Coronation Street has been awarded an award for its handling of serious topics including mental health, rape and suicide.
Coronation Street has won a prestigious award following its handling of important topics such as mental health, portrayed in recent storylines such as the suicide of Aidan Connor and David Platt’s rape ordeal.
The Queen’s Representative and High Sheriff of Greater Manchester, Dr Robina Shah, presented the programme with a Certificate of Commendation in recognition of services to humanity through Coronation Street’s narrative of the lived experience of ordinary people living extraordinary lives, particularly around promoting issues of mental health, according to the Metro.
Dr Shah said: "As the High Sheriff of this wonderful County I have chosen to commend Coronation Street for this award. For almost 60 years, Coronation Street has served us well by creating and producing innovative story lines that powerfully reflect profound and often unspoken real life social issues that influence the dynamics of the society in which we live.
"Through the lens of Coronation Street cameras, viewers have learnt about the impact on individuals and on families experiencing personal trauma, social exclusion, domestic violence, drug addiction, sexual, physical and emotional abuse, the list goes on. In real life these challenging issues are often faced alone and in isolation, slowly eroding self-esteem and self-value, affecting mental health and overall wellbeing. ‘Coronation Street is not only a worthy recipient, but also most deserving of this award, for its role in promoting and raising awareness about sensitive social issues that affect many vulnerable members in our community. I am extremely pleased to honour and recognise the iconic and national treasure that is Coronation Street. Many congratulations indeed to all of you who work on the programme."
Receiving the award on behalf of cast and crew, producer Iain McLeod said: "It is a genuine honour and privilege to receive this commendation on behalf of everybody who works on the programme. We’ve always strived to tell important stories and sometimes within those stories we are in a fortunate position where we can help inform, educate and sometimes even lead change. Indeed, two of our recent storylines have had such a dramatic impact on our audience that our charity partners have seen a huge surge in people using their services. There is no doubt television drama can both alter and save lives and that will always be an immense source of pride for all of us.’ The prestigious High Sheriffs Certificate of Commendation is awarded to a very small number of individuals and organisations that are deserving of recognition. This is the first time it has ever been awarded to a television programme."
