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³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Headroom is launching a tasty new nationwide project called Grub Club especially for students and universities– and ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Radio 1's Aled Haydn Jones (The Surgery, Chris Moyles) and celebrity chef Gizzi Erskine will be putting on their pinnies to launch food fests on campuses across the UK from today (Tuesday 27 October).

Food can affect your mood and Grub Club is about getting students together to cook, eat and socialise with each other as part of the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ's mental health and wellbeing campaign, Headroom.

More than 45 universities across the country have signed up to take part. From Cardiff to Coventry, Edinburgh to Exeter, students up and down the nation are all set to get cooking.

From opera singers to medical students to IT techies and mathematicians, their students unions are planning food events from picnics to food festivals.

Aled Haydn Jones is backing the campaign and journeying to Hull and Swansea Universities as they get their Grub Club activities underway.

He'll be getting involved in lots of food-based fun, from a farmers' market, chill-out tepee, bungee run and mashed potato sculpting, to a Hug-A-Housemate campaign.

Meanwhile, Gizzi Erskine will be visiting Southampton, Roehampton and Bath Universities where she will lead cookery demonstrations and judge Best Student Cook competitions alongside taste testing, a van-powered smoothie machine and fruit 'n' veg catwalk shows.

Gizzi Erskine said: "One of my big missions in life is to get young people to take food to heart by getting in the kitchen to get cooking – good food is good for body and soul.

"Cooking is not difficult – it's really easy to whip up healthy, hearty meals which you can share with your friends, if you just have a bit of simple know-how.

"And I'm a passionate believer that, if you have a healthy body, you can have a healthy mind!

"So I'm looking forward to getting down to Southampton to get my pinny on and get students tucking into Grub Club."

Grub's Up

Grub Club's big aim is to promote the positive relationship between a good diet and mental wellbeing to students across the UK.

Cooking and eating the right food not only fuels the body, it can help feed the mind.

Whether there is an essay to write, an exam to take or a hangover to shake off, the right kind of food can give the energy needed and keep stress levels down.

Meanwhile there are also huge social benefits to food as spending time with friends is also a great way to lift your mood.

So instead of junk food and ready meals for one, Grub Club is providing all the inspiration needed to enjoy a home cooked meal with friends – from invitation cards to recipe ideas.

Grub Club kits even provide the tea towel for the piles of washing up!

Headroom Executive Nina Bell explains: "The whole idea is driven by Headroom's partnership with the student unions.

"There was a big demand from student welfare officers to encourage interest in healthy eating and the relationship between diet and mental wellbeing.

"It's also becoming increasingly clear that students are one of the more vulnerable groups in terms of mental health problems.

"In a survey done by the Mental Health Foundation, clinically-measurable anxiety was recorded in large numbers of students and 12% of male and 15% of female students experienced clinical depression [compared with one in ten of the general population].

"So, Grub Club allows students to improve their understanding of the relationship between food and mood in an informal and fun way, as well as encouraging the social side – one of the key aspects to maintaining good mental wellbeing."

The on-campus campaign is supported by the Grub Club hub at bbc.co.uk/headroom.

The hub includes everything needed for a Grub Club event including recipes, tips on ingredients, basic kitchen equipment (including DIY ideas), cooking on a budget and hygiene (how not to poison your friends!). This is available to everyone.

Notes to Editors

Aled Haydn Jones

Aled presents ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Radio 1's flagship social awareness show, The Surgery (Sundays, 10.00pm-12midnight). He is also a producer on the Sony Award-winning Chris Moyles Show.

He started presenting The Surgery, which forms part of the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ's teen brand Switch in 2008. Alongside regular doctors and experts who give advice and help on a range of subjects such as sexuality, depression and addition, Aled takes calls from listeners and offers them guidance and support.

Aled has also fronted a number of Radio 1 social action campaigns such as Drug Awareness Week and the Alcohol Experiment.

Gizzi Erskine

Gizzi is a cook and TV presenter. She is best known for being one of the presenters of Channel 4's Cook Yourself Thin where she also co-wrote the accompanying book.

Her TV debut was in 2006 as contributing presenter on Sky One's Taste. After finishing a full diploma course at Leith's School of Food and Wine in 2003 she went on to win a placement at ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Good Food magazine, where she started to establish herself as a food writer and stylist.

After more than four years in the industry, Gizzi's clients have included Company, Marie Claire, Elle USA, Arena, FHM, In Style, Grazia, First magazine, UK food magazines and many more.

Some facts and figures about students and mental health

63% of universities report an increase in psychological distress among students (Association of University and College Counselling)

• In a survey done by the Mental Health Foundation, clinically-measurable anxiety was recorded in large numbers of students and 12% of male and 15% of female students experienced clinical depression (compared with one in ten of the general population)
• Schizophrenia is the most common form of severe mental illness, with the first episode typically occurring between the ages of 18 and 30 years and usually induced by stress (IRISS Project)
• Manic depression commonly begins between the ages of 16 and 25 years, with one in every 100 people being diagnosed as suffering from this illness (Manic Depression Fellowship)
• The largest group of males who attempt suicide are aged between 20 and 24. Suicide, second to accidents, is the largest cause of death in 15 to 24-year-old men. 56% of young men who attempt suicide have employment or study problems (The Samaritans)
• One in every 500 women between the ages of 15 and 25 will require extensive treatment for anorexia. Incidence of anorexia has been linked with high academic achievement (Eating Disorders Association)

³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Headroom

³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Headroom is a cross-platform campaign from ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Learning to encourage people to look after their mental health and wellbeing. Headroom's main aim is to raise awareness of simple steps that people can take to help look after their own mental health and improve their lives. Be it exam stress, relationship headaches, insomnia, anxiety or depression, Headroom provides on-going support and information, as well as offering individuals the chance to share their experiences in a safe environment.

As well as its extensive online offering, the Headroom team take their practical advice on a tour in the Headroom Tent and undertake grassroots projects with local organisations such as libraries and universities. There is also be a range of on-air programming across ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ TV and radio, creating bespoke programmes or integrated contributions to ongoing series, both factual and drama .

FW