0:00:02 > 0:00:06"To you, this is a little note to remind you how absolutely incredible
0:00:06 > 0:00:09"you are on the days that you forget."
0:00:09 > 0:00:13"You are strong, so loved and in the safest hands."
0:00:15 > 0:00:16"Try and believe in that wonder of yours.
0:00:16 > 0:00:20"It's an asset to so many peoples lives."
0:00:20 > 0:00:22- Thinking of you...- Jodi.
0:00:25 > 0:00:29Jodi Ann Bickley changes lives by doing something very simple,
0:00:29 > 0:00:30but very unusual -
0:00:30 > 0:00:34writing letters to complete strangers.
0:00:34 > 0:00:37And she's not going to stop until she's written a million.
0:00:38 > 0:00:41Yeah, it seems like a lot, but I've got a lifetime.
0:00:42 > 0:00:43I've never met Jodi,
0:00:43 > 0:00:46but then most of the people that she writes to have
0:00:46 > 0:00:47never met her either.
0:00:47 > 0:00:50But with letters just like this one she's changing
0:00:50 > 0:00:53people's lives all over the world.
0:00:53 > 0:00:58I wish that she realised how much of an impact she had on people's lives.
0:00:58 > 0:01:00She has no idea who we are.
0:01:00 > 0:01:03And she still takes time out of her days saying, "You know what,
0:01:03 > 0:01:05"this person needs motivation? I'm going to do it for him."
0:01:08 > 0:01:12So just what is it that motivates somebody to write a million letters
0:01:12 > 0:01:14to people she's never met before?
0:01:15 > 0:01:18You just didn't want Daddy to feed you!
0:01:18 > 0:01:23We all have our different ways of getting things across and I think
0:01:23 > 0:01:26that everybody should know that they are enough and that they're loved.
0:01:34 > 0:01:37A few years ago, Jodi set up a project which she called
0:01:37 > 0:01:40One Million Lovely Letters. On her website she's written,
0:01:40 > 0:01:44"So this is a call-out to every other person on the planet.
0:01:44 > 0:01:46"I'm going to write you a letter,
0:01:46 > 0:01:48"a letter just to make the day a bit better,
0:01:48 > 0:01:51"or to remind you of the amazing stuff about you
0:01:51 > 0:01:54"that you've forgotten, because we all forget once in a while."
0:01:54 > 0:01:57So, basically, it's a website where people can go
0:01:57 > 0:01:58if they need a bit of a lift.
0:01:59 > 0:02:02When Jodi set up the website from her small front room in a south
0:02:02 > 0:02:03Birmingham suburb,
0:02:03 > 0:02:06she couldn't have imagined the response she'd receive from people
0:02:06 > 0:02:10across the world. But, then, letters can be wonderful things.
0:02:10 > 0:02:13Never underestimate the power of a letter.
0:02:13 > 0:02:14They really can change your life.
0:02:14 > 0:02:17And I'm living proof of that.
0:02:17 > 0:02:20It was a letter written not to me but about me.
0:02:20 > 0:02:23A lady in the congregation at Bangor Cathedral where I was a chorister
0:02:23 > 0:02:26loved my voice, was always nagging my mum and dad to record it.
0:02:26 > 0:02:29They never did anything about it. So without us knowing,
0:02:29 > 0:02:31she wrote to a local recording company saying,
0:02:31 > 0:02:34"Please record his voice.
0:02:34 > 0:02:36"I am not a relative of his and there's no connection other than
0:02:36 > 0:02:39"I have this great desire to have a record of his voice."
0:02:39 > 0:02:43And without Hefina Orwig Evans, I wouldn't have enjoyed the career
0:02:43 > 0:02:45I have today.
0:02:45 > 0:02:4732 albums, thanks to her.
0:02:47 > 0:02:48Amazing.
0:02:48 > 0:02:50Thank you very much.
0:02:50 > 0:02:53So letters really can change lives, even in this
0:02:53 > 0:02:54digital age.
0:02:54 > 0:02:58And Jodi's believed in the power of the written word all her life.
0:03:02 > 0:03:05KNOCK AT DOOR
0:03:05 > 0:03:06Hi, how are you?
0:03:06 > 0:03:08- I'm all right.- Nice to see you. - Thanks for coming out.
0:03:08 > 0:03:11- Thank you very much. - This is Cece.- Hello, Cece.
0:03:14 > 0:03:17- Why letters, though? - It's always been letters.
