Mental health to take centre stage for Fia

The Viva La Fia concert, which will take place on Saturday, October 6, has been organised by the Fia Not Campaign, a mental health support group launched in memory of Sophia Theobald, who died last year.

It will feature performances from 10 local bands, including Victors, Shark Bait, Chloe Juliette Beswick and Louie James & The Last Cartel.

The Fia Not Campaign hope that the concert will become an annual event and help to fund the opening of a safe house for young people in crisis.

Sarah Burgan, a friend of Fia’s, has helped to organise the concert.

She said: “The bands are mostly pop, and it will be a very family-friendly event with a bar and a burger van.

“A lot of the bands involved themselves, they’re all volunteering their time for free because it’s such an important cause.”

Sophia Theobald, better known as Fia, was a model and aspiring mental health nurse. She had always been open about her struggles with anxiety and depression, using her position as a model to help challenge misconceptions of those with poor mental health.

In July last year, overwhelmed by her illness, Fia took her own life.

Her friends and family believe that she was failed by the current system and have one simple motto: “We will never stop fighting for Fia.”

Channelling their grief into supporting others, they want to raise £5,000 to support those struggling with poor mental health, including opening a safe house for young people in crisis.

Eventually, the Fia Not Campaign want to see their system in place on a national scale.

Viva La Fia will take place at Warehouse 23, Wakefield, on Saturday, October 6.

For tickets and more details, visit www.vivalafia.co.uk.