Ben from Bridlington has told how music and the support of his family helped him to overcome a psychotic episode, while Alex from Beverley used his passion for water sports to change a life that had been held back because of mental health problems.
Both are featured in the documentary films, A Healthier Me and My Passion, which are to be premiered on World Mental Health Day on October 10.

The 12-minute films, which will be aired on the Community Channel, have been funded by the National Institute for Mental Health and are aimed at people with mental health problems, carers, the public and employers.

Through interviews with service users and professionals, the documentaries show the importance of having a role in life, either through an interest or through work. They also focus on the factors which help to protect mental well-being, from keeping active and eating well to seeking help and support when it is needed from friends and family.

A Healthier Me and My Passion will be showing on the Community Channel on Friday, October 10 at 8.30pm and 8.45pm. A DVD is being released on October 10 entitled Mind and Body: A Journey to Wellbeing.


Can mushrooms fight off cancer?

Following findings which revealed the cancer-fighting properties of white button mushrooms and their potential to slow breast cancer growth, researchers are planning to roll out clinical trials.

Professor Shiuan Chen, director of surgical research at City of Hope Hospital in California, aims to build on his initial work which discovered that compounds in mushrooms suppressed the effects of aromatase, an enzyme responsible for oestrogen conversion in the body. Blocking aromatase reduces oestrogen levels among post-menopausal women – important as 75 per cent of post-menopausal women with breast cancer have tumours that rely on oestrogen to grow.


Little Heroes net £11,000 boost

The launch event of the Little Heroes charity at the Hilton Hotel in Bradford, featured in Life&Style, raised £11,000 for children with leukaemia.

The charity was founded by Colin Nesbitt whose grandson is suffering a rare form of the blood cancer and aims to make life a easier for children under-going bone marrow transplants.

Log on to www.littleheroes.org.uk for information.