This week I spoke to mental health and education manager at the YMCA Ryan Armes. Ryan came into the studio to chat to me about mental health in children and why he feels it is important to invest money and time into it.

The YMCA Trinity, which covers Cambridgeshire, is dedicated to helping eliminate the stigma around mental health and finding new ways to support children and young adults.

Ryan and his team are now offering a mental health app to students in schools to help tackle the long waiting lists for counselling and fill a void.

One in eight children in England is living with a mental health problem, according to an NHS report that shows an increase in conditions over the last decade.

The Thrive app offers schools additional support for young people 24/7 to prevent issues developing, identify when someone is in crisis, and offer self-management tools to those who need it.

Ryan said: "Teenage mental health issues are reaching crisis levels, and there simply isn't enough support for young people available.

However, if identified early enough, simple preventative strategies can be enough to prevent mental health issues escalating.

"The Thrive app is a clinically proven tool developed by mental health specialists. Results from April-June this year have identified many young people displaying signs of moderate to severe depression. Using the exercises and techniques within the app, 20 per cent of these students reported signs of recovery , whilst others sought external help."

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