XPLODE Magazine is benefitting from a £2,000 investment from Bolton health bosses to improve mental health awareness among young people in the borough.

The youth magazine, founded by Saeed Atcha, aged 21, is getting the funding as part of a £100,000 project being funded by Bolton Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) and led by Bolton Community and Voluntary Services (CVS).

The project, Thrive Alliance, is a partnership between voluntary sector groups in Bolton to provide preventative and low level mental health support for children and young people.

Xplode will be using the money for their own Thrive project, running until November, providing online toolkits, tips and stories for young people to improve their mental health.

Mr Atcha said there are also plans for a series of video where young people share their stories to reduce the stigma around mental health.

Founder, Saeed Atcha, said: “Far too many young lives are lost because of the stigma surrounding mental health and we must do all we can to support young people to talk openly.

"It's about these low level early interventions that can support emotional wellbeing. It's about these early interventions and little things, if everybody does a little so much can be achieved.”

Jo Higham, senior commissioning manager for Women and Children’s Services at Bolton CCG, said: “We are working with a range of partners to develop new and innovative ways to raise awareness and to support children and young people with their mental health and wellbeing.

“The Thrive Alliance is a excellent, collaborative effort between the voluntary sector partners who have joined together to support our ambition to improve the emotional resilience and wellbeing of our children and young people.”

Alliance partners include Bolton Lads and Girls Club, ZACs Youth Bar and Fort Alice.

Paul Griffiths, head of external funding and partnerships at Bolton Lads and Girls Club, said: "We've been a partner for a year now and have been running workshops to get that early conversation started around mental health.

"They've been positive, we have had young people a lot more willingly open up and talk about issues they have had and we have built really good relationships."