15 May 2023 , 15:07
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BBC Children In Need has made huge changes to its beloved yellow mascot, Pudsey Bear, to highlight health issues that aren't always immediately visible on the surface.
For Mental Health Awareness Week, Children In Need has temporarily removed Pudsey's famous eye covering to illustrate how "not all of the challenges that children and young people may be facing are visible".
This move is part of the charity's brand-new Behind The Bandana campaign, launched in a bid to encourage important conversations between children and their parents, carers, or other such trusted adults.
It's hoped that this campaign will help "to ensure no child faces their emotional and mental health challenges alone".
Pudsey's famous eye covering has been removed (PA)Dr Alex George has been named as an ambassador for the Behind The Bandana campaign. The former Love Island star became an active mental health campaigner following the death of his 19-year-old brother Llyr by suicide back in 2020.
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Dr Alex said: "I know how important early intervention is in helping make a difference to the emotional wellbeing of children and young people and so I am very proud to be the ambassador of such a powerful campaign that really shines a light on the mental health crisis we are facing.
"As highlighted by Pudsey Bear himself, mental health issues can be less visible on the outside, but conversations and positive relationships really can help."
Dr Alex George is an ambassador for the campaign (PA)As part of this campaign, Children In Need has now released findings from a new Censuswide survey which reveals just how comfortable children are when it comes to asking others for help with their feelings.
This same survey also shows just how often children feel they need to wear their "metaphorical bandana", hiding their emotions from others.
Nine out of 10 parents surveyed stated that they talk to their children about their mental health once a month at least, however, more than one-quarter of young people claimed they hadn't talked to a trusted person about their mental health at any point in the past six months.
Children In Need's boss Simon Antrobus stated: "This research is a clear indication that our Behind The Bandana campaign is urgently needed.
"What's also clear is that we can all play a role in addressing early signs of worry and anxiety by showing children and young people that we're here to listen and to support them.
"By recognising and acknowledging that some feelings of worry and anxiety can be hidden means early conversations, sensitively delivered with kindness and empathy, can make a real difference to a child's wellbeing and can help prevent mental health problems from becoming embedded."
The Samaritans is available 24/7 if you need to talk. You can contact them for free by calling 116 123, or head to the website to find your nearest branch.