Birmingham's iconic Bullring Bull removed for Mental Health Awareness Week
Birmingham's iconic Bull statue has been removed from public view to encourage people to talk about mental health.
For the first time in almost 20 years, the statue, in the city's Bullring, will be out of public view as part of a Mental Health Awareness Week campaign.
Charities and health bosses, including the local NHS and Birmingham Mind, said the Bullring is encouraging people to be open about their mental health state with "no bull".
The statue will be in a box signposting people to places to find support.
A wellbeing drop-in hub will also be set up in the Bullring, run by Birmingham Mind, NHS Birmingham and Solihull and Living Well UK.
It will be open in the former Gap unit from 10am to 4pm from Monday to Friday May 14, where people can drop in and talk to experts about help and advice.
"The purpose of covering up the bull is to illuminate that we want people to be doing the opposite when it comes to their mental health problems", says Marc Clegg who is a therapist with Forward Thinking Birmingham.
"We know that one in four people suffer from mental health problems and we assume that is an underestimation" he explains.
"What we're trying to do is to get people from all different backgrounds here in Birmingham to step forward and talk about their mental health - no matter how big or small the problem is."
Ruth Coats is the deputy director at Birmingham Mind.
"Quite controversially we have covered the bull", she explains, "and actually the impact of that has been more than I thought."
"It's basically saying, look, we don't want to cover the bull so don't cover up your mental health. It's trying to encourage people to talk to their friends, talk to their families, talk to their loved ones, talk to us on our helpline about what it's like and what they're feeling and try and reach out for help."
"We're trying to destigmatise" she adds.
"At the moment it's really important - we've had shocks through covid and lockdown, then we've gone into a cost of living crisis, there's the war in Ukraine, at the moment it feels like we're being dealt blow after blow after blow".
"Actually now, one of the things Covid has done is make people realise that mental health is really there for everybody, any walk of life, we need to talk about it and if younger people start talking about it then maybe that will encourage older people to start talking about it."
Helen Wadley, from Birmingham Mind, said: "For anyone who wants to talk about the challenges they are facing, be assured that our team is friendly, supportive, and they want to hear from you.
"There is help out there, and most importantly, it is free, accessible, and available to you today."
Lisa Stalley-Green, deputy chief executive and chief nursing officer of NHS Birmingham and Solihull, added: "We can all have struggles with our mental health.
"Just like with our physical health, we can benefit from taking the time to care for our wellbeing.
"One of the best things we can do is to share how we are feeling."
"No matter what we are going through, talking to those around us - whether that's a friend, family member or colleague - can really help to improve our mental health during difficult times."
The Bull will be covered from Monday May 9 and will return on May 16.
For mental health support and advice:
For more advice and support click here