Nathan Potter, 23, is using his own experiences through his project, Mental Health Matters, to help others
A 23-year-old who was once “an absolute headache to the community” is now leading a growing movement to support young people struggling with their mental health. Nathan Potter, from Huyton, has spoken openly about a childhood impacted by trauma, run-ins with the police and deteriorating mental health.
At just seven years old, Nathan was the victim of an attempted abduction. He said he struggled to process what had happened at such a young age, with the traumatic incident being the beginning a “dark path” that eventually led to care placements and time spent behind bars.
He is now using his own experiences through his project, Mental Health Matters, to help others avoid the same path.
Nathan told the ECHO: “I’ve struggled with my mental health ever since I was a kid. I always felt misunderstood. I knew I had a purpose but I didn’t know what it was.
“I had a screw loose; I was lost. I was running around with the wrong crowd, constantly running away from home.”
Nathan was placed in care at 14 but said his behaviour became so challenging he was eventually sent back home. By 15, he had been arrested for assault and sent to a secure unit in Milton Keynes.
He said: “I was in there with people who had done a lot worse crimes than me. I didn’t need locking up, I just needed help, but there was none available.”
Diagnosed with ADHD and emotional dysregulation disorder, Nathan attended 12 different schools and describes himself at the time as “lost”. He said a lack of safe spaces for young people in Huyton only compounded the problem.
“There was nothing but a few youth clubs, and there’s even less of them now. At the youth club you just play pool and if you get in trouble, you get barred for a few weeks. That’s not what I needed. I needed a place to go where someone understood me, someone to talk to.”
At 16, Nathan was involved in a serious motorbike crash. He broke both arms, snapped ligaments in his neck and required metal plates in his arms.
He said: “I thought I was big on a superbike but I crashed it. After that I couldn’t do any heavy lifting, so I struggled to hold down a job. My mental health hit the roof and I was at the age where I didn’t feel like I could reach out for help.”
Feeling stuck in a cycle and surrounded by the “wrong crowd”, Nathan decided to step outside his comfort zone and post a video on TikTok opening up about his struggles. He invited others in the community to join him for informal “walks and talks”.
The video quickly gained 50,000 views and attracted a large following. From there, messages began flooding in, and Nathan realised the scope of the mental health crisis.
He said: “I was getting unbelievable messages off the back of it. I had kids posting similar videos and telling me it was because of me that they decided to stay here.
“I’ve had inboxes off mums and dads saying they love what I do for their kids. I’ve had messages off grown men and women saying it’s helping them too.”
Nathan said the impact has been life-changing, for himself as well as others.
“Six months ago, I was nine stone, I was in all the time, depressed. If I was going out, I’d see the same faces every day. I wasn’t involved with my family much because of my mental health.
“Now, I’ve built my relationships with my family back up. I’ve put weight on and I’m the best version of myself.”
Keen to build on the momentum, Nathan approached Knowsley Council for support.
He said: “I went in as myself, just in my tracksuit. I told them who I used to be and who I am now. They were fully behind me. They told me there’s no one around my age who’s done this and they wanted to be a part of it.”
To demonstrate community backing, Nathan organised a charity football match in Huyton. Although the pitch was waterlogged and the game had to be called off, more than 30 people still turned up, sharing coffee and conversation instead.
After noticing how many young people were expressing their emotions through music on social media, Nathan contacted Anarchy Studio, located on Long Lane, to arrange recording sessions. A follow-up TikTok post brought “three pages full” of young people keen to take part.
Local rapper Skinn attended one of the sessions, helping teenagers learn how to write and record their own tracks.
Everything so far has been funded out of Nathan’s own pocket, using money from work and Universal Credit.
He added: “All my effort is going into this. I’ve dropped everything to build this community.”
One of Nathan’s projects, called Hoods Down, aims to break down stigma around mental health, particularly among young men.
Nathan said: “The main people coming to me are young lads. They look at me as a scally, a kid who still wears a tracksuit, a kid who’s not lying. I’ve been there, I’ve done what they’re doing, but I’ve dropped the ego.
“I live in Huyton. Everyone knows it’s a warzone round here. I walk round every day and I just see kids that are lost.”
On Saturday, February 28, Nathan and his supporters climbed Snowdon to raise money for the project. Nathan’s longer-term ambition is to work in schools, educating children about mental health and providing the kind of understanding he said wasn’t available to him.
He is now applying for his project to become a Community Interest Company (CIC) in the hope of securing funding, including from the National Lottery.
When asked what his message to anyone struggling would be, he said: “Reach out. If you’ve got a dream, a vision or a purpose, don’t care what anyone thinks. Listen to yourself and chase that dream.
“If there’s anyone who needs help, I’ll help you in the best way I can.”
A Knowsley Council spokesperson said: “It’s great to hear about Nathan’s project and how he wants to offer support to others in the Borough, particularly young people, around mental health issues. We will try and support Nathan in whatever way we can.
“We have already met with him about his Mental Health Matters project, offering support around event organisation and management as well as providing support with capacity building which includes developing strengths, processes and resources.
“We have another meeting arranged with Nathan on March 10 to provide further support to progress his project.”
Anyone interested in Nathan’s projects can find out more on his TikTok page here.
Ensure our latest news and what’s on headlines always appear at the top of your Google search by making us a preferred source. Click here to activate or add us as a preferred source in your Google search settings.
