FORMER soccer star Malcolm MacDonald is backing a new card which could throw a lifeline to vulnerable young people.

The former Newcastle and England striker will be giving out mental health crisis cards to students in the Airport Lounge, in the Union Society, University of Newcastle upon Tyne, on World Mental Health Day.

He will be encouraging the young people to write either a positive or negative thought on a card, attach it to a balloon and then let it go.

Staff and service users from Newcastle, North Tyneside and Northumberland Mental Health NHS Trust and the voluntary sector will also be giving out cards and the trust's Newcastle Deliberate Self Harm Team will be on hand to offer expert advice.

The card has been developed by Newcastle-based advice group Streetwise and gives useful telephone numbers for organisations which can offer help.

Mr MacDonald said: "This card has useful numbers for young people who may be feeling just like that. And especially on World Mental Health Day, when we are all being encouraged to take care of our mental health, I'm delighted to be backing this campaign to make the card more widely available."

Student's Union welfare officer Cate Wilson said: "Students encounter a new environment when they come to university. We believe that supporting them from the very beginning eliminates many concerns and stresses."

Elsewhere in the region, an initiative has been launched in Sunderland to help tackle the stigma often associated with mental illness.

The Take A Stand Campaign brings together representatives of local agencies to challenge the myths around mental illness that can make people feel even more isolated.