Next Door But One and Our Time Charity team up again to raise awareness of parental mental illness

Following the impactful tour of How To Be A Kid in 2025, Next Door But One and Our Time Charity are collaborating on a new play to encourage conversations around mental health, identity and being a young carer. My Mad Mum is a fast-paced, fun and fearless collision of real friendships, messy families, and surviving the stuff no one warns you about as a teenager.

The production will be touring secondary schools in York and North Yorkshire from May, set to reach 3000 pupils with the relatable story of Andy and Harper: 

Everyone knows Andy. And everyone knows his mum. The looks. The whispers. The rumours that follow him everywhere. Andy is used to it - or at least, he pretends to be. When Harper, the new girl, arrives at school, things finally start to feel different. Finally, somebody gets him. But as their friendship gets real, their worlds crash into each other and the truth comes out. And once it’s out, there’s no taking it back. 

Poor parental mental illness and serious mental illness is an issue that affects 1 in 3 children in every UK classroom. Children who have a parent with a mental illness often face unique challenges at school and at home. The performance, with an accompanying workshop, aims to validate the experience of these young people, raise awareness of their lives for their peers, and equip teachers with this knowledge to better support their students.

Last year Next Door But One and Our Time Charity toured a similar provision into primary schools with proven outcomes that they are looking to build on: 91% of young audiences felt like the show helped them talk about their feelings, emotions and mental health, and 94% of young audiences said that the show helped them identify a trusted adult in their life they could go to when they needed help.

As part of the tour, there will also be two public performances at York Explore (13th and 14th May, at 5.30pm). Tickets can be booked below:

Our Time Charity is the only UK charity dedicated to this issue – based on 20 years of listening to families, they have shown that, although the impact of the mental illness of a parent can be long lasting, relatively small interventions can make a big difference, and change the course of a young person’s life.

Through family workshops, professional training, and projects to increase awareness and understanding of the issue, Our Time is ensuring that the adults in a child’s life are better equipped to recognise and support children.

Georgie Williams, Operations Director of Our Time Charity, said:

''At Our Time Charity, we know that when children are given the language, understanding and safe spaces to talk, it can be life-changing. This production brings those experiences out into the open in a way that feels real, relatable and accessible to young people. By combining powerful storytelling with practical support for schools, we are helping to ensure that no child feels alone.

We know that having just one adult that a child can safely talk to has a huge impact them. We give adults the tools to feel more confident to recognise and respond to children whose parent has a mental illness.''

Director of the production, Kate Veysey said:

“The schools we are touring to really recognise the challenge we are presenting, with many of them already having Young Carers Champions and some signing the Young Carers Covenant. As a company we really believe that theatre has the power to bring everybody into the same important conversation and provide the knowledge and confidence to enact real change.

We are delighted to continue our partnership with Our Time Charity as with their 20 years’ experience and resources we are able to continue encouraging vital social change in our communities.''

Media enquiries should be directed to office@ourtimecharity.org.uk

Photo credit: Next Door But One.