A music-inspired emotional wellbeing project has been awarded official charity status.
The Happy Place Workshop, founded by Scottish brothers Stevie and Alan Jukes of the band Saint PHNX, has officially been granted charitable status by the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR).
The project began after the brothers lost their father, Bert, and released their song Happy Place.
(Image: Supplied)
Stevie said: “Our Dad Bert has inspired everything Alan and I do, who we are, the way we do things and our values.
“Happy Place was written in a dark time when our Dad was really ill.
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“Towards the end of his life he loved to look out to the rolling Lanarkshire hills around Tinto.
“He was in his happy place.
“We released the song after he had passed away and spoke about our loss and our grief in interviews.”
Following the release of the song, the brothers began speaking publicly about their grief, which resonated with listeners.
A school invited them to share their story with pupils, and the positive response led to the creation of the Happy Place Workshop.
Alan said: “We pulled together a workshop and the response was incredible.
“We have improved and adapted over the last two years, but the basis of our sessions with schools is still rooted in our very first workshop.
“We have received incredible feedback from teachers, pupils and their families.”
The workshops use music and storytelling to help young people explore emotions, loss, resilience, and hope.
So far, they have delivered 193 workshops, reaching more than 11,000 children across Scotland.
Stevie said: “Our mission is to engage, educate and empower.
“Achieving charitable status gives us the foundation to expand our reach and deepen our impact.
“We’ve heard that children who have lost loved ones have opened up and engaged for the first time in months after attending our workshop.
“Also, other kids who maybe didn’t know how to talk about grief with their friends and fellow pupils, are now talking.
“We’ve made a difference and with charitable status, we now want to do more.”
Alan said: “It started with one song.
“Now, we’re building something that will support the emotional wellbeing of children across Scotland for years to come.
“That’s a legacy our Dad would be proud of.”
Now a registered charity, the Happy Place Workshop plans to expand its reach, build new partnerships and bring its workshops to more schools and communities.
The organisation is now seeking partners to help further its mission of supporting children’s emotional wellbeing and encouraging conversations about mental health.
To learn more or offer support, go to https://happyplaceworkshop.co.uk/.
