Darcy Kelly (21), has been making a name for herself on both the Island’s and national airwaves, and is hoping to use her platform to inform discussions around mental health.
‘I’ve had issues with my mental health and it’s so important to talk about it. I want to make sure that all the work I’m doing is stuff that I can relate to and that I can make sure people understand that I’m not being fake in any way. I’d never do anything that I didn’t believe in,’ Ms Kelly said.
She is one of those who tell their own stories as part of the ‘Together we’re here for you’ campaign which addresses Islanders of all ages.
In three years, the former Les Quennevais and Hautlieu student has gone from applying for a programme assistant’s job at Channel 103 to securing the chance to present for BBC Radio 1 in December during their Christmas programming. She impressed Radio 1 bosses enough to be invited back again later this year.
‘I felt like I was dreaming the whole way through it. I thought this isn’t real,’ she said. ‘It was a massive dream come true and I was really proud of myself. I recently got a call from Aled [Haydn Jones], head of Radio 1, to say he wanted me to come back.
‘Eight presenters have been chosen to fill slots on a Friday and I am on in July. I get 5 to 6.30 in the morning, pretty early in the morning but every Friday in July I’m on Radio 1. It sounds surreal to say but it’s a dream come true because it’s a step in the right direction – the dream is national radio one day.’
In Jersey, Ms Kelly has been using her success to help spread key messages to younger Islanders. She helped in a video promotion of the importance of the government’s coronavirus restrictions, and she has also helped publicise the relevance of climate change.
But she was particularly pleased to be able to add her voice to the government’s campaign to promote good mental health, unveiled earlier this week.
‘The campaign is basically to make people more aware of breaking down the stigma that is attached to mental health, realising that you can talk about your feelings and it’s OK not to be OK. It’s OK to have bad days,’ she explained.
- Darcy Kelly is the subject of the Saturday interview on pages 12 and 13.
