A YOUNG man from Darwen has told his story about how he overcame depression and anxiety to pursue his life’s passion, music.

Adam Peacock-Seddon, 20, like young people all over the country, was been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic, having lost his job in a local factory in March 2020.

Things took a turn from bad to worse when the young Darrener, who had already struggled with depression and anxiety in the past, then discovered he had to shield because of his immunosuppressant medication.

He said: “The pandemic has been hard because I couldn’t see any friends, family or my partner.

“I couldn’t even go out to exercise at first, so I was just in bed all day feeling depressed.

“In June and July it got worse, I was withdrawing from the world.

“I felt alone and wasn’t doing anything.”

Adam is far from alone in this, with a study by the Prince’s Trust finding that that one in five of 16- to 25-year-olds in the North West admit to feeling ‘unable to cope with life’ since the pandemic began, with 50 per cent saying their mental health has worsened.

Not only that, but young people who are not in education, employment or training have been hit even harder.

The report shows that almost a quarter of young people in the North West do not feel confident about their future work with 58 per cent saying that getting a new job feels impossible.

Prince’s Trust regional director at the North Clare Crabb said: “The pandemic has taken a devastating toll on young people’s mental health and wellbeing.

“They face a disrupted education, a shrinking jobs market and isolation from their friends and loved ones, and as a result, too many are losing all hope for the future.

“As ever, it is unemployed young people, and those with few qualifications and little confidence, who have an even more negative experience.”

However, help was at hand for Adam who had joined the Prince’s Trust Get Started with Music course in September the previous year, which gave him the opportunity to learn all about music.

He said: “Learning how to compose music was really interesting, and I still make and write music now.

“The Prince’s Trust believed in me and gave me the confidence I have today.”

The course was a lifeline to the talented young musician who was thrilled to receive a Prince’s Trust development award which funded a 12-week Arts Award course with MMT Music.

Now, even during the pandemic, the Trust has been there to help him.

Adam said: “Andy, a Prince’s Trust programme leader, still calls to check up on how I’m doing.

“He also lets me know if he sees any places with available jobs.

“It’s nice to have support from someone, even if I can’t go out looking for jobs at the moment.”

Adam’s ambition is to become a professional musician and hopes to form a band and play gigs once the crisis eventually subsides.

To any other young people facing similar problems, Adam believes that he is the perfect example of how things can get better.

He said: “Use this time for research, look at that you want to do, and the places you want to go when we can.

“The mental health side of this is extremely important.

He added: “I’ve got my electric drumkit, so when I’m feeling a bit off I jump on that for an hour.”

To find out more about the Prince’s Trust, go to: princes-trust.org.uk.