Celebrities share messages to their younger selves in final All-Star Advent Calendar from Spark UK
Some of the UK’s biggest stars are joining forces once again with youth mental health charity Spark UK this Christmas to help inspire and support young people through the All- Star Advent Calendar. The online video campaign will share messages of hope, advice, and positivity throughout December.
Now in its fifth and final year, the wellbeing initiative has attracted an incredible line-up of famous faces, including the ever ‘Faithful’, Sir Stephen Fry, Actor and Comedian, Henry Rowley, and Award Winning Tenor, Alfie Boe all coming together to help ‘spark’ conversations about mental health.
This year’s theme, ‘A Message to My Younger Self’, invites each celebrity to share the advice, reflections, and encouragement they wish they could have given themselves growing up, creating a heartfelt and relatable collection of stories for young people across the country this Christmas.
Conor Warren, founder of Spark UK, said, “The All-Star Advent Calendar has been an amazing journey over the past five years. We’ve been so lucky to have so many incredible people support us, from Sir Stephen Fry and Dame Judi Dench to Bradley Walsh and Dame Emma Thompson, all helping young people to open up and have conversations about mental health. This final year feels really special, as we reflect on how far we’ve come and the legacy the calendar leaves behind. Seeing celebrities take to their own platforms to talk about mental health is exactly what we hoped for when we started, sparking conversations everywhere.”
Spark UK was founded in 2020 by Conor when he was just 14, with the mission to empower young people to talk openly about mental health and provide accessible resources to support them. The calendar was one of the first projects the team created which was an outstanding success. Now a registered charity, Spark UK runs three key projects:
Spark Schools – a digital wellness hub for educators, including video content, podcasts, and downloadable resources
Spark Youth – a new digital platform for 16–25 year olds, supported by National Lottery funding, offering mental health education and support
Sparkie & Friends – a children’s self-care series soon to be released as storybooks and an educational programme
Conor’s hard work has been recognised many times with awards including Coronation Champion, as part of the King’s Coronation celebrations, Prince of Wales Award and Rotary Young Citizen Award. From humble beginnings in North Devon to a national platform reaching hundreds of schools, Spark UK’s impact continues to grow, and the All-Star Advent Calendar remains one of its proudest achievements.
‘“It all started with a group of school friends in North Devon who were frustrated by the outdated advice and lack of mental health support available in schools,’ adds Conor. “We decided that instead of just talking about the problem, we’d try to change it, by creating our own mental health curriculum and sparking real conversations. We believe it’s vital to normalise mental health, especially for young people, because open conversations are what help break the stigma. We are immensely proud of what we’ve achieved so far and are excited by what the future holds for Spark UK in supporting youth mental health.”
The All Star Advent Calendar launches on 1 December and can be found at: