Bill’s Blue Monday

Today is Blue Monday.

The third Monday of January is supposedly the most depressing day of the year and is increasingly being seen as an opportunity to raise awareness about the causes and effects of mental distress, challenge myths and stigma, and distribute information about sources of help and support for anyone who’s not having the best time of it. Which can only be a positive thing!

Here in Liverpool, broadcaster Mick Coyle has been doing amazing things with his weekly ‘Mental Health Monday’ show (and podcast) on City Talk, and I’ve been lucky enough to guest on the show a few times now https://www.blipfoto.com/entry/2225740144890089251

But today, Mick’s really going the extra mile (and then some!) broadcasting live for the whole 24 hours (he’s still at it as I write this) and talking about mental health throughout - to disprove once and for all the notion that it’s something that CAN’T be talked about.

I went along to the Radio City Tower this afternoon with Pete, one of our trustees, to have a chat about what we’ve got planned at work this year and how people can get involved.

And I was delighted that my old compadre Bill Ryder-Jones was able to come along too, to lend a hand.

Over the last couple of years, Bill’s been a great supporter of what we do at work, as I’ve mentioned previously https://www.blipfoto.com/entry/2232576006676285305 and he proved it once again today. It’s always a huge pleasure to see him.

Here he is after we’d done our stint on the show. The extras were taken while we were in the studio waiting to ‘go live’.

Music lovers, do look out for Bill’s new album - due out in the autumn! Meantime, to tide you over, here he is with ‘By Morning I’ from his 2013 album, ‘A Bad Wind Blows In My Heart’ www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9l50t8vPj4