ABOUT US

MINDSTARS was co-founded in July of 2020 by life long friends Rebecca Hetherington and Marisa May off the back of their personal and professional experience of mental health. We support the mental health and wellbeing of children and young people, together with their parents and guardians, delivering a full family approach. No child should be left until crisis point before accessing support.

Mental ill health is the single largest cause of disability in the UK, contributing up to 22.8% of the total burden, compared to 15.9% for cancer and 16.2% for cardiovascular disease.

The wider economic costs of mental illness in England have been estimated at £105.2 billion per annum. This includes direct costs of services, lost productivity at work and reduced quality of life.

The cost to UK businesses is now £34.9 billion which equates to £1,300 per year for every employee in the UK economy.

Mindstars North Shields Children's workshops and clubs

Children requiring mental health support is rising faster than our NHS can manage, with latest reports highlighting 1 in 6 (16%) children aged 5 to 16 years in the UK have a probable mental health disorder.

This has increased from one in nine (10.8%) in 2017 and it is likely that COVID-19 has intensified this.

The stresses children face today are wildly different to what past generations were exposed to, such as the disintegration of neighbourhoods, social media, 24-hour news channels and the pros and cons of the world wide web.

Family life has evolved into a busier, more pressured existence with less work/life balance. There is little support for families to cope with the ever-changing pressures in a busier and more chaotic environment.

The UK is facing a rising mental health crisis.

Failure to address poor mental health in childhood results in higher risk of suicide, substance misuse, self-harm and lower educational and employment achievement.

Proactive and preventative support and intervention from an early age is key to reducing mental health problems in later life and results in better outcomes in health, education, employment, education, and relationships. Specialist early intervention services produce better clinical outcomes than generic teams and are also cost-effective.

This is the focus of Mindstars.

Mindstars qualified and motivated team of professionals provide vital proactive mental health education, support, and advice, aimed at lowering or removing the barriers that mental health issues create.