0:03:17 > 0:03:24When I was little, it was my mum's way of helping us to deal
0:03:24 > 0:03:27with our grief over us losing our nan.
0:03:27 > 0:03:30I lost my nanny when I was five.
0:03:30 > 0:03:32And she sat me and my brother down
0:03:32 > 0:03:35and we wrote little letters to heaven.
0:03:35 > 0:03:37My mum was like, "This is going to be...
0:03:37 > 0:03:39"It's a very special letter cos you'll only be able to write this
0:03:39 > 0:03:43"one letter to Nanny," and that was our way of dealing with grief.
0:03:45 > 0:03:50Jodi started her One Million Lovely Letters project in 2013.
0:03:50 > 0:03:53But in a way, spreading positive messages is something she's been
0:03:53 > 0:03:57- doing her whole life. - I've always written letters.
0:03:57 > 0:03:58It's always just been a thing.
0:03:58 > 0:04:01I've always left notes places, I've left notes on buses,
0:04:01 > 0:04:04I've left notes down the side of chairs.
0:04:04 > 0:04:06It's just the whole magic of finding them.
0:04:06 > 0:04:10I always think if I found it, I'd be so happy.
0:04:10 > 0:04:13And some people are going to have found them and been like,
0:04:13 > 0:04:15"What is this?" But I know that certain people have found them
0:04:15 > 0:04:18and thought they were wonderful so it's kind of...
0:04:18 > 0:04:20It's just always been something I've done.
0:04:26 > 0:04:29Jodi's desire to help people is all the more remarkable
0:04:29 > 0:04:32given she's hardly had a straightforward life herself.
0:04:36 > 0:04:37I think when I first, erm...
0:04:39 > 0:04:44..tried to hurt myself I think I was 17?
0:04:44 > 0:04:46No, 18.
0:04:46 > 0:04:47I was 18.
0:04:47 > 0:04:49Yeah.
0:04:49 > 0:04:52There was, like, a couple of times where I'd tried to kill myself
0:04:52 > 0:04:56and... It's just there was nowhere to go from that.
0:04:56 > 0:05:01And, yeah, so, since then I've kind of battled depression.
0:05:02 > 0:05:07It's your worst enemy living inside your head,
0:05:07 > 0:05:08telling you that
0:05:08 > 0:05:14you're a failure and you're unworthy and you don't deserve to be here and
0:05:14 > 0:05:17you're a fraud and something's going to happen
0:05:17 > 0:05:19so don't take anything, anything that good happens,
0:05:19 > 0:05:22you don't deserve it so be wary because it'll come and get you.
0:05:23 > 0:05:25It's that, constantly.
0:05:25 > 0:05:26And it's waking up with it.
0:05:26 > 0:05:28And it's going to sleep with it.
0:05:28 > 0:05:29And it's dreaming with it.
0:05:32 > 0:05:36Despite these challenges, Jodi has found ways to enjoy life.
0:05:36 > 0:05:41But whilst at a music festival on the Isle of Wight in 2011,
0:05:41 > 0:05:46when she was 23, she was bitten by a tick, which led to encephalitis,
0:05:46 > 0:05:48a potentially fatal brain disease.
0:05:48 > 0:05:52I got home and basically was like a baby.
0:05:52 > 0:05:56I couldn't pick things up. I couldn't
0:05:56 > 0:05:58really walk properly. I had to have a Zimmer frame.
0:05:58 > 0:06:02I... Yeah, it was... It was a lot.
0:06:02 > 0:06:05I couldn't write.
0:06:05 > 0:06:09So, yeah. And then, after that all happened,
0:06:09 > 0:06:14the ME kicked in and then I was bedbound for a year and a half.
0:06:16 > 0:06:19ME is a disorder of the nervous system that can lead
0:06:19 > 0:06:24to extreme fatigue and discomfort as well as cognitive problems.
0:06:24 > 0:06:27Unsurprisingly, it all got too much for Jodi.
0:06:27 > 0:06:29I just didn't want to be here.
0:06:29 > 0:06:33I didn't want to be in my skin. I didn't want to be, like,
0:06:33 > 0:06:38housed with this hatred for myself and who I was any more.
0:06:38 > 0:06:41So I counted all my tablets out and
0:06:41 > 0:06:45just started preparing to kill myself, really.
0:06:48 > 0:06:50But fate intervened.
0:06:50 > 0:06:52In that dark moment,
0:06:52 > 0:06:55an app she had on her phone to entertain her flashed
0:06:55 > 0:06:57with a silly message that made her laugh.
