A PAIR who are stepping on stage for Strictly Worcestershire have spoken out on what inspired them to sign up to the charity dance competition.

“For us, it was never about the dancing,” says contestants Stuart Wilkes and Jessica Antley, “which is an odd thing to say when we are only a couple of weeks away from dancing on stage for 800 people. It was always about raising awareness for mental health charities.”

Mr Wilkes and Mrs Antley are raising funds for Samaritans in Worcester following Mr Wilkes volunteering at the charity since 2015. Mr Wilkes has seen first-hand how talking about difficulties that people are going through can be the first step to recovery and aid mental wellbeing.

Mr Wilkes said: “When Jess texted me one night back in August asking if I’d become her dance partner I was initially sceptical but subsequently learning that it could be a platform to help the Samaritans branch that I work with then I had to agree.”

The Samaritans in Worcester helped over 22,000 individuals in 2018 and they have seen a 30 per cent increase in the need for their services in the last 12 months. They have been supporting individuals in Worcestershire since 1963.

Mrs Antley said: “The parallels between learning to dance and dealing with mental health issues become apparent to us both during the last six months since we started this journey. Initially, you don’t know what to do, then you get a bit of guidance that provides a path forward. Then with practice, patience, time and support you can progress, increasing in confidence and awareness of what you can and in some cases, can’t achieve. The key is to keep going, bit by bit, pick yourself up when you fall, and just keep going - essentially take it one step at a time.

"We all have difficult times in our lives, and we have to develop our own coping mechanisms to get through. The key is to start talking about them and that’s where the wonderful work that the Samaritans do comes into its own."

Strictly Worcestershire, organised by Worcestershire Ambassadors, takes place on May 23 at the Chateau Impney, in Droitwich.

The pair are accepting donations towards Worcester Samaritans through their JustGiving page.

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