Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

Lucy Murphy on how we're helping kids stay mentally and physically fit this summer

09/07/2021

As schools across the UK begin to close their gates for summer, parents and carers will be looking forward to the holiday period.

The effects of the pandemic on adults have been well documented - the constant worry and concern for loved ones, the economic challenges and adapting to new ways of working, including home-schooling children. It's been hard for us all, however the impact on our children's mental health and wellbeing is equally concerning.

The national lockdowns stripped away all the routines in children's lives: going to school, playing with their friends, not seeing extended family and restricted after school activities and hobbies. When children needed reassurance and answers about what was happening the adults around them couldn't provide them. The consequence of this lack of day-to-day social interaction and ongoing uncertainty is becoming clear. Childline have reported a 16% increase in the number of mental health counselling sessions for children aged 11 and under. Save the Children found more than eight in 10 children reported an increase in negative feelings during the pandemic. Perhaps most worryingly, The Centre for Mental Health estimates an extra 1.5 million children and young people will require mental health support as a direct result of the pandemic over the next three to five years. These are long terms issues which, if ignored could cause real issues for a child's development and hold them back in later life.

At Sky, we recognise the impact the pandemic has had on everyone in the family unit. We believe through the power of our platforms and content, we can make a difference to children across the UK and help them navigate these challenging times by better understanding their mental health and wellbeing and giving families the opportunity to start important conversations. This week we announced a brand-new line up of shows coming to Sky Kids across the summer, including new commissions Clam Brain starring Frankie Bridge, formerly of the Saturdays, which will give kids tips to calm their minds and get their bodies active, as well as a second season of nature and mindfulness series, Dreamflight: Calming Stories, which feature exceptional natural history stories narrated by stars including Dame Julie Walters and Russell Tovey, perfect for families to wind down with and share a moment of closeness. We will also be launching some Fitness videos for our younger audience with short active dance videos featuring one of our top shows Paw Patrol, which are being made exclusively for Sky by Nick Jr.

We've also worked with the Government's Department for Education to develop a series of five films featuring their Youth Mental Health Ambassador, Dr Alex George. Sky Kids will run the films called What's on Your Mind? throughout the summer on our kids' news show FYI: For Your Info. Each segment will highlight the importance of physical and mental health for children. The series coincides with the Department for Education's efforts to raise awareness of mental health and wellbeing in schools across the UK, and is ahead of mental health being added to the national curriculum.

Sky connects millions of families to the entertainment, learning and factual shows they love. We're proud to be able to use the power of Sky Q and Sky Kids as a platform to help support the nations children with their mental health and wellbeing, in a safe and easy way, in the comfort of their own homes.

About Sky

Sky is Europe's leading media and entertainment company and is proud to be part of the Comcast group. Across six countries, we connect our 23.4 million customers to the best entertainment, sports, news and arts including our own award-winning original content.

Our technology, including the market leading Sky Q, connects people to everything they love - with entertainment from Sky TV, Netflix, Disney+, Amazon Prime Video and BBC iPlayer, and apps like Spotify, YouTube, BBC Sounds, Highbrow, Peloton, Fiit, and more, in one place, easy. Our streaming service NOW brings viewers all the enjoyment of Sky with the flexibility of a contract-free service. Through our new B2B broadband provider, Sky Connect, we offer superfast broadband with business-grade 4G back-up to small businesses in the UK.

Building on the success of Sky Originals like Chernobyl, Gangs of London and Brassic, we are doubling our investment in original content by 2024 through Sky Studios. Sky News provides impartial and trustworthy journalism for free, Sky Arts is the UK's only dedicated free-to-air arts channel making the arts accessible for everyone and Sky Sports, our leading sports broadcasting service, brings customers some of the biggest and best global sporting events from the Premier League to Formula 1 and everything in-between. Our new TV and movie studio, Sky Studios Elstree, which will open in 2022, is expected to create over 2,000 new jobs and generate an additional £3 billion of production investment in the UK over the first five years.

We believe that we can be a force for good in the communities in which we operate. We're committed to being Europe's first net zero carbon entertainment company by 2030 and we're proud to be a Principal Partner and Media Partner of COP26. We take pride in our approach to diversity and inclusion: we've been recognised by The Times and Stonewall for our commitment to diversity and we've set ambitious 2025 targets to continue to increase diversity and representation. We're also committed to investing £30million across our markets over three years to improve our approach to diversity and inclusion, and to tackle racial injustice.
LINK: https://www.skygroup.sky/en-gb/article/lucy-murphy-on-how-we-re-helpin...
See more stories from sky

Most recent headlines

18/12/2025

CES: NBCU Unveils New Cross-Platform Ad Tech Solutions, Capabilities

Share Share by: Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Pinterest Flipboard...