0:06:57 > 0:07:00It was a simple thing, a brief distraction,
0:07:00 > 0:07:02but it was what she needed.
0:07:02 > 0:07:05- SHE LAUGHS - So that kind of broke me out
0:07:05 > 0:07:08of my darkness for a second,
0:07:08 > 0:07:11and I know it's not that easy for everybody but in that moment
0:07:11 > 0:07:13that's what I needed.
0:07:14 > 0:07:19And that's when I started thinking about, "OK, so that's my first step.
0:07:19 > 0:07:21"I'm laughing. Now what can I do?"
0:07:21 > 0:07:25Jodi felt she'd been given another chance and her instinctive reaction
0:07:25 > 0:07:27was to help others.
0:07:27 > 0:07:31And that's when I set up a little website and I was like,
0:07:31 > 0:07:33"I'm going to write letters. I've always written letters."
0:07:36 > 0:07:39One Million Lovely Letters was the result.
0:07:39 > 0:07:42But what happened next was even more surprising.
0:07:42 > 0:07:46My inbox started filling up and overnight I got 200 e-mails
0:07:46 > 0:07:49and people were visiting the website from all over the world,
0:07:49 > 0:07:53and from that moment, I've written
0:07:53 > 0:07:564,000 letters and that was four...
0:07:56 > 0:07:59Four years ago, on February the third.
0:07:59 > 0:08:02So from that moment, it's been 4,000 letters.
0:08:02 > 0:08:04So, yeah.
0:08:04 > 0:08:06That's what happened.
0:08:06 > 0:08:09Jodi doesn't charge a penny for her letters.
0:08:09 > 0:08:12There are plenty more to go until she gets to a million, of course,
0:08:12 > 0:08:15but just imagine writing 4,000.
0:08:15 > 0:08:17And they're not just quick notes.
0:08:17 > 0:08:20Each one is lovingly worded and personalised.
0:08:22 > 0:08:24And e-mails are still coming in daily.
0:08:24 > 0:08:26She currently has more than 8,000
0:08:26 > 0:08:30requests in her inbox from around the globe.
0:08:30 > 0:08:32Yeah, it's a lot. It's a lot.
0:08:32 > 0:08:35I'd find that totally overwhelming, I really would.
0:08:35 > 0:08:37Some days, yeah. Some days.
0:08:37 > 0:08:40It really depends on where my... Like, where my mind's at.
0:08:40 > 0:08:46We'll get miscarriage and divorce and cancer and depression, overdose.
0:08:46 > 0:08:48And that's within the first line of
0:08:48 > 0:08:51the e-mail that just comes up in your inbox.
0:08:51 > 0:08:53So it's not the jolliest of places.
0:08:54 > 0:08:58There was one recently that, even now, it just...
0:08:58 > 0:09:00It's with me and I can't shake it.
0:09:00 > 0:09:06It was from a couple in Los Angeles and she was pregnant with her first
0:09:06 > 0:09:08baby and they were so
0:09:08 > 0:09:11excited and they went for an ultrasound.
0:09:11 > 0:09:16And the nurse turned to her and held her hand and said
0:09:16 > 0:09:19"There's no heartbeat."
0:09:19 > 0:09:21And she was six months pregnant at the time.
0:09:21 > 0:09:27And she wrote to me wanting me to tell her it was going to be OK.
0:09:27 > 0:09:29And you can't.
0:09:29 > 0:09:32Where do you start with something like that?
0:09:32 > 0:09:38You start with how in awe you are of this person's strength.
0:09:38 > 0:09:40"To Ashley.
0:09:40 > 0:09:42"I can't for a second imagine the
0:09:42 > 0:09:44"pain you and your husband are going through.
0:09:44 > 0:09:47"All I know is that to go through such a tragic time would
0:09:47 > 0:09:52"have taken and continue to take the strength of the largest army.
0:09:52 > 0:09:53"I am in absolute awe of your
0:09:53 > 0:09:57"strength and love for one another that has kept you going.
0:09:57 > 0:10:01"You are incredible individuals and the most powerful of teams,
0:10:01 > 0:10:03"and it's a privilege to be able to
0:10:03 > 0:10:05"write to you and remind you of that."
0:10:05 > 0:10:09"An incredible daughter, sister, friend..."
0:10:09 > 0:10:12So what does it feel like to get a letter from Jodi?
