Young people in Birmingham met the Prince and Princess of Wales
By Andy Giddings
BBC News, West Midlands
Catherine, Princess of Wales has called for more mental health support for the nation while on a visit to Birmingham.
She gave a speech to young people gathered for a day of workshops to mark World Mental Health Day.
The princess told them she wanted “fairer, safer, kinder, more equal societies”.
During the visit to the Factory Works in the city, Catherine wore earrings given to her by the mother of a 17-year-old girl who took her own life.
She had been presented with the the star-shaped jewellery by Sarah Renton on a visit to Maidenhead Rugby Club in June.
The earrings had been made in memory of Ms Renton’s daughter Issy Phipps.
Image source, PA Media
Catherine wore star-shaped earrings she was given by the mother of teenager Issy Phipps, who took her own life
The princess also spoke about the impact of social media and concerns about the threat of conflicts, pandemics, climate change and the cost of living.
The Prince of Wales was also present on the trip.
In 2016 the couple, along with the Duke of Sussex, launched their landmark Heads Together campaign to raise the profile of the nation’s mental health.
Catherine said: “William and I believe we need to do all we can as a society to help young people develop the emotional and social life skills they need for good mental health, and to thrive in the world around them.”
Image source, PA Media
The Princess of Wales spoke to young people at a day of workshops to mark Mental Health Day
Prince William joined in with a discussion after her speech and said: “We feel that we’ve made some progress, in that we’re all in this room talking about mental health and were chipping away at that stigma, but there’s a lot more to do.”
The day was organised by The Royal Foundation and had the theme Exploring Our Emotional Worlds, and saw the princess take part in an understanding our emotions workshop.
Meanwhile, William sat with young people taking part in a community action and well-being workshop, speaking about how taking part in community projects helped mental health.
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