Young people from across the region will come together at a special event to help those struggling with their emotional well-being.

The event, called 500 messages of Hope: Turning our back on mental health stigma, is being held at The Mix in Stowmarket on Monday, October 29.

Members of the Norfolk and Suffolk Foundation Trust Youth Council will host several activities during the day to collect ‘messages of hope’.

These messages will then be used in various ways to inspire hope in young people or family members facing mental health challenges.

During the event a number of organisations which provide a range of mental health and well-being services will be holding workshops, offering advice and exhibiting important information.

All the activities will be aimed at young people, their parents, carers and educators with an interest in mental health.

Ginnie Beacham-Hulvej, youth participation lead for the Norfolk and Suffolk Foundation Trust, said: “500 Messages of Hope came about as a direct response from young people who have experienced mental health issues.

“The young people started the campaign when they attended the International Association of Youth Mental Health Conference in Dublin last September with the Norfolk and Suffolk Foundation Trust Youth Council.

“Taking the theme of ‘drawing from experience’, they asked other delegates to draw something that made them feel hopeful.

“This approach proved popular with the participants, who reported a positive shift in their mood when they had completed their message and looked through messages others had created.

“We hope many young people will now attend the event at The Mix to collect and share messages to help us promote the focus on hope.”

Agencies attending the event to exhibit include Onelife Suffolk, Suffolk Mind, the Richmond Fellowship, Lapwing Education, Wellbeing Suffolk and the Suffolk User Forum.

The event, sponsored by Time to Change and the Norfolk and Suffolk Foundation Trust, will run from 9.30am until 3.30pm.

Those who cannot make the event are still able to submit messages of hope by emailing involvement.team@NSFT.nhs.uk with 500 Messages in the subject line.

For more information about the event, contact Dawn Edwards at dawn.edwards@nsft.nhs