Young Mental Health Champions Who Just Met Kate Middleton and Prince William Receive Diana Award

Simon Perry

The young mental health campaigners who met Prince William and Kate Middleton when the royal couple visited the north west of England last month are receiving an honor in the name of the late Princess Diana.

The group, from the We Will movement in Cumbria, are in London on Monday to receive a prestigious honor from the Diana Award.

The charity was established in Diana’s memory 20 years ago and has the support of her sons, William and Prince Harry, and it announced its latest honorees on July 1, the day that would have been Diana’s 58th birthday. She died following a car crash in Paris in 1997.

Now, less than a month since William and Kate met the group in Keswick, Cumbria, the We Will youngsters are being included in the list of deserving young people and feted at a special reception held at the House of Lords, Westminster, London.

Kensington Royal/Instagram
Kensington Royal/Instagram

The group from Cumbria clearly had an impact with William and Kate as one of their latest videos that they handed the royal parents was highlighted on the royal couple’s Kensington Palace’s social feeds later in the day. Earlier that day, an animated Kate had asked the mental health campaigners about the support they receive and the series of short films they make about breaking down barriers and listening to peers about mental health challenges.

 

“You can see it is a subject she is very passionate about. What came over was her energy and commitment and passion,” Billy Robinson, 18, told PEOPLE that day.

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Today The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge celebrated the work of local heroes, volunteers and those supporting the rural community in Cumbria. Among the people The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge met were members of the @WeWillcampaign, a group of young people aged 14-18 who want to create a new generation of Youth Mental Health First Aid trained people leading change. They have joined together to campaign for change in the way that youth mental health is dealt with in their schools, communities, families and wider social circles. Swipe to watch an excerpt from their film BOY, which asks people to have the courage to talk, and have the courage to listen. The Duke and Duchess met volunteers from the local mountain rescue service, community first responders, and organisations that have benefitted from grants from the Cumbria Community Foundation. Thank you to everyone in Keswick for the fantastic welcome to The Duke and Duchess! @CumbriaCC #Cumbria #Keswick #lakedistrict

A post shared by Kensington Palace (@kensingtonroyal) on Jun 11, 2019 at 10:24am PDT

Added Elspeth Dennison, “She was asking us about the support for young people in the area and what young people are talking about. It has always been a big issue in schools.”

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In the Diana Award citation revealed on Monday, the We Will group were praised for helping foster a greater understanding, support and provisions for youth mental health in their community. “After feeling that the issue of mental health has been overlooked and underfunded, particularly in their local community of Ewanrigg, the team have been engaging with local schools to raise awareness and facilitate student-led campaigns,” the award said.

“Their work has seen them liaising with professionals in the field, speaking with government officials in [London] and creating a beautiful and inspiring viral video addressing the importance of active listening. The group are using their voice to bring light to an important issue on a local and international level with an incredible ethos of drive, creativity and unequivocal ambition.”