Off the Record Bristol

Here at Off The Record, we regularly scout the media for the latest word on mental health news, treatments and trends – and it seems that it’s somewhat of a hot topic at present. Whether exam stress is bogging you down, you’re feeling the pinch in the recession, or you’re generally cheesed off with the world – you’re certainly not alone – and it’s great that the press are picking up on mental health awareness.

Undoubtedly a big factor in the increasing awareness of mental health is the host of celebrities that are coming forward and sharing their experiences of mental health issues. Many public figures from the world of sport, comedy, music – you name it – are opening up about overcoming their inner demons. Their stories suggest a huge leap forward in reducing the stigma surrounding mental health; a celebrity’s frank discussion about mental health can reach a huge audience of press, fans and fellow sufferers alike.

There are plenty to choose from, but we’ve highlighted a few famous folks who you may be surprised to learn have battled mental health issues:

- Freddie Flintoff

Freddie Flintoff: Ashes-winning cricketer, comedy show panellist, national treasure, LAD. But also, Freddie Flintoff is a sufferer of depression and alcohol dependency. In the midst of the masculinised world of sport – and TV comedy – Freddie found himself lost, and not wanting to leave his bed.

“I didn’t understand what was happening to me. I knew when I got back to my room I couldn’t shut off, which is why I started having a drink. All I wanted was for the doctor to tell me what was wrong but no one suggested it was depression. I remember sitting in the dressing room after winning a one-day international. The lads were celebrating and I didn’t want to be a part of it, I didn’t want to do anything but sit on my own in the corner”.

Freddie is a pretty ‘laddish’ guy and an immensely popular figure. His recent TV show ‘The Hidden Side of Sport’ opened many people’s eyes to the emotions and mental states of sportsmen and rightly demonstrated that it is not demasculising to admit you have a problem and seek help. 

- Frankie Sandford

The Saturdays’ singer Frankie recently revealed that her depression left her hospitalised and feeling ‘worthless’.

She explained: “I didn’t know if people would be horrible to me and say: ‘You’re in a successful girl band, you’ve got this great boyfriend, and he’s got loads of money”.
This goes to show that what you have on the surface does not disguise or make you immune to feeling this way. Major props to Frankie – we think she’s hugely brave for discussing her depression in the often cut-throat and shallow world of showbiz.

- Lady Gaga

Probably the biggest pop-star in the world has described how she fought anorexia as a teen – and still has weight issues to this day.

Gaga was a victim of bullies back at school, and talks of her confidence issues: “I used to throw up all the time in high school. So I’m not that confident. I wanted to be a skinny little ballerina but I was a voluptuous little Italian girl whose dad had meatballs on the table every night”.

Gaga, real name Stefani Germanotta, has consequently launched the Born This Way Foundation, aimed at putting a stop to bullying and encouraging individuality. We think she’s an incredibly strong character, and bet those bullies are eating their words now.

- David Beckham 

...and finally, even David Beckham has a mental health disorder: OCD.

He said: “I’ll go into a hotel room and before I can relax, I have to move all the leaflets and all the books and put them in a drawer. Everything has to be perfect. I’ve tried and can’t stop”.

OCD may sound like a quirky or even laughable condition, but it affects one in 60 people in Britain and can become a debilitating way of life. Many people keep this illness hidden, so for David Beckham – a global household name – to talk about his OCD, is very encouraging.

Other celebrities that we’ve discovered to have mental health difficulties include Stephen Fry (depression), Ruby Wax (depression), Beethoven (bi-polar), Winston Churchill (depression), Mel Gibson, Britney Spears, Michael Phelps (ADHD), Elton John (substance abuse; bulimia), Princess Diana (depression; eating disorders)... the list really does go on. These people are massively popular, intelligent, talented and respected, but they haven’t escaped mental health difficulties.

We think that this list goes to show that it doesn’t matter who you are, or what you do – mental health issues can get to the best of us. We have a lot of respect for these celebrities for disclosing this pretty personal stuff to the world, as their successes and recoveries can provide inspiration to millions of young people across the world.

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The Mentality team took on the immense task of running the Sport Relief Mile on Sunday 25th March. Everybody who took part met first at Off the Record to don our incredible mime outfits complete with white face paint. You’ll probably be asking “why mimes?” Firstly, mimes are awesome. Secondly, mental health is often considered a “silent illness”. The team felt it appropriate as we set out to say that young people shouldn’t suffer in silence. We made our way to starting point and despite several strange looks and honks from passersby we made it in one piece.

Soon after arriving, along with everyone else, we took part in the warm-up (see facebook for photos) which was interesting…  Afterwards we made our way to the start line, being prepared would be an understatement.