0:10:13 > 0:10:16Well, Jodi wrote to Scarlet a couple of years ago
0:10:16 > 0:10:18when she was in real need of help.
0:10:18 > 0:10:21I was living with a family member
0:10:21 > 0:10:24and we didn't really have the best relationship.
0:10:24 > 0:10:27How low did you get? How bad did you feel?
0:10:27 > 0:10:32So if you can imagine being at the very bottom and then go a little bit
0:10:32 > 0:10:35lower than that, that's probably where I was.
0:10:35 > 0:10:37- Really?- Yeah.
0:10:37 > 0:10:39"To Scarlet.
0:10:39 > 0:10:42"This letter is to remind you how amazing you are..."
0:10:42 > 0:10:44What would you like to say to Jodi?
0:10:46 > 0:10:47Just...
0:10:49 > 0:10:53I just wish that she realised how much of an impact she had on
0:10:53 > 0:10:55people's lives, for definite.
0:10:55 > 0:10:58And the different that she made to mine.
0:10:58 > 0:11:00Just having that
0:11:00 > 0:11:03glimmer of hope from somebody, it
0:11:03 > 0:11:05makes so much difference and I just...
0:11:05 > 0:11:08I don't think she realises that at all.
0:11:08 > 0:11:09I really don't think she realises.
0:11:13 > 0:11:15Hello, my name's Jodi Ann Bickley
0:11:15 > 0:11:17and I run the project One Million Lovely Letters.
0:11:17 > 0:11:21On the tenth of April, my first-ever exhibition opens and it's
0:11:21 > 0:11:23going to run for a whole week,
0:11:23 > 0:11:25and it's going to be based on
0:11:25 > 0:11:27writing a letter to your younger self and
0:11:27 > 0:11:31writing a letter for somebody that you just feel would need it.
0:11:32 > 0:11:34For most people, writing thousands
0:11:34 > 0:11:37of letters would be more than enough to take on.
0:11:37 > 0:11:40But as I'm beginning to realise, Jodi isn't like most people.
0:11:42 > 0:11:43I've always wanted to put on an
0:11:43 > 0:11:45exhibition since the project started.
0:11:45 > 0:11:48I've always had an exhibition in mind.
0:11:48 > 0:11:51I'm not really an artist and you always think with exhibitions that
0:11:51 > 0:11:53it's something artists do.
0:11:53 > 0:11:55But I guess the letters are kind of...
0:11:55 > 0:11:57They've taken their own little art form now.
0:11:57 > 0:12:00Jodi won't be filling the exhibition with letters she's written.
0:12:00 > 0:12:04She's appealing online to people around the world to send her letters
0:12:04 > 0:12:06they've written to display.
0:12:06 > 0:12:09If you have a minute please get your pens out, get your glitter out,
0:12:09 > 0:12:13get your sequins and sparkles out and just write me a lovely letter.
0:12:13 > 0:12:15It can either be to you at an age
0:12:15 > 0:12:17when you feel you could have done with
0:12:17 > 0:12:20the letter, a little bit of hindsight or wisdom,
0:12:20 > 0:12:23or it can be for somebody to find at the exhibition.
0:12:23 > 0:12:25Just a letter to remind somebody how
0:12:25 > 0:12:28wonderful they are on the days they forget.
0:12:28 > 0:12:30That would be absolutely amazing.
0:12:31 > 0:12:35Jodi wants letters from all over the world for the exhibition,
0:12:35 > 0:12:38and a great opportunity to gather some has presented itself.
0:12:43 > 0:12:48Yeah, I'm about to go to South Africa
0:12:48 > 0:12:51and leave this one for ten days,
0:12:51 > 0:12:53which is going to be very difficult.
0:12:53 > 0:12:56Although I am looking forward to the sleep, I must admit.
0:12:57 > 0:12:59Invited by a British charity,
0:12:59 > 0:13:03Jodi's been asked to run some workshops for vulnerable young South
0:13:03 > 0:13:05Africans in a rural township.
0:13:05 > 0:13:07The kids here have experienced
0:13:07 > 0:13:09everything from domestic and sexual abuse
0:13:09 > 0:13:11to racial and gang-related violence.
0:13:13 > 0:13:16So we've been travelling for over 24 hours now,
0:13:16 > 0:13:19but we are in South Africa.
0:13:20 > 0:13:22I'm nervous about...
0:13:23 > 0:13:24I want to do my best,
0:13:24 > 0:13:30I want to bring some sparkle and wonderfulness to their lives because
0:13:30 > 0:13:34these young people have been through some really difficult things.
