A COUNTYWIDE scheme hopes to support children in improving their mental health by encouraging them to think of themselves as superheroes – with the help of one.

St Margaret Mary Catholic Primary School in Carlisle has been encouraging children to give themselves a superhero persona as a way to improve their mental health while they are off school and in lockdown.

They are hoping to bring U Man – the social distancing superhero – to Carlisle as a way to give children the confidence to face their fears.

Luke Denny, head of the school, said: “He’ll come to the area to promote social distancing but also to walk the streets and engage with children in the community and the schools to counteract the growing mental health concerns.

“Our children, by the time they get back to school in September, will have been out of school for a long period of time, they might not be leaving the house any more.

“Schemes like U Man can hopefully give children a vehicle to raise aspirations, to raise confidence, and to realise that they themselves are heroes.”

Mr Denny asked Shaun Weatherhead, who is U Man, if he would be able to help out with the scheme.

Before he moved U Can Shine to Yorkshire, Shaun ran a competition to develop his own superhero persona which he then went into schools as to encourage children to develop their confidence and aspirations.

“U Can Shine was a scheme set-up by Shaun Weatherhead and he was working with various schools across the county to raise aspirations and confidence within children,” he said.

“He’s been working with children on mental health issues from this virus.

“He’s been going round to estates to promote them coming out and being safe out in the community whilst fundraising for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance.

“Shaun’s tagline is ‘not all heroes wear capes’ and this idea of looking at our children as heroes.”

They are hoping U Man can come into the area to work with local children in Carlisle, and perhaps elsewhere in the county, on their mental health.

To set the scene, the school has set-up a series of literacy projects that children from any school can take part in.

“The children had the literacy task of writing a comic book script, creating a shout-out of why U Man should be visiting Carlisle, and also a superhero fact file,” said Luke.

They develop their superhero persona as a way to tackle the issues that are worrying them.

“Children choose themselves a superhero name and talk about values and principles, what their powers are and what their feelings are about the virus and how it affecting them.

“It’s a way to address the elephant in the room of

mental health awareness because it is a problem that

everyone talks about but we can’t measure the impact of this.”

“The children need help but they also need celebrating and that is the purpose of U Man.”

It is open to children from all of Cumbria to take part.