Olympic athlete spotlights pupils' mental health

Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill went on a fun run with primary school pupils to highlight young people's mental health issues

Olympic gold medallist Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill has visited primary school pupils from across West Sussex to shine a spotlight on children's mental health.

She met with more than 200 students at Cumnor House school near Haywards Heath on Tuesday in the first of a series of planned regional school visits aimed at addressing the subject.

"We want to ensure young people feel empowered to talk about their mental health and seek help when they need it," said Dame Jessica, who was joined by comedian Jon Richardson.

The visit was part of the campaign Bright Young Dreams, founded by the Sheffield heptathlete in 2023.

"We had a fantastic day sharing experiences on how we cope with pressures, anxieties and challenges, which are more intense for children today than ever," said Dame Jessica, who shot to fame at the London 2012 Olympics.

As a parent of children aged seven and 10, she said she had started to see "the impact social media and smart phones have at that age".

She added: "It was really good to have a conversation about mental health and try to find out how we can do more."

Pupils from schools including St Giles Primary School, Blackthorns Community Primary Academy, Danehill Primary, Barcombe Primary and Holy Trinity Cuckfield took part in discussions and workshops designed to help them better understand and manage their mental wellbeing.

One described meeting the Olympian as "amazing", while another added: "It was really interesting because I though it was only me who felt anxious."

Dame Jessica signed autographs for the children

Richardson, also an ambassador for the Bright Young Dreams campaign, said: "I've spent my life overthinking everything, so I know first hand how important it is for kids to be given space to talk about their worries.

"Mental health is something we should be teaching in schools alongside maths and science.

"If we can make those conversations easier through a mix of honesty, humour, and education, then I'm all in."

Dame Jessica launched Bright Young Dreams to "help address the urgent global crisis in children's mental health" and its mission is to raise global awareness of and funding for that cause.