0:13:34 > 0:13:37And there's part of me that's just like,
0:13:37 > 0:13:41"Who am I to just run up and say, 'Come and do this for me?'"
0:13:41 > 0:13:45I just feel... I just want to just get a connection for them,
0:13:45 > 0:13:47if I give a little bit of me to them,
0:13:47 > 0:13:50they'll want to give a little bit of their story back to me.
0:13:50 > 0:13:51Making their voices heard.
0:13:55 > 0:13:58Jodi's asking the young people here to write letters that she can take
0:13:58 > 0:14:01back to the UK for her exhibition.
0:14:06 > 0:14:09What about you two, what are you writing to younger you?
0:14:13 > 0:14:14Yeah.
0:14:15 > 0:14:16Yeah.
0:14:21 > 0:14:23I'm so looking forward to reading them all.
0:14:23 > 0:14:26Thank you so much, like, thank you so much for doing this.
0:14:26 > 0:14:28Yes, she has that passion.
0:14:28 > 0:14:32She's an inspirator, she has that passion...
0:14:32 > 0:14:33Yeah.
0:14:38 > 0:14:44I think asking somebody to write a letter sometimes is a bit daunting.
0:14:44 > 0:14:50A lot of these young people, they communicate through art.
0:14:50 > 0:14:53In return for the letters these children write,
0:14:53 > 0:14:56Jodi's brought over letters written by Birmingham schoolchildren,
0:14:56 > 0:14:59as presents for the South African kids.
0:14:59 > 0:15:01When I put the letters up in the beginning,
0:15:01 > 0:15:03I don't think they realised that the
0:15:03 > 0:15:06letters that I'd left in the centre were for them.
0:15:06 > 0:15:08So they were looking at them like, "Oh, this is beautiful" -
0:15:08 > 0:15:11but I don't think that they thought that they were for them.
0:15:11 > 0:15:14And when they realised that,
0:15:14 > 0:15:16they were so excited.
0:15:16 > 0:15:20I feel blessed. I feel like I'm special, you know?
0:15:20 > 0:15:25She just came all the way just to meet me here. I mean...
0:15:25 > 0:15:28I don't even have words to describe the feeling, man.
0:15:29 > 0:15:31It seems Jodi and her letters have
0:15:31 > 0:15:33made the connection she was hoping for.
0:15:35 > 0:15:36I'm getting really upset.
0:15:36 > 0:15:38I think it's just all of it, it's all
0:15:38 > 0:15:41really overwhelming, and
0:15:41 > 0:15:44just makes it kind of all worthwhile, a little bit.
0:15:44 > 0:15:47And that sounds really stupid and privileged, but it's not.
0:15:47 > 0:15:50It just makes it, erm...
0:15:50 > 0:15:53I feel very lucky to be here at the minute. I feel very, very lucky.
0:16:01 > 0:16:03I would really... I could really use
0:16:03 > 0:16:07going home and giving my baby a cuddle at the minute.
0:16:07 > 0:16:09I think seeing all the kids today,
0:16:09 > 0:16:13especially the little one, has just made me realise how, erm...
0:16:14 > 0:16:16How good
0:16:16 > 0:16:19we've got it and how we don't realise.
0:16:19 > 0:16:22And we think we've got it so crappy sometimes - "crap", sorry,
0:16:22 > 0:16:24rubbish sometimes - and we haven't.
0:16:24 > 0:16:26And they're so happy.
0:16:26 > 0:16:29And I feel like someone's just smacked me over the head and said,
0:16:29 > 0:16:34"Get over yourself a little bit," because, erm...
0:16:34 > 0:16:37Yeah, they're incredible, and anybody could learn stuff from them.
0:16:40 > 0:16:43The thing is, though, people from all over the world - me included -
0:16:43 > 0:16:45are learning a lot from Jodi.
0:16:45 > 0:16:48And her letters are having a lasting impact on people's lives.
0:16:52 > 0:16:54- Hi.- Hey, is that Seb?
0:16:54 > 0:16:56Yes, it's me. How are you?
0:16:56 > 0:16:58Hey! Good to talk to you.
0:16:58 > 0:17:00Where are you today?
0:17:00 > 0:17:03I'm at home, actually, in Montreal, Canada.
0:17:03 > 0:17:06Sebastian reached out to Jodi a few years ago.
0:17:06 > 0:17:09After years of unfulfilling jobs, he'd gone back to college.
