St Paul’s Choristers put their heads together for mental health

With the London Marathon just days away, the Choristers of St Paul's have given their support to Heads Together, a campaign spearheaded by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry to change the conversation on mental health for everyone.

Heads Together is the Charity of the Year for the 2017 Virgin Money London Marathon on Sunday 23 April, the route of which passes St Paul's Cathedral as runners approach the finish line.

And to help cheer on the Team Heads Together runners, and get behind the first ever mental health marathon, the Choristers donned the distinctive blue headbands along with their more regular dress of black cassocks and white surplices.

Whilst the opportunity to take part in the Heads Together campaign was a lot of fun for the boys, who are aged eight to 13, the message of good mental wellbeing is something which is taken very seriously by the Cathedral School at which they live and study.

Simon Larter-Evans, headmaster of St Paul's Cathedral School, said: "The Choristers of St Paul's are part of one of the world's most respected choirs and in many ways they are all highly trained, professional musicians. Alongside this they are all very normal children who go to school, play and have fun.

"The wellbeing of our Choristers - as well as all the children at the school - is of the utmost importance. High-profile campaigns like Heads Together really help remove any barriers to thinking about mental wellbeing so all the young people we teach and look after feel truly able to talk to us about anything which concerns or worries them. We fully agree with one of the mottos of Heads Together - it's 'ok to say'."

St Paul's joins a host of other London institutions and landmarks getting behind the campaign, including the London Eye, National Theatre, Battersea Power Station, Olympic Stadium and Madame Tussauds. And on the Marathon route around 70 post boxes will wear Heads Together headbands, to match the headbands which are being provided to all 39,000 runners.

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A television programme - Mind over Marathon - focusing on a number of runners being supported by Heads Together and featuring the Cambridges and Prince Harry will air on BBC1 on Thursday 20 April at 9pm.