“Choose kindness”. That is the powerful message of a Norwich teenager and the mother of Caroline Flack in a video released ahead of World Mental Health Day.
Norwich School student Max Merron met with Chris Flack, to talk about her daughter’s life, the impact of losing a loved one through suicide and social media.
The Norfolk-born presenter took her own life in March and among her last messages urged others to, in a world where you could be anything, be kind.
For World Mental Health Day Max has worked with a former pupil to design hoodies and t-shirts for Young Minds, carrying the message ‘choose kindness’.
The 18-year-old lost a loved one due to suicide and has organised activities around the theme asking fellow pupil’s to pledge to be kind.
It is a message Mrs Flack encouraged others to remember.
Mrs Flack said her daughter loved school for the social side and was open with her family about her mental health.
Mrs Flack said: “She did talk to us about it [her mental health].
“You say you have this fabulous career and you have a nice home and that doesn’t matter because that’s not how they are feeling, she was always frightened the public would find out that she was vulnerable and that she had these dark feelings.”
She urged people to be careful with what they posted on social media and not to let it be their whole life.
Mrs Flack said: “Please be kind, the simplest thing of kindness can lift your spirits. It is so easy to be nasty and to be judgemental and to say you do not like the way someone looks or acts, just be kind because you never know what they are going through.
“I am sure the people who knew about Carrie didn’t know what she was going through.”
The video was played to students at the Norwich School among its activities on mental health and wellbeing and a visit from Tom Oxley of Bamboo Mental Health on Friday.
Pupils wore yellow in support of the #HelloYellow campaign by Young Minds and wrote their names and messages to place on kindness trees, which Max hopes will “glisten yellow”.
Max said: “People who have not necessarily had anxiety, isolation or been alone have felt it more than ever and the people who were already experience that it has only escalated it further.
“Now we are back at school, there is social distancing, bubbles. Talking to people is more important than ever for your peace of mind.”
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