0:17:09 > 0:17:10But it was a struggle.
0:17:10 > 0:17:12Halfway through the course, he'd run out of money.
0:17:12 > 0:17:14He wasn't socialising,
0:17:14 > 0:17:17and he was questioning whether he'd make it to graduation.
0:17:17 > 0:17:18He was in a bad way.
0:17:20 > 0:17:22I got very, very curious,
0:17:22 > 0:17:24said, "Why's this coming up when
0:17:24 > 0:17:28"I'm googling for help for depression...?"
0:17:28 > 0:17:29So, of course, clicked on it,
0:17:29 > 0:17:32started reading through the whole text and realised,
0:17:32 > 0:17:35"Oh, look at that, this is very interesting."
0:17:35 > 0:17:37Sebastian and Scarlett both came
0:17:37 > 0:17:39into contact with Jodi at key moments in
0:17:39 > 0:17:41their lives, when they needed help.
0:17:41 > 0:17:45And that's exactly what Jodi had in mind when she set up the project.
0:17:45 > 0:17:48Take me back to that morning when it dropped through your letterbox.
0:17:49 > 0:17:52I remember clearly saying, "Are you kidding me?"
0:17:52 > 0:17:55I actually have the letter to read aloud.
0:17:55 > 0:17:59"To Sebastian. Getting through each day with depression is a victory.
0:17:59 > 0:18:01"You are winning the fight, Sebastian."
0:18:01 > 0:18:05And when I did receive it, it blew my mind.
0:18:05 > 0:18:08"It's a tug-of-war. And sometimes you feel like depression has the
0:18:08 > 0:18:11"upper hand, but it never has control.
0:18:11 > 0:18:13"Depression is not going to win.
0:18:13 > 0:18:15"Because you won't let it.
0:18:15 > 0:18:17How often do you turn to that letter?
0:18:17 > 0:18:20It's stuck on my computer.
0:18:20 > 0:18:23So now, anything else that happens to me,
0:18:23 > 0:18:25that I feel like I might be giving up,
0:18:25 > 0:18:27I just look at that little letter
0:18:27 > 0:18:30there and I'm like, "I can't give up. What would Jodi do?"
0:18:33 > 0:18:36It's incredible seeing the impact Jodi and her letters
0:18:36 > 0:18:38have had on people's lives.
0:18:38 > 0:18:39And through the exhibition, she's
0:18:39 > 0:18:41hoping to reach a whole new audience.
0:18:42 > 0:18:45So I've just picked up some more letters for my exhibition.
0:18:45 > 0:18:49I've got one from Nottingham. I've got one from Northern Ireland.
0:18:49 > 0:18:51One from Spain, and one from
0:18:51 > 0:18:54somewhere I don't know yet but I'm really,
0:18:54 > 0:18:55really excited to find out.
0:18:55 > 0:18:57Yep! More letters.
0:18:59 > 0:19:03When people just send me letters and things like this,
0:19:03 > 0:19:04I just think it's amazing.
0:19:04 > 0:19:06I just think it's really wonderful.
0:19:11 > 0:19:14But where are all these wonderful letters going to go?
0:19:14 > 0:19:16So everybody will be coming in here.
0:19:16 > 0:19:18And this...
0:19:18 > 0:19:20- What a great space!- I know!
0:19:20 > 0:19:22This is my room.
0:19:22 > 0:19:24I feel I want to dance as well!
0:19:24 > 0:19:26This will be my room.
0:19:26 > 0:19:28Wow. Hey, it's big, though.
0:19:28 > 0:19:30Isn't it? Terrifying.
0:19:30 > 0:19:33Yeah. You're going to need a lot of letters.
0:19:33 > 0:19:35Aren't I? I was just thinking that.
0:19:35 > 0:19:38In my head, I thought I knew how many.
0:19:38 > 0:19:40- Yeah.- But... Maybe more!
0:19:40 > 0:19:43But whilst there's lots to be excited about,
0:19:43 > 0:19:46Jodi's depression and anxiety are never far away.
0:19:47 > 0:19:52Well... I wake up panicked, like, generally, in life.
0:19:52 > 0:19:56Hiya. It's just Jodi, the girl that does One Million Lovely Letters.
0:19:56 > 0:19:58It was just a little question...
0:19:58 > 0:20:00'It feels like being
0:20:00 > 0:20:03'in a tunnel, on your own
0:20:03 > 0:20:05'with nothing at the end of it.
