Wigan organisation supports school pupils with their mental health during lockdown

A Wigan network which educates young people about mental health has been continuing its mission by supporting pupils during lockdown.

The team behind All Ears would usually be visiting schools to host talks with pupils, but they have had to adapt quickly to 10 months of regular school closures.

The project was founded by Amy Madden in 2018, in memory of a close friend who took her own life during their school years.

In founding All Ears, Amy’s aim was to help anyone else in a similar situation so that they can feel supported when looking for help, and All Ears was recently granted CIC (Community Interest Company) status, opening the door for vital funding opportunities to keep their cause going.

It has been a turbulent year for young people across the borough, unable to see their friends or even know if they might be able to sit crucial exams.

But Amy and co have been on hand to support young people across the country, not just those in Wigan, by delivering wellbeing boxes full of resources and fun contents to keep their recipients’ spirits up.

Speaking during the current Children’s Mental Health Week, 22-year-old Amy said: “When Covid kicked in, there were things I wanted to do but couldn’t because we didn’t have any funding.

“We applied and within a month we got funding from the National Lottery, and with that we were able to create the wellbeing boxes for the pupils at West Lancs community high during the first lockdown.”

They created 100 boxes for pupils containing jars to fill with positivity notes, colouring books and activities to keep their minds occupied.

“We’ve received some nice videos of them being really thankful, which was really nice to see.”

“Recently, we got some more funding from Tesco’s Bags For Help, before the third lockdown happened.

“We got together as a group and decided we wanted something for the older children, high school aged up to sixth form, because it’s such a confusing time for them with not knowing about exams etc.

“And it’s quite a hard time in your life anyway, without all this going on.

“So we created this mindfulness booklet which has journal prompts, and every day there’s a quote, and a new task that they can do - something that’s nice, kind to someone else. It contains a list of songs for a good day, songs for a bad day, films for a good day and films for a bad day.

“We’ve been able to create physical versions of the booklet for 250 students at The Deanery High School, which are being made as we speak.

“We’ve also got the PDF which any school can use, free of charge. So far, about 40 schools have been in touch.

“Roughly, there’s about 15,000 children that have had the PDF. I’m hoping the word carries on spreading and that it’s something a lot of people can use, just to get them through this time.”

Amy added: “A lot of teachers have actually been using it for themselves too, which is nice to hear.”

To find out more about All Ears, visit the All Ears website.

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