TV presenter writes story for Brighton schoolchildren as part of mental health initiative

NHS bosses in Brighton and Hove commissioned a short story for children by TV presenter and Childline counsellor Anna Williamson, as part of the #IAMWHOLE mental health campaign.

The book, 'Flo & The Funny Feelings’, focuses on a nine-year-old girl who is experiencing worry, stress and anxiety for the very first time. It follows her journey of discovery as she learns to overcome the ‘funny feelings’ with the help of her mum, teacher and school friends. The book is illustrated by Brighton-based Aaron Blecha.

Children at St Luke’s Primary School, Fairlight Primary School and Carlton Hill Primary School where treated to a reading of the book by the author herself last week.

Ms Williamson said: “'I am honoured and delighted to have written about 'Flo' in the hope that children can feel more at ease and reassured by any feelings of anxiety, worry and stress, and importantly, learn how they might be able to feel better. Mental health is so important to us all, and I'm very passionate about educating children in an age appropriate way so they have the tools to cope as they grow up.”

The story was commissioned by NHS Brighton and Hove Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) to help raise awareness of mental health and emotional wellbeing among a seven to 11 year old audience.

Flo & The Funny Feelings also aims to encourage young children to think about their behaviour towards others who might be suffering with poor mental health or emotional wellbeing, while giving them the confidence to speak out if they themselves are experiencing feelings of anxiety or stress.

The short story will be included as part of the Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PHSE) framework for primary schools and will form part of a Primary Schools Mental Health Toolkit which will be available to download for free by schools throughout the UK.

In addition to an illustrated PDF version of the short story, the digital toolkit will include a video of Williamson reading the story, as well as a lesson plan (developed by the local Brighton and Hove Primary School PHSE leads) and a Parents and Carer Guidebook developed in partnership with the YMCA.

Dr Becky Jarvis, Brighton and Hove GP and mental health clinical lead for the CCG, said: “As a GP I often see parents who are struggling to find the words to talk to their child about mental health issues. We know that by the age of 14 nearly 10 per cent of boys and 25 per cent of girls are experiencing symptoms of depression, but talking to young children about their feelings can be very challenging when words like ‘anxiety’ are hard to explain.

"Flo's funny feeling is a tool for teachers and parents to start a conversation with children about how they are feeling, and about how to get help if they do start to have difficulties.”

Gill Brooks, commissioning manager for children’s mental health and wellbeing at NHS Brighton and Hove Clinical Commissioning Group, said: “The CCG wanted to build on the success of the campaign from last year by extending our reach to younger children. We commissioned Flo’s story and accompanying Toolkit to reach out to children and their families as early as possible, to give them confidence to talk about and understand their feelings so they could be more resilient now and help them prepare for the teenage years and adulthood.”

The former children's TV presenter got involved with the NHS #IAMWHOLE campaign following her personal experiences of generalised anxiety disorder (GAD) and panic disorder. She is also the Amazon best-selling author of ‘Breaking Mad: The Insiders Guide to Conquering Anxiety', and an ambassador for mental health charity Mind.

#IAMWHOLE is an award-winning mental health campaign developed in partnership between the NHS, YMCA England and Wales and Spirit Media. The campaign was launched on World Mental Health Day 2016 in Brighton by Jordan Stephens, one half of UK music duo Rizzle Kicks. #IAMWHOLE has been developed as a direct response to the mental health difficulties being experienced by children and young people throughout the UK.

To download Flo & the Funny Feelings, visit: whole.org.uk