A COVENTRY mental health worker has teamed up with a Cornish illustrator to create a series of mental health resources to help post-Covid pandemic anxiety among children and young people.
Dad-of-two James Stockford, from Keresley, Coventry, has already raised nearly half of the £9,500 crowdfunding target need to launch a book and community support with just over a week remaining.
James, who works for Coventry + Warwickshire Mind, said: “As soon as I started writing the book ‘Tips, Tricks and Science-y Bits to Manage Anxiety’, I knew it was special.
“This was partly because the information it contained has already helped hundreds of young people and their families that I’d been working with, to manage low mood and anxiety”.
He was put in touch with illustrator Eve Bourrat at Creat’Eve Illustration who helped create the book.
After working for a mental health charity and developing his own family coaching service at pslproject.com, it felt like a natural progression for James to set up a Community Interest Company (CIC) for itsnotmagicbutitcouldbe.com. By its very nature, a CIC (Community Interest Group) reinvests all of its profits.
Resources produced on a range of media and suitable for different ages and learning styles will be found at itsnotmagicbutitcouldbe.com from mid-April and launched on various social media platforms.
James said: “It’s not magic but it could be’, is a title reflective of the powerful nature of the mental health boosting activities that will be found in the online resources, and also through illustrated books, the first of which is due out by the end of the summer.
“The Facebook community is already benefiting from the work being carried out on the Facebook page and associated discussion group, which is currently holding 15-minute mental health chats for different age groups on Tuesdays and Thursdays.”
With initial funds raised, and in the hope of attracting grant money, the organisation aims to be able to create a new website with effective strategies explained through worksheets, illustrations and animations.
Drawing on his work in the mental health sector, James aims to put a spin on wellbeing activities to spark the interest of not only children of all ages, but also their parents and carers, therefore supporting the entire family unit.
Referring to managing anxiety, James said: “The key to experiencing change quickly is to experience something immediately; by using aspects of tapping, mindfulness,
To support the group’s campaign, go to crowdfunder.co.uk/its-not-magic-but-it-could-be-book-launch