18/12/2025

2026 NAB Show Opens Registration, Unveils Major Program Enhancements

Share Share by: Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Pinterest Flipboard...

18/12/2025

YouTube Wins Global Rights to Stream the Oscars

Share Share by: Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Pinterest Flipboard...

18/12/2025

PGA TOUR Studios Teams up with SES for Hybrid Content Distribution

Long-term agreement includes the SES SCORE platform and hybrid distribution worldwide to deliver more than 5,000 hours of golf tournaments annually featuring th...

18/12/2025

Celebrating 100 Years of Public Broadcasting in Ireland in 2026

At 7.45pm on 1st January 1926, the precursor to RT , then 2RN, delivered the fledgling new Irish state's first public radio transmission. From those first c...

18/12/2025

Deck the Vaults: Fallout: New Vegas' Joins the Cloud This Holiday Season

Step out of the vault and into the future of gaming with Fallout: New Vegas streaming on GeForce NOW, just in time to celebrate the newest season of the hit Ama...

18/12/2025

The Movie Experience SLO Becomes First U.S. Exhibitor to Adopt Dolby Vision+Atmos Theatrical Solution

December 18 2025, 05:30 (PST) The Movie Experience SLO Becomes First U.S. Exhib...

17/12/2025

The EU Investigative Journalism Award 2025: bold reporting, regional impact, and rise in public-interest journalism

Investigative journalists across the Western Balkans and T rkiye continue to con...

17/12/2025

Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame Inducts 10 Industry Icons During Unforgettable Night

Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame Inducts 10 Industry Icons During Unforgettable ...

17/12/2025

ESPN to Debut MNF Playbook with Next Gen Stats, a New AI-Driven NFL Data-AltCast

ESPN to Debut MNF Playbook with Next Gen Stats, a New AI-Driven NFL Data-AltCastThe series, powered by Adrenaline TruPlay AI, launches Dec. 22 and runs through ...

17/12/2025

Inaugural Optum Golf Channel Games Debut Under the Lights' in Primetime on Golf Channel and USA Network

Inaugural Optum Golf Channel Games Debut Under the Lights' in Primetime on ...

17/12/2025

Ring In the New Year With New Playlists Mixed by Artists, and More Spotify Hacks

The right playlist is essential on New Year's Eve, building the energy as you get ready and keeping it high as you count down to midnight. This year, Spotif...

17/12/2025

Clear-Com's Arcadia Central Station Links Toledo Walleye and Mud Hens Venues with...

eds3_5_jq(document).ready(function($) { $(#eds_sliderM519).chameleonSlider_2_1({...

17/12/2025

Broadcast and Streaming Serve Up a Historic Month of TV in Nielsen's The Gauge

Audiences Watched Over 103 Billion Minutes of TV on Thanksgiving Day NFL Games ...

17/12/2025

EdgeBeam Wireless Makes Initial Sale, Expands Executive Team

Share Share by: Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Pinterest Flipboard...

17/12/2025

Warner Bros. Discovery Tells Shareholders to Reject Paramount Bid

Share Share by: Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Pinterest Flipboard...

17/12/2025

NDI, Zoom Collaborate on Seamless Connectivity

Share Share by: Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Pinterest Flipboard...

17/12/2025

Broadcasters Mark Momentous Year of Challenges Amid Viewing Fragmentation

Share Share by: Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Pinterest Flipboard...

17/12/2025

Tennessee Public Broadcaster to Trial AI Metadata

Share Share by: Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Pinterest Flipboard...

17/12/2025

Chyron Unveils New AXIS Maps

Share Share by: Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Pinterest Flipboard...

17/12/2025

Broadcast Solutions Group Acquires PMT Professional Motion Technology

Share Share by: Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Pinterest Flipboard...

17/12/2025

Study: U.S. Pay TV, Video Revenue to Total $190.7B in 2030

Share Share by: Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Pinterest Flipboard...

17/12/2025

Texas Attorney General Takes Aim at 5 TV Manufacturers

Share Share by: Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Pinterest Flipboard...

17/12/2025

DirecTV Wins Appeal in Retransmission Price-Fixing Suit

Share Share by: Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Pinterest Flipboard...

17/12/2025

E.W. Scripps Rejects Sinclair Takeover Bid

Share Share by: Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Pinterest Flipboard...

17/12/2025

KPop Demon Hunters Stars Visit Berklee for Weeklong Celebration

KPop Demon Hunters Stars Visit Berklee for Weeklong Celebration Andrew Choi and EJAE, who voiced the film's main characters and contributed to its soundtr...

17/12/2025

Dolby and LG Unveil a New Era of Home Audio With the World's First Soundbar Audio System Powered by Dolby Atmos FlexC...

December 17 2025, 17:00 (PST) Dolby and LG Unveil a New Era of Home Audio With ...

