William says ‘it’s good to get emotional’, during visit to mental health project
THE Duke of Cambridge has said it is “good to get emotional”, as he met participants of a mental health project.
During a visit to Hearts FC’S Tynecastle Stadium in Edinburgh yesterday, William spoke with men involved in The Changing Room, an initiative set up by the Scottish Association for Mental Health (SAMH) in partnership with football teams across Scotland.
The project aims to bring men together through football to tackle mental health. Big Hearts Community Trust, the charity associated with Hearts, is part of the programme.
William joined participants Pher Nicolson and Kristian Wilson in a “walk and talk” around the stadium before meeting some of the others involved.
When discussing what had brought them to the programme, one participant became emotional. He said: “Sorry, I’m getting emotional here,” to which William replied: “It’s good to get emotional, that’s what we’re here for.”
The duke has long been an advocate for discussing mental health and breaking down stigma around the issue.
Mr Wilson lost his brother to suicide last year.
Speaking about his conversation with William, he said: “It went well and we had a really great conversation.
“Everyone was just talking about their own experiences and he was just really involved and really engaged.
“One of the things we talked about was how do we get people to open up rather than bury all of their feelings, and one of the conversations we had was about peer support. When you have a high profile like the duke, that’s going to encourage other organisations.”
Mr Nicolson said: “He was very proud of the guys for making a difference and sharing so openly and how that makes a difference, because it allows other guys to step forward and seek support.
“He recognised that the guys were leaders in that respect.”