0:20:05 > 0:20:06'Like, just a darkness.'
0:20:06 > 0:20:09See you later. Bye.
0:20:09 > 0:20:10Oh, phone calls make me feel sick.
0:20:10 > 0:20:15'Doesn't matter how many people told me that I am the most...
0:20:15 > 0:20:19'Lovely, wonderful thing to come since sliced bread or whatever
0:20:19 > 0:20:23'- doesn't matter, because I'm in this tunnel, I can't hear anything.'
0:20:23 > 0:20:25It's not just the depression and anxiety.
0:20:27 > 0:20:30In all honesty, the ME at the moment isn't so great.
0:20:30 > 0:20:34The doctors have referred me back to my ME doctor,
0:20:34 > 0:20:37and I've got so many referrals going on at the minute,
0:20:37 > 0:20:39it's a bit ridiculous, but when I...
0:20:40 > 0:20:45Whenever I'm in a point where my ME is getting bad, or I'm in panic,
0:20:45 > 0:20:49I tend to just go up a notch and overwork myself!
0:20:50 > 0:20:53She's not kidding. But with an exhibition to set up,
0:20:53 > 0:20:55Jodi just has to get on with it.
0:20:55 > 0:20:56I'm going to get there, and I'm
0:20:56 > 0:20:59going to have forgotten something very key.
0:21:00 > 0:21:02Luckily, husband Sam's there to lend a hand.
0:21:03 > 0:21:04Done.
0:21:06 > 0:21:08But there's someone who feels a
0:21:08 > 0:21:10bit left out.
0:21:11 > 0:21:13You haven't got thumbs, you're no use to me.
0:21:15 > 0:21:17See you in a bit!
0:21:18 > 0:21:22With everything packed, it's off to the gallery in central Birmingham.
0:21:22 > 0:21:24And it's the start of her dream.
0:21:30 > 0:21:33There's lots to do, but with the help of a few friends and family,
0:21:33 > 0:21:35it starts to take shape.
0:21:35 > 0:21:39And slowly but surely, Jodi begins to work her magic on the room.
0:21:41 > 0:21:43And the media's started to notice, too.
0:21:43 > 0:21:45TV and radio have come calling to
0:21:45 > 0:21:48find out all about the girl who writes letters.
0:21:48 > 0:21:49Good morning. Yes, some very
0:21:49 > 0:21:52interesting ideas from yourselves here.
0:21:52 > 0:21:56And joining me now is Jodi Ann Bickley from Birmingham.
0:21:58 > 0:22:00I can't wait to see it for myself.
0:22:00 > 0:22:02But before I get there, I'm going to
0:22:02 > 0:22:05get my pen out and write Jodi a letter, too.
0:22:05 > 0:22:07I've no idea when I last wrote a letter.
0:22:07 > 0:22:11It's amazing how it focuses the mind in a way of sending a text or an
0:22:11 > 0:22:13e-mail doesn't.
0:22:13 > 0:22:16And it's my chance to tell her what I think of her and her
0:22:16 > 0:22:18One Million Lovely Letters project.
0:22:18 > 0:22:20Wow!
0:22:20 > 0:22:21Hey, it looks amazing.
0:22:21 > 0:22:23Doesn't it look good?
0:22:23 > 0:22:24How are you?
0:22:26 > 0:22:29These are all the teenagers I met in South Africa.
0:22:29 > 0:22:32It is almost feels like your room back in your house,
0:22:32 > 0:22:34but just a lot bigger.
0:22:34 > 0:22:37I know! When people come in later I'll probably be, like...
0:22:37 > 0:22:40But now, on my own, I'm all right, I'm OK.
0:22:40 > 0:22:42This is my tranquil place.
0:22:43 > 0:22:45And, in the midst of that tranquil
0:22:45 > 0:22:47place is one letter that caught my eye -
0:22:47 > 0:22:50a letter Jodi's written to her younger self.
0:22:50 > 0:22:54At 16, I didn't really like myself very much.
0:22:54 > 0:22:55- You said that to me before.- Yeah, I
0:22:55 > 0:22:57don't think my 28-year-old self does.
0:22:57 > 0:23:00So I think I needed to go back to my 16-year-old self and say,
0:23:00 > 0:23:03"Come on, we need to kick this now."
0:23:03 > 0:23:04But I never understand, you see.
0:23:04 > 0:23:06Even last time, I left you and I was on the train,
0:23:06 > 0:23:08and you said that to me in your house,
0:23:08 > 0:23:11that even you now don't like who you are sometimes.
