Throughout the weekend of 9 and 10 October Barton Square, invited our TraffordCity visitors to share their unique messages of hope and positivity, to support anyone experiencing mental health challenges.

To help mark World Mental Health Day on Sunday October 10th, we installed a special ‘positivity tree’ on the ground floor of Barton Square, where the public wrote hundreds of supportive messages and displayed them with coloured ribbons – creating a landmark to inspire and motivate others.

According to mental health charity Mind, 1 in 4 people will experience a mental health problem of some kind each year in England. Alongside our tree of hope, we’ll also be offering information and resources for anyone experiencing or sharing in mental health challenges.

The theme of World Mental Health Day 2021 is 'Mental Health in an Unequal World', highlighting the pressing need to focus on more than just physical health, in a world still combatting and recovering from the coronavirus pandemic.

Mark Whittaker, executive director of Peel L&P, owners of Barton Square, said: “After an immensely challenging 18 months for so many people, it’s more important than ever to offer support and inspiration to those struggling with personal challenges.

“Our ‘positivity tree’ was an unmissable reminder to all our visitors of all the hope and light in the world."