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Comedian Stuart Goldsmith performs at Bristol Grammar School
Award-winning Bristol born comedian and speaker, Stuart Goldsmith, performed a one-off special stand-up gig at Bristol Grammar School on Monday.
His visit was part of a bid to tackle how to talk about mental health head on, for both parents and their children.
The comedian performed a 20-minute stand up set around mental health during a special assembly to sixth form students, their parents and staff at the school, to launch the ‘Talk it Out’ pilot – an initiative by the cheese brand Leerdammer, in support of YoungMinds.
is needed now More than ever
Everyone who attended received informational material which linked to a website which signposts to further support, expert advice and guidance from YoungMinds could be found.
YoungMinds is the UK’s leading charity fighting for a world where no young person feels alone with their mental health.
Leerdammers ‘Talk it Out’ initiative aims to help parents and young people to get talking and have better conversations around their struggles with mental health.
Find someone who looks at you as lovingly as me staring into @TomScott‘s eyes during a live @LateralCast! ♥️
Full episode with myself, @BecHillComedian and @LizzySkrzypiec is OUT NOW in podcast feeds. pic.twitter.com/LZHzRjJz5O
— Stuart Goldsmith (@ComComPod) December 20, 2024
The Bristol raised, Stuart, who has appeared on Live at the Apollo and also on Conan, said: “I often talk about my own mental health experiences in my comedy so understand how important sharing can be in helping to get the support needed.
“YoungMinds offer such brilliant services to young people and parents, such as myself, so I was so excited to help – it’s a brilliant idea and hopefully will lead to families becoming much closer and open in their conversations.”
Aruna Gunawardana, assistant head and mental health lead at Bristol Grammar School, added: “At BGS we work with families to build wrap-around care for our pupils, giving them the tools and encouragement to talk openly together about mental health.
“It’s a privilege to have Stuart here as another voice, and a creative one at that, to engage with our community and highlight ways to approach what can feel like a difficult subject.
“Mental health is all about connection, and Stuart’s engaging approach will undoubtedly help us all on the journey to destigmatise and encourage more of those meaningful mental health conversations.”
Research shows that 76 per cent of parents said that their children’s mental health had deteriorated while waiting for support from Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS).
One of the aims of the initiative is to raise awareness of YoungMind’s unique Parent Helpline which provides information, advice and support to parents or main carers of children and young people aged 25 if they are worried about their mental health or wellbeing.
The service is a lifeline to many parents who don’t know where else to turn, and in 2024/25 it is predicted to support 20,000 adults.
Heloise Le Norcy-Trott, group marketing director at Lactalis said: “We have developed an initiative that will really have a positive impact on young people’s mental health but also, importantly, raise awareness of YoungMinds so they can guide parents and their children towards accessing better mental health care.
“We hope by using Leedammer to support YoungMinds – and by bringing Stuart in to speak to the students – they and their parents will see how essential it is to start these conversations and realise there is support out there available to them.
“We are piloting the idea in Brighton and Bristol this month, then aiming to roll this out across the UK later in the year so we can reach and support even more families in need. We are always looking at ways to strengthen our positive impact across the UK and are grateful to Stuart for taking time out from his tour to help spread the word.”
Main photo: Talk it Out
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