Northampton Saints hosts pupils’ mental health day

More than 300 children from a number of primary schools have taken part in a mental health day at a rugby club.

The BBC Radio Northampton Headfest event offered children the chance to learn, relax and get moving.

Activities included yoga, gardening and music therapy, as well as sport workshops organised by Northampton Saints and Northampton Town Football Club.

Blue Peter presenter Joel Mawhinney, who took part, said: “Events like this are really important to give a heads-up as to what you can do if you find yourself in a tricky situation.”

Mawhinney, who participated in a BBC Moodboosters session, became the BBC children’s programme’s 41st presenter in 2022, aged 25.

“I was speaking to a friend beforehand, thinking about how difficult it must be now growing up, because it is completely different even to when I was a kid, not that long ago,” he said.

“It’s moved on so fast, with technology and social media and there are so many other aspects these guys are going to have to worry about that we probably didn’t have to.”

Zoologist and wildlife presenter Yussef Rafik, best known for presenting BBC Earth Kids show Bugface, helped lead bug hunts at Friday’s event at Saints’ Franklins Gardens stadium.

He said: “I’m quite passionate about nature, not as a cure to mental health, but as a way of coping and it’s certainly helped myself – and I love bugs and the kids seem to be loving it as well, so a bug hunt is the thing to do.”

Pupils from Cogenhoe Primary School had attended the Headfest event “for the last couple of years” said head teacher Charley Oldham.

She said schools had a responsibility to teach pupils strategies for when they felt worried and overwhelmed.

“And also just to build their resilience and self-esteem, which is obviously a skill which they need for life, to thrive in the world we live in,” she added.

BBC Radio Northampton executive producer Anna Bartlett explained why the radio station had organised the event.

She said: “The NHS tells us that one in five eight-to-16-year-olds have some sort of mental health challenge, so we know it’s really important that that needs to be addressed.”