by Simon Antrobus, CEO

Children and young people say growing up happy is a top priority for them. We know too that happiness is at the very heart of children becoming the best version of themselves.

But, for far too many children and young people we support here at BBC Children in Need, this route to happiness in communities where they can thrive is compromised. The children and young people we support are constantly held back by the deep impact of poverty, their mental health and family challenges – and these challenges are only rising, so much so that children and young people tell us they regularly they feel anxious, worried about their futures and for some, deep sadness, loneliness and a sense of loss.

The children and young people we support also regularly tell us about the difference a positive relationship with a trusted adult or project worker can make in their lives.

These are the trusted adults and project workers BBC Children in Need funds as a result of donations from our supporters and the great British public.

We call these powerful positive relationships everyday magic. At some stage in our lives it’s likely we have all benefited from this everyday magic, someone we can call upon when times get tough. I know I have and I know too that I would not be where I am today without the support of a brilliant youth worker. That’s why we need to ensure every child and young person has access to this kind of support.

Here at BBC Children in Need we know that the children and young people we support across the UK are living through extraordinary and uncertain times. It’s not an understatement to say that the world they know; that we all know too, is constantly changing. That’s why BBC Children in Need is totally focused on ensuring that children can navigate these uncertainties positively, that they can thrive and be the best version of themselves.

So, as we launch this year’s BBC Children in Need Appeal, let’s make happiness a top priority for all children and young people, so that every child can thrive and be the best they can be.

For example, the mental health and wellbeing of the children and young people we support continues to be a significant area of concern for us. Among a number of factors, for a child to thrive they need good mental health – a building block for happiness but, right now, here in the UK this is one of the single biggest challenges facing the children we support. Alongside and exacerbated by the cost of living crisis, children and young people are facing unprecedented mental health challenges.

We know too that, intervening early before mental health issues require clinical interventions is absolutely critical.

BBC Children in Need is leading a mental health revolution for children and young people. Our A Million and Me mental health fund has invested in programmes that provide children with support as soon as the signs of sadness, anxiety and worry become apparent. We’re funding local community mental health programmes and projects right across the UK. Our learning and evaluation of the support we have funded has identified the importance of the careful and sensitive curation of conversations and support from trusted adults and project workers. The power of these positive relationships can have a dramatic affect in helping children talk about their feelings, get the support they need quicker and improve their mental health.

We’ve learnt so much from our commitment to supporting children’s mental health. And whilst it’s vital and important that we provide practical support to the children who need it most, it’s also important that we shine a light on childhood experiences of mental ill health. We did this as part of a mental health awareness week campaign called Behind the Bandana.

As part of Behind the Bandana campaign we temporarily removed Pudsey’s iconic bandana to show that not all of the challenges that children may be facing are visible. This is so true for children’s mental health. As part of the campaign we highlighted the importance of intervening early and to encourage the right conversations between children and parents, carers and other trusted adults to ensure no child faces their emotional and mental health challenges alone. In essence, creating confident parents and trusted adults engaging in the right conversations and support delivered as early as possible before a child’s mental health challenges get worse.

As we launch this year’s Appeal I want to tell you about a fantastic organisation we are able to fund as a result of our supporters. Recently I met with Martin Yelling who runs a BBC Children in Need funded project called Stormbreak. I am delighted we fund Stormbreak. It’s aim is simple – to create more happy, healthy humans.

Martin’s aim is to tackle the growing mental health crisis in children. Martin talks passionately about Stormbreak’s ambitions. He talks about their work to improve children’s mental health through movement, equipping them with sustainable, transferable skills and coping strategies to thrive during the complex demands of growth into adult life. It’s a fantastic support programme totally focused on the principles of ordinary magic. When a child begins to experience challenges with their mental health Martin and his team know it’s important to intervene early because, the earlier you do this, the greater the chance of preventing anxiety and worry leading to complex and more clinical mental health diagnoses; in teenage years potentially leading to entrenched mental health challenges in adult life.

It’s so important we expand and develop this kind of support right across the UK.

We know this because it was a clearly identified need in our recent survey.

To mark today’s Appeal launch we have shared the results of our Censuswide poll which has shed light on how positive children and young people feel about their futures and explores issues relating to children’s mental health. In a stark comparison, the poll highlighted that whilst 1 in 5 parents surveyed (20%) believe their child’s overall happiness and wellbeing has worsened in the last year and almost a quarter of children surveyed (24%) say they regularly feel worried about their future[1], the top most important thing for children’s futures, was to be happy, with 69% of children surveyed saying it was important to them.

Our UK wide survey of 2,501 parents[2] and 2,501 children and young people[3] aged 11-18, also reveals that:

· Almost a third of young people surveyed (30%) regularly feel anxious or worried

· One in seven children surveyed (14%) regularly feel sad [3]

· One in seven children surveyed (14%) regularly feel lonely [3]

· Just over one in eight children surveyed (13%) regularly feel lost [3]

· Just over two thirds of parents surveyed (67%) believe children from more affluent households are more likely to achieve their goals in life

These survey results alongside the excellent outcomes being delivered by Stormbreak and other community based mental health charities we support drives us to do more.

It’s no surprise that mental health is a key theme of many of the grant applications we receive every day here at BBC Children in Need. Thanks to the kindness and generosity of our supporters we’re responding to and funding as many as we can. I’m proud of what we have been able to do right across the UK to help children feel happier and to thrive, but the reality is, in the last year alone, demand from grassroots organisations far outweighed funding available and we received eight times the number of applications we could afford to fund. This means so many children and young people across the UK are unlikely to get the early support they need. The ordinary magic I mentioned earlier and provided by organisations like Stormbreak is sadly not available to all the children who need it. However, we will not give up and with the support of the Great British public – we will continue to shine a light on these issues and do all we can support the children and young people who need our support.