Game of Thrones star Miltos Yerolemou, who played fencing master Syrio Forel in season 1, is using his sword fighting skills to raise money for a vital cause.
Remembered as Arya Stark’s (Maisie Williams) ‘dancing partner’ in the hit HBO show, the actor is conducting workshops – known as ‘Water Dancing’ lessons – that introduce the art of sword fighting while raising much-needed funds for UK mental health charity MIND.
Speaking exclusively to #ThroneWatch at a workshop with NI’s Brutal Ballet company, Miltos explained how the idea came about and why he is passionate about supporting the charity’s work.
Miltos said: “One of the things I realised I could do along with the Game of Thrones conventions was raise money, and the charity that is closest to my heart is MIND; one of the biggest providers of help and support to people suffering any form of mental health crisis.
“Mental health issues can strike in so many different ways, it doesn’t always have to be the things that we’ve heard about like depression, bipolar and schizophrenia. I learned that first hand because of someone close to me.”
The Star Wars and The Danish Girl actor explained the importance of charities like MIND when it comes to addressing the mental health crisis in the UK.
He said: “Sometimes a mental health crisis can be triggered by grief and by changes of circumstances, losing your job, all of those things can affect us. MIND provide telephone support and put people in touch with their counsellors. All these things can be very expensive and they can provide it for free most of the time, including the telephone support.
“The biggest thing MIND does right now is provide a forum to talk about mental health issues which of course is the most important thing. We are starting to understand that it’s something that can affect all of us in one way or another.
“Life isn’t a straight line, it’s not always the way you wanted it to be. Some people cope with things better than others and so this is really important.”
Attending a number of conventions since his role in Game of Thrones, including Con Of Thrones and Titancon, Miltos took the opportunity to start fund-raising for MIND and offering fans the chance to be real-life sword fighters along the way.
He recently came to Belfast to host a sword fighting workshop with Brutal Ballet, a unique Northern Ireland dance company that combines classical ballet techniques with metal music.
“I try and raise money every time I do conventions, I always take my little tins and I also do classes. This workshop that I’m doing here today with Brutal Ballet is to raise some money but also because they want to have the sword fighting class, and I thought I’d kill two birds with one stone. It’s very important and close to my heart.” he said.
Miltos also revealed his first hand experiences with mental ill health and how the NHS is failing service users.
He said: “I lived through it for two years and had paramedics and police officers telling me there is no where to go for help. Most of the call outs they get over the weekend are usually people in a mental health crisis and there’s nothing they can do sometimes except put them in a cell. That’s literally how things are at the moment.
“There is a crisis line that is supposed to be a 24/7 helpline but sometimes you have to wait for hours for someone to answer the phone, that’s how stretched the services are.”
Speaking on the current government’s allocation of funds when it comes to mental health, he fears things are only going to get worse: “It’s ridiculous. The more I hear the conservative government talking about what they’re doing for mental health the more I want to basically throw a television at Theresa May.
“A friend of mine couldn’t even see a psychiatrist or a doctor to get medicine prescribed to help her through her crisis because there was only one person on duty, they just didn’t have the time to see everyone.
“The other terrible thing is that people in a mental health crisis aren’t always the people who are asking for help, so its even more complicated. You need even more patience and even more resources because people are often not seeking help, they are doing the opposite.”
With several more workshops planned over the next few months, Miltos also recently teamed up with fellow previous Game of Thrones actors for Con of Thrones 2017 in Nashville, Tennessee, including Iwan Rheon (Ramsay Bolton) and Kerry Ingram (Shireen Baratheon).
To make a donation to MIND, go to www.mind.org.uk/get-involved/giving-to-mind/donate
www.brutalballet.co.uk
@miltosyerolemou
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