Over the 12 Days of Christmas, we’ll be re-sharing our most watched videos from 2021 so you can look back on some of the year’s biggest stories.

Granada's 12th Day of Christmas: Ricky Hatton opens up about mental health

Anna Tandy says she used to have a busy social life, but when the coronavirus pandemic began she was no longer able to go out and fell into depression.

Can you help find the Good Samaritan who saved a Grandmother's life

Referrals to Salford's Early Intervention in Psychosis Team have doubled in the past year.

The road to recovery after psychosis

How to identify the condition and what help is available.

What are the signs and symptoms of Psychosis and how can it be treated?

Cases have soared since the start of the pandemic. Common signs include feeling exhausted, overloaded or detached from work

Are you on the brink of a burnout? 

A group of friends and football rivals will walk from Anfield to Old Trafford to highlight the 60 men who die by suicide every hour across the world.   

Football fans walk from Anfield to Old Trafford to highlight Mental Health 

We talk to Mike Palmer from 3 Dads Walking about his inspirational charity walk and his letter to the Prime Minister

From the North: What next for the Dad fighting for young suicide awareness?

Bonfire Night helps break up the winter gloom but for forces veterans like Richard Smith the sudden flashes and bangs can trigger extreme anxiety responses. 

Richard, 44, a former sergeant with the Coldstream Guards, from Frodsham, is campaigning for publicly organised fireworks displays with the support of his MP Mike Amesbury.

Richard, who served in Northern Ireland, Iraq and Afghanistan, says many ex-servicemen and women suffer with mental health problems such as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder because of their experience on the battlefield.

Richard, who signed up for the Army at 17, said: “Service people go to places where you would never wish to go and experience things you would never wish to experience.

“Kids used throw fireworks at us in Northern Ireland and in Iraq I was mortared and shot at.”

A First Aid trainer for St John Ambulance, he added: “If I‘m walking down the street with my wife Caz when a firework goes off, I’m likely to grab her and pull her behind a fence for her protection. The adrenalin kicks in and my head goes somewhere else.”

Since leaving in 2013, the father-of-three has lost eight of his comrades to suicide due to mental health issues.

He added: “It’s not just Bonfire Night but any kind of celebrations can involve fireworks; house parties, religious festivals and New Year’s Eve. As a veteran, you’ve got to get your head around that and it’s the ones we don’t know about that really affect us.”  

Richard would like to see organised events held within an agreed time frame to take away the element of surprise so veterans are not upset by unexpected bangs in the street or garden displays.

A Scout Leader at 4th Frodsham (Overton) Scout Group, he also believes public events would bring the community together, reduce accidents and injuries, take pressure off the emergency services and limit the amount of stress for pets.

On Monday, MPs will consider a petition signed by 301,610 people that calls for the sale and use of fireworks to be limited to displays only, by introducing licensing via local authorities.

Weaver Vale MP Mike Amesbury, who has long supported this aim, said: “Without being a killjoy we need to consider others and move more towards a system of organised celebrations.

“People tend to focus on the impact on pets and I have a dog myself. But as we approach Remembrance Sunday, let’s spare a thought for people like Richard, one of my constituents, who has served his country and actually his anxiety levels and health are affected by fireworks, which have become an all year-round phenomenon.”



Bonfire Night helps break up the winter gloom but for forces veterans like Richard Smith the sudden flashes and bangs can trigger extreme anxiety responses.

Ex-soldier warns of the impact of fireworks on Armed Forces veterans

The fathers have written to Boris Johnson asking for lessons on positive mental health and suicide prevention to be taught in schools.

Dads united by suicide urge PM for more support for young people

The actress donated £10,000 to '3 Dads Walking', who are hours away from completing a 300-mile trek in memory of their daughters.

Nicole Kidman donates £10,000 to dads' charity walk

Around 5,000 people died by suicide in England past year. With men three times more likely to take their own life than women.

Are you struggling with your mental health? You are not alone

Figures show that in the last decade the number of children in the North West being admitted to hospital for intentional self harm has almost tripled.

From the North: alarming stats show the region has highest child self-harm rate

The charity helping rebuild lives and providing a safe haven for people with mental health issues

How good quality housing can help people recovering from a mental health illness

Getting back into exercising after having a new baby can be a challenge for any parent, but one gym in Chorley has set out to change that. 

The baby workout classes giving new parents a much needed lift

Barrie Palfry from Haydock now volunteers to help other fathers with perinatal mental health issues.

Granada Mental Health

Latest Stories