Everyone but Alex decided to race the 3 miles, dedication to the max! Our intentions to stick together failed almost immediately and soon mimes littered the course like a battlefield, Georgia exploding out of the starting gate. Despite the breaking up of the group we persevered to make it to the end even if it meant having to walk some of the way *cough* Laura and Becky *cough*. Everybody who entered finished with great success and we all felt incredible proud of our achievement.

We’d like to thank everybody who sponsored us, without you we wouldn’t have been so spurred on to succeed. Because of your grand efforts we raised a whopping total of £824! Thank you so much!
Well done to everyone who took part, Laura, Becky, Kate, Akira, Charlotte, Georgia, Jasmine, Steph and Alex!

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Hey all!

Rock The Record is fast approaching and it’s going to be brilliant! We’d love to see as many of you there as possible to watch the bands, eat loads of BBQ food, take part in a raffle and generally have a good time! Tickets are really cheap and it will be a really good few nights. It’s all in aid of Off The Record and the proceeds go to us!

You can get tickets and merchandise from Rock The Record’s BandCamp page, from Bristol Ticket Shop and at the door on the nights!

We’re also looking for volunteers to help out at the event, get in touch with us if you’d like to help!

Woohoo!

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What a whirlwind few days Off The Record have had!

On Monday, our long-awaited evening finally arrived, where Mentality were presented with the Philip Lawrence Award. Everyone at Off The Record was nervously excited and headed off to the Bristol Museum and Art Gallery at 4pm to mingle and welcome visitors to the beautiful venue.

The event kicked off with an exhilarating performance from Bristol’s Fresh Dance Company, comprised of seven dynamic female dancers who recently found fame on Sky One’s Got To Dance, where they received three gold stars from judges Ashley Banjo, Adam Garcia and Kimberly Wyatt. Their performance had everyone in the room transfixed and was met with hearty applause.

Next up, Bristol’s Lord Mayor Geoffrey Gollop took to the mic to say a few words about his pleasure and pride in a Bristol-based project winning the national award; his sentiments were echoed across the room.

Jonathan Hopkins of PLAnet was next in line to address the audience; reciprocating the Lord Mayor’s kind words and informing us that Mentality are now part of the Philip Lawrence Award community. This means Mentality will be involved in judging future years’ winners and can collaborate with the panel headed by Sir Trevor McDonald. He also invited Mentality to an event in London later in the year, where we will get the chance to meet other PLA winners and the Duchess of Kent at Downing Street – how exciting!

Frances Lawrence then took the opportunity to speak, telling us that despite attending Cardiff University, Bristol was always the chosen destination for a night out (a great choice!). Her recollection of her husband’s dedication to the arts and theatre, and his value of the sacredness of every human being, was particularly poignant. She told us that Philip was a man intolerant of prejudice, discrimination and bullying, and worked tirelessly alongside young people. Her account of Philip’s untimely death was hugely brave and reminded us all exactly why it is important to allow his legacy to thrive and recognise the achievements and ‘good news stories’ of young people.

Lawrence said:

“Philip was stabbed through the heart by someone who never learned the values of the heart”

and followed this up by commenting:

“He would have greatly enjoyed meeting you, in Mentality”.

Many of us had goosebumps at this point and we were honoured by her compassionate words.

After a speech detailing the work Mentality does, the time had come for Mentality to step up and receive their award. Chris, Nacro’s photographer, ‘papped’ away as the Mentality group beamed from ear to ear holding their award. Everyone in attendance ensured the young people received a rapturous applause. Shortly after this, Charlotte Lacey of Mentality made a speech which injected some spark and humour into proceedings, as she invited the audience to take part in Mentality’s ‘dress up’ game at the side of the stage. Everyone in Mentality rightfully felt very proud of themselves.

The evening drew to a close after some yummy food courtesy of the Bristol Museum, and attendees left with an uplifted spirit; a reminder that there are young people out there, both in Bristol and nationally, carrying out important, positive work.

You can view Mentality’s PLAnet video here.
Mentality has been featured in the Evening Post here.
You can view a photo gallery from the evening here.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone involved in the event for a wonderful evening: Bristol Museum and Art Gallery for providing such a striking venue; Nacro for their support; PLAnet for recognising Mentality’s achievements and hosting the night; the Lord Mayor and Mayoress for their attendance; Frances Lawrence for a terrific, poignant speech and the pleasure of her company; the PLAnet voting panel; Fresh Dance Company; the Home Awards, and our funders Comic Relief, Children in Need and the Lottery.

Last but certainly not least, congratulations again to Mentality and all the young people involved for all their amazing hard work and dedication to the now ‘award-winning’ project! Woohoo!

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This Monday, the 5th of March, Mrs Frances Lawrence MBE will present Mentality with a National Award!

Exciting Stuff!!

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