Sir Anthony Seldon, Vice-Chancellor of The University of Buckingham and one of Britain’s leading contemporary historians, educationalists, commentators and political authors, is now supporting the mental health charity Buckinghamshire Mind as Patron.

“Helping to promote better mental health is of paramount importance to me,” says Sir Anthony Seldon. “More people than ever are suffering from mental health problems, with levels of anxiety and depression in young people having reached crisis point, so it’s an issue that I feel very strongly about. I believe that urgently improving the mental wellbeing of our young people is currently the most pressing mental health issue. It is vital that we stem the tide by teaching skills such as resilience and leadership, which will help to stop problems from arising in the first place.”

Sir Anthony Seldon was a ‘transformative Head’ for 20 years, first of Brighton College and then Wellington College, where he introduced mindfulness and wellbeing sessions for the students. The University of Buckingham, for which Sir Anthony Seldon is Vice-Chancellor, has become the UK’s first Positive University, where the emphasis is on the holistic approach to education and ensuring that students are supported to enable them to flourish as individuals as well as academically.

Sir Anthony Seldon is in contact with schools and key local stakeholders in order to pass on his own and the University of Buckingham’s expertise in relation to a proactive approach to improving the wellbeing of young people. He is offering advice on setting-up mindfulness sessions and other schemes to help with young people’s welfare and has given talks to a number of local groups and schools.

“I am delighted to welcome Sir Anthony Seldon to Buckinghamshire Mind on behalf of our board of trustees, staff, volunteers and service users,” says Andrea McCubbin, Chief Executive of Buckinghamshire Mind. “We really appreciate having the support of such an authoritative and influential figure who sees good mental health as a key priority.”

Sir Anthony Seldon is author of over 40 books on contemporary history, including the inside books on the last four Prime Ministers, and was the co-founder and first Director of the Institute for Contemporary British History. He is also co-founder of Action for Happiness, Chair of the Comment Awards, a Director of The Royal Shakespeare Company and the President of IPEN (the International Positive Education Network).

Buckinghamshire Mind provides high quality community based mental health services across the county. These include counselling for adults and young people, befriending, employment support, wellbeing and recovery groups, peer support in schools and in the community, older adults’ services, Prevention Matters and outreach services.