‘Childhood lasts a lifetime!’ That’s the message from Baroness Floella Benjamin, whose adapted memoir Coming To England plays Lighthouse this month.
Speaking to Chris Jarvis on BBC Radio Solent ahead of Children’s Mental Health Week, she said: “I’ve dedicated my life to children because I believe childhood lasts a lifetime and we need to focus on what’s best for children for the future to make sure they feel well balanced, they feel confident, they feel – importantly – loved. Because, if you’re loved you know, you can do anything in this world.”
Coming To England tells Floella’s own story of moving to England as a child in the 1960s. Aged just 10, she and her siblings left Trinidad and sailed alone to join their parents in England where they were subjected to racism and intolerance.
“[Coming to England] is all about navigating your life, facing adversity, and giving children hope… when people leave the theatre they’re gonna be joyful because it’s full of songs and music.
“When I see the show, I cry, because it’s all about emotions, it’s all about feeling, it’s all about rejection, it’s all about overcoming and having that resilience and that strength of having family love around you. And if you can have family love around you it’s great, but if you don’t, it’s up to people like you and me.”
Children’s Mental Health Week exists to empower, equip and give a voice to all children and young people in the UK. This year it is exploring the theme Know Yourself, Grow Yourself.
Find out more at Place2Be’s Children’s Mental Health Week – Official site
:: Coming To England plays Lighthouse from Thursday 13 to Saturday 15 February. Tickets available now at Coming To England – Lighthouse or call 01202 280000.
