A 23-year-old man from Skipton wants to encourage people to speak out about their mental health by standing in the middle of Leeds Railway Station with a sign explaining that "It's OK to talk".

Ben Ogden, a personal trainer, said that during the pandemic he realised that his mental health was deteriorating, but it wasn’t until he started making YouTube videos with his friend, Matt, that they both realised they were struggling.

He now wants to open up the conversation by letting people know that “it’s OK to talk.”

Ben said the pair knew they needed to “do something in public, a big gesture that can’t be missed,” so on World Mental Health Day, he stood in the middle of Leeds train station with a sign saying, “I get depressed sometimes, it’s OK to talk.”

Ben said: “I started struggling with my mental health and having some down days during the lockdowns, probably how a lot of people were feeling really, but when I started making some videos with Matt about pushing our physical and mental limits for my personal training YouTube Channel, we started talking about our personal experiences with mental health without even realising that both of us were feeling that way.”

“After we opened up to each other about it, we thought we need to spread the word because we thought two people who are so close to each other didn’t even know, we thought how many people suffering in silence are out there, so we thought what can we do to make a difference.”

He added that he has had a “crazy response” with strangers coming up to him sharing their “personal battles” and stories of themselves or family members struggling.

Ben said: “I was quite overwhelmed by the mass of people that were feeling the same or similar. I’ve got over 500 messages from people saying they struggle with their mental health as well, it’s a shame really. I just think we need to spread the word about it and make a difference and start making a change.”

Ben emphasised how men are often afraid to share their mental health battles because “men are told from a young age that we need to be strong and emotionless and it’s seen as a weakness but actually sharing that makes you a lot stronger.”

He added that anyone struggling should seek help from their friends, family, or a professional.

He said: “I’m no professional but at the end of the day, starting the conversation with family or friends is the first step, but if you don’t have anyone, seek a professional or someone who knows what they’re talking about.

“It’s that first step that a lot of people find really tricky, and that’s what I found really tricky but when that first step is done is a massive weight off your shoulders.”

Now Ben wants to start making YouTube content about mental health.

He added: “To know that we’re helping people is so much more fulfilling than anything else, the idea is we want to take “it’s okay to talk” globally and get people all around the world to open up about their mental health and create a bit of a movement.”