can all work together to provide vital support to those suffering from, or at risk of developing, mental health conditions.

Working with our charity partner, Action for Children, we are helping young people across the UK get the mental health support they need, when they need it. Together, we are delivering the Blues Programme, a preventative mental health programme delivered in schools to young people aged 13-19 years old.

Lee, one of Action for Children's Blues Busters in Cardiff said: ‘I have been a youth worker for 20 years and I know that the lack of support for young people with mental health is a problem.

‘It’s an issue that, if not tackled, will have detrimental effects on young people for the rest of their lives. Blues Programme is a six-week course, where we teach young people new tools and new tricks to use on changing their thinking.

‘We are working to give them the tools to stop depressive symptoms in the event that they feel like they want to try and attempt suicide or that their life is not worth living.’

During the course of our partnership, the Blues Programme aims to support 8,000 young people across all four nations, providing early intervention support, helping to reduce depressive symptoms in young people before they turn into longer-term mental health issues.

The money raised by Royal Mail colleagues across the UK, and Royal Mail's penny for penny matched giving scheme, is being directly invested into the programme, ensuring we are able to support those in need when they need it. You can get involved by fundraising, volunteering and sharing the word to help ensure young people get the mental health support they require.

If you would like to find out more about how you can support the Blues Programme, please visit www.actionforchildren.org.uk/blues. You can also email royalmail@actionforchildren.org.uk or call 020 3124 0657 for more information.