Mental health charity turns Lancaster's Ashton Memorial blue

The charity will be lighting landmarks across Lancashire, from Blackpool Tower to the Ashton Memorial, blue to highlight the importance of looking after our own and others’ mental health, and the importance of speaking up about mental health.

With one in four people in the UK experiencing mental health conditions each year, and one in six children aged five to 16 identified by a recent study as having a probable mental health condition the work that Lancashire Mind carry out across the county is more important than ever.

Helen Fairweather from Lancashire Mind said: "This year more than ever before we want to stand up for better mental health and show people the importance of looking after your own and others’ mental health and to let people know they are not alone.

“There is so much pressure and stress on people at the moment – the cost-of-living crisis is undoubtedly impacting people's mental health and that is compounded with the after effects of the pandemic.

“Poor mental health can make work harder and worrying about money can make your mental health worse. It can feel like a vicious cycle but there is help out there. Much of the work we do is about prevention and helping people before they reach crisis point. "Raising awareness and talking about mental health and wellbeing openly is often a good starting point.”

The charity is also asking people to wear something blue for the day.

Helen added: "Lancashire Mind are asking the people of Lancashire to stand with them and join their campaign by wearing something blue and tagging them on social media with the hashtag #BlueForLancashire.

“We want to get schools, workplaces and community groups involved and create a wave of blue right across the county in support of the mental health and wellbeing of everyone in Lancashire.”

Lancashire Mind will have teams at all the landmarks throughout the day and into the evening, as well as various other locations across the county, offering help, information, and signposting.

You can see a full list of events on Lancashire Mind’s website at https://bit.ly/LMWMHD22

You can follow Lancashire Mind on Facebook – Lancashire Mind, Twitter @LancsMind and Instagram @lancsmind