Martin Roberts is one of the UK’s most respected property, travel and lifestyle TV presenters and journalists. Away from television, Martin Roberts is also an established children’s book author and runs The Martin Roberts Foundation, a charity which supports carefully selected educational and wellbeing initiatives for children and young people. His latest project will see him distribute special teaching copies of his book ‘Sadsville’ to every primary school in the UK and 4,000 public libraries. We caught up with him to find out how his book can help improve children’s resilience and mental wellbeing.
Martin Roberts and his book Sadsville
Please tell us about your new book Sadsville.
Sadsville is a silly, whimsical illustrated children's book that gets kids thinking about emotions and especially sadness in a fun way. I wrote it to help with children’s mental wellbeing and to support the NSPCC and their ChildLine service. It encourages conversations around mental health but most importantly is just a great story for kids to enjoy. But the self help guide at the back gives of the book guides them in ways to improve their own situation and also who to reach out to for support if they need it.
This is the newest title in The Villes series of books so can you tell us what inspired you to write these stories for children?
I used to work with a sound recordist on Homes under the Hammer many years ago, and he would sometimes say “Oh I'm hungrier than the hungriest person at HungryVille,” or “I'm hotter than the hottest person in Hotsville.” It always made me laugh and I loved the idea of these lands where something wasn't quite right. And so the Villes were born. In WindyVille it's always windy and in Boredsville everyone's always bored - but there's always a silly whimsical reason why. But it takes an outsider, in this case the hero of the books, Herman, to take a helicopter view of the situation and help the locals solve what's causing the problem. The reason is, of course, always totally off the scale bonkers! The books encourage children to Think outside the box, and they have great fun trying to figure out what's causing the problem before Herman does.
Please tell us about the Martin Roberts Foundation and why you decided to set it up.
I've always been a strong supporter of children’s charities, especially the NSPCC. My mum used to volunteer for them so I grew up helping her. As a celebrity I've done numerous charity auctions for them but wanted to do more. I thought that a book that in a light hearted but clever way guided children to the support of Childline would be a great thing. However I wanted the project to be self funding so it didn't draw on NSPCC funds. It therefore made sense to set up The Martin Roberts foundation and at the same time widen our remit to “Education and safeguarding initiatives for children and young people”. It's first fundraising challenge is to try and raise enough money to give a free copy of Sadsville to every single Year 4 (8 and 9 year old) child in the UK . That’s the age range which the NSPCC want to target so they can head off problems before they manifest themselves, rather than picking up the pieces afterwards. We started raising money to distribute the books to individual children and so far have given out around 35,000 copies. However with the onset of lockdown I realised I needed to do something really quickly. I decided to get at least a couple of copies of a specially written ‘Teaching Version’ of Sadsville- which includes teaching resources like a Lesson plan and assembly guide- into every single primary school in the UK. I wanted it to provide a basis for teachers to have a lesson looking at sadness and emotions, and to perhaps highlight particular children who may need more help than others- either coping with the current situation or just generally getting through their childhood happily.
In what ways has lockdown affected children's mental health?
Reports from Oxford University and the NSPCC both indicate that primary school aged children have suffered worse then others as a result of lockdown. I guess it makes sense as they haven't had the life experience to be able to balance recent events against what we have all previously considered normality. Calls to the NSPCC have risen dramatically and anecdotal evidence from teachers and care workers backs this up. In the worst case it is affecting children’s attention skills, retention ability, self confidence and anxiety. In general children are really resilient, but it's important to make sure those who are struggling are identified and helped.
After the first run of the book, the data showed that there was over 70% improvement in the children's coping strategies, so how does it feel to have made such a difference to these kid's lives?
We sent a survey to schools before we distributed Sadsville to pupils in Hampshire, and we compared this with another survey which we sent after the book had been delivered. I was most proud of the fact that when we asked the children “Do you feel better able to cope with sadness as a result of reading Sadsville?” over 70% said they did! Reading this figure was one of the best days of my life. The figures also showed that their knowledge of how to contact ChildLine had doubled, and in addition the feedback from the teachers and children on the book in general was really positive.
We all know you best from Homes Under the Hammer so when did you decide to turn you hand to children's stories?
I've written two property books- which take people on a journey from no knowledge to being a professional property investor. However they're all about facts and figures and real world stuff. When I started writing the first Villes book it felt like I had been set free and my imagination could take over. Anything is possible when you're writing fiction. An umbrella can turn into a bunch of flowers or a bus can magically fly. And I love that creativity. Writing for children seemed to come very easy, partly because at my heart I think I'm still a big kid!
Although the books are aimed at children, can adults benefit from reading along with their little ones?
In this day and age of tablets and electronic gizmos I still think there is nothing quite as important as reading to children. It's a chance to bond with them, but also release your inner child and thespian. Although The Villes is written for children I did include lots of references and storyline's that adults will really enjoy, and I hope that the beautiful illustrations give joy to all ages.
What are your top tips for writing for children?
The more farcical, messy, potentially disastrous, funny and almost relatable the story can be, the better. I've heard that children read books that are meant for kids a few years older than them, so I don't think you should underestimate the intelligence or the imagination of the reader. Also, the pace of the writing can be as quick as you can manage.
How did you spend lockdown and how did it affect your filming schedule for the show?
Filming on Homes under the Hammer stopped at the start of lockdown and we haven't really re-commenced to a great degree. However we did film lots of properties just before lockdown and those are now coming to fruition, so they won’t be an immediate shortage of new shows. However I found I couldn't stop filming- so I got round to something that's been on the cards for ages- I started my own YouTube channel called Martin Roberts Property Titbits which has lots of property advice and also DIY suggestions and ‘How To’ videos for both adults and young people. It’s been an incredible amount of hard work but I’m proud of what we have created. As well as that I've been working on taking my Property Training courses online so we can deliver them remotely, and also writing a few more in The Villes series. I can let you into a secret that in true Alfred Hitchcock fashion I make an appearance as myself in one of the upcoming books.
What is next for you?
Hopefully it won't be too long before filming on Homes under the Hammer gets back into full swing. Obviously I'm going to carry on with the Sadsville project and my dream of providing a copy of the book to every single 8 & 9 year old in the country. I'm going to develop the online training courses further and hopefully there will be some additional TV opportunities that come my way. One thing I did do recently was take part in Celebrity Mastermind. I can't tell you how I got on as it won't be shown until Christmas, but suffice to say I did better than the last time I appeared on the show - when I came last!
RELATED: Finding inspiration for your children’s book - Top tips from an author
I write for children, so I read lots and lots of children’s books. However, I also continue to read fiction and nonfiction for adults. Inspiration for your children’s book can be drawn from anything you might read. And the bonus - reading inherently makes for better writing. So, grab a book and get reading... to read more click HERE