17/12/2025

Heated Rivalry will be coming to Sky and streaming service NOW on 10 January

Wednesday 17 December 2025 Heated Rivalry will be coming to Sky and streaming service NOW on 10 JanuaryTurn on cookies to view this content. Go to Privacy opti...

17/12/2025

Inside The Unseen World Of Indian Customs: Netflix Reveals The Brave Heroics Of The Customs Officers In Taskaree

Back to All News Inside The Unseen World Of Indian Customs: Netflix Reveals The...

17/12/2025

Netflix announces PAPARAZZI KING: the docu series coming to Netflix on January 9th

Back to All News Netflix announces PAPARAZZI KING: the docu series coming to Ne...

17/12/2025

Netflix Unveils First Look at 'Jo Nesbo's Detective Hole' Premiering on March 26, 2026

Back to All News Netflix Unveils First Look at Jo Nesbo's Detective Hole Pr...

17/12/2025

Netflix Welcomes Warner Bros. Discovery Board Recommendation

Back to All News Netflix Welcomes Warner Bros. Discovery Board Recommendation Business 17 December 2025 Global Link copied to clipboard After Careful Revi...

17/12/2025

RT announces appointment of Kathy Fox to role of Commissioning Editor, Documentaries and Features

RT has announced that Kathy Fox has been appointed Commissioning Editor with re...

17/12/2025

UC San Diego Lab Advances Generative AI Research With NVIDIA DGX B200 System

The Hao AI Lab research team at the University of California San Diego - at the forefront of pioneering AI model innovation - recently received an NVIDIA DGX B...

17/12/2025

Into the Omniverse: OpenUSD and NVIDIA Halos Accelerate Safety for Robotaxis, Physical AI Systems

Editor's note: This post is part of Into the Omniverse, a series focused on ...

17/12/2025

The Glitterball awaits: Dancing with the Stars unveils dance pairings for 2026

With the new season of Dancing with the Stars shimmering in the not-too-distant future this New Year, the celebrity and dancer pairings of the twelve couples ha...

16/12/2025

Stranger Things' Playlist Takeover Challenges Fans to Decode Clues and Unlock Exclusive Volume 2' Content

Hawkins has landed on Spotify, just in time for Stranger Things Season 5, Volume...

16/12/2025

Spotify and NAVER Bring Music Integrations and Premium Benefits to Korea

Wherever you are, your favorite music and audio content should go seamlessly with you. That's why Spotify has partnered with NAVER Corp, Korea's leading...

16/12/2025

Around the World With Spotify Wrapped: 2025 Fan Destinations You Had to See

2025 Wrapped arrived bigger and bolder than ever. This year's experience is designed to be ultra personal and shareable, with new features like Wrapped Part...

16/12/2025

L3Harris Delivers Most Powerful Thrusters for NASA's Lunar Gateway

Three 12-kilowatt Advanced Electric Propulsion System thrusters, supplied by L3Harris Technologies, form the core of Gateway's propulsion system. Pictured i...

16/12/2025

Palantir and L3Harris: Reindustrializing Defense Through AI-Powered Production

The challenge facing America's defense industrial base is not just about speed - its about rebuilding the foundation that makes speed possible. Our nations ...

16/12/2025

NFL Boosts Broadcast, Streaming Viewing Share in November

Share Share by: Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Pinterest Flipboard...

16/12/2025

Spanish Broadcaster Updates Playout With Pebble Solutions

SEVILLE, Spain Canal Sur, the public broadcasting service for Andalusia, Spain, has completed a total technology refresh based on Pebble's resilient, softwa...

16/12/2025

Telescript International Buys Prompter Software Company

NEW YORK Teleprompting hardware provider Telescript International has acquired all software code and intellectual property previously owned by Telescript West. ...

16/12/2025

Ookla: T-Mobile Is Fastest Fixed Wireless Access Provider

As cable operators face increased competition from 5G fixed wireless access providers, a new report from Ookla Research finds that T-Mobile is the FWA speed lea...

16/12/2025

Apple TV App for Android Now Supports Google Cast

Apple has announced a major upgrade to the Apple TV app for device owners outside the Apple ecosystem with news that the Apple TV app for Android now supports G...

16/12/2025

PT Telkom Satelit Indonesia and Space42 Explore Partnership to Extend 5G Direct-to-Device Services

Space42 grows Direct-to-Device partner ecosystem through a Memorandum of Underst...

16/12/2025

VEON Announces Release Date for Full Year and Fourth Quarter 2025 Results of Both VEON and Kyivstar

16 Dec 2025 VEON Announces Release Date for Full Year and Fourth Quarter 2025 R...

16/12/2025

VEON's Kyivstar Invests in Renewable Energy in Ukraine with Acquisition of Solar Power Company

16 Dec 2025 VEON's Kyivstar Invests in Renewable Energy in Ukraine with Acq...