MOVING artwork produced by children and young people to end the stigma on mental illness was celebrated at a special event.

Healthwatch Dorset worked with hundreds of youngsters so they could share their health and wellbeing experiences for the creative project Be Yourself Everybody Else is Taken unveiled at AFC Bournemouth’s Vitality Stadium.

Joely Colmer, who has Asperger’s Syndrome, and was the main speaker at the event, was presented with a special award by football legend Steve Fletcher.

Health and social care leaders from Bournemouth, Poole and Dorset packed into the AFC Bournemouth Vitality Stadium to see the artwork, poetry, photography, songs, blogs and vlogs young people from across the county have created.

Healthwatch Dorset hosted school assemblies, creative workshops and small focus groups to discover the stresses young people face, the pressure of social expectations and their fears, giving young people the opportunity to talk about their story and highlight the importance of being listened to.

Steve Cuss, Head of Community at AFCB said: “I’m delighted that the Cherries Community Fund enabled the Be Yourself Everybody Else is Taken project to happen. The project has been a huge success in getting young people to talk about their experiences with mental health, disability, caring for others and the struggles they face with identity in a creative way. Communication of these issues is incredibly important and it’s been great to see the Cherries Community Fund used for the benefit of the local community.”

Healthwatch Dorset used the event to launch a touring display of the ‘Be Yourself’ project and make recommendations on how to improve health and care services for children and young people.

Chairman of the organisation Joyce Guest said: “It was wonderful to see so many people at our 'Be Yourself' event, helping us celebrate this Healthwatch Dorset project. We've worked with over 600 children and young people in the past year along with dozens of schools, colleges and voluntary sector organisations, so this was a great opportunity to showcase all that work.

“I'd like to thank AFC Bournemouth for their ongoing support and our speaker, Joely Colmer, whose moving speech made such an impact on everyone."

To see the young people’s work go to healthwatchdorset.co.uk

The organisation is planning a summer tour of the exhibition. If you know a venue that could showcase the artwork from the project, contact Healthwatch Dorset on 0300 111 0102 or email enquiries@healthwatchdorset.co.uk