0:23:11 > 0:23:12- Yeah.- But how is that possible?
0:23:12 > 0:23:15Because you make so many people happy.
0:23:15 > 0:23:16It doesn't matter, does it?
0:23:18 > 0:23:21Like, people go, "You're so nice, you're so wonderful."
0:23:21 > 0:23:24But when you go to bed at night and the negatives go in your head,
0:23:24 > 0:23:27everyone does it. You have an interior bully that's just, like,
0:23:27 > 0:23:30"You're rubbish, you're this, you're that."
0:23:31 > 0:23:33"To Jodi, aged 16.
0:23:33 > 0:23:38"Firstly, I need to let you know how enough you are, exactly as you are.
0:23:38 > 0:23:42"Life is going to be full of some absolutely amazing things,
0:23:42 > 0:23:45"but also some really awful things that right now you couldn't imagine
0:23:45 > 0:23:48"getting through. But you do.
0:23:48 > 0:23:51"Please be kinder to yourself.
0:23:51 > 0:23:55"Lots of love, Jodi, aged 28."
0:23:55 > 0:23:58Do you think this exhibition has helped you with your health, then?
0:23:58 > 0:24:02With my mental health, yes, because it's made me feel
0:24:02 > 0:24:04like I've achieved something.
0:24:04 > 0:24:08I'm not saying... I'm not quite proud of myself yet,
0:24:08 > 0:24:11but maybe when people walk in tonight and they see it,
0:24:11 > 0:24:15I just want them to feel like I feel when I'm writing the letters.
0:24:15 > 0:24:18It's party time at the gallery,
0:24:18 > 0:24:21and it's lovely seeing how excited Jodi is to share a little bit of her
0:24:21 > 0:24:22world with everyone.
0:24:23 > 0:24:27So please just have some fun and just enjoy yourselves.
0:24:27 > 0:24:29Yeah, thank you so, so much for coming.
0:24:30 > 0:24:34She said she wanted people to feel like she does when she's writing
0:24:34 > 0:24:36letters. And from the looks on
0:24:36 > 0:24:39people's faces, I think she's achieved that.
0:24:39 > 0:24:40Really makes me feel like I should
0:24:40 > 0:24:42have thought that when I was younger.
0:24:42 > 0:24:45Seems to be a really nice vibe about it all.
0:24:45 > 0:24:46But there always is with Jodi.
0:24:46 > 0:24:48That's the kind of person she is, really.
0:24:48 > 0:24:51Kind of fills me with a certain positivity.
0:24:51 > 0:24:52Just incredible, really. I think
0:24:52 > 0:24:57there's a shortage of people caring for other people. It's really nice.
0:24:57 > 0:25:01And I think you can't help, reading them, you can't help but smile.
0:25:01 > 0:25:02There have been smiles all round.
0:25:02 > 0:25:06Before it ends, I've got a couple of surprises up my sleeve for Jodie.
0:25:06 > 0:25:09This is Scarlet.
0:25:09 > 0:25:11Scarlet's finally going to have a
0:25:11 > 0:25:13chance to tell Jodie what a difference she's made.
0:25:13 > 0:25:16And, to do that, she's written a letter of her own.
0:25:16 > 0:25:19"To lovely Jodi, a few years ago I was the saddest
0:25:19 > 0:25:22"kitten in the whole world and was pretty close to giving up.
0:25:22 > 0:25:24"Your letter was like sunshine rays pushing through the
0:25:24 > 0:25:27"clouds. I cried and cried at the thought that somebody believed in me
0:25:27 > 0:25:30"and thought I was wonderful."
0:25:30 > 0:25:33And although he couldn't come all the way over from Canada,
0:25:33 > 0:25:36Jodi's about to see Seb for the first time.
0:25:36 > 0:25:39- Do you want to put your headphones on?- Yeah, I do.
0:25:39 > 0:25:41OK, here we go.
0:25:41 > 0:25:43This is your friendly neighbourhood French-Canadian.
0:25:43 > 0:25:47I just wanted to say thanks for the letter that you sent me.
0:25:47 > 0:25:51It really changed my perspective on a lot of things and it boosted my
0:25:51 > 0:25:54confidence. And I really, really needed that.
0:25:54 > 0:25:58So congratulations about your exhibit.
0:25:58 > 0:26:00I hope everything goes well and
0:26:00 > 0:26:03congratulations again on everything, and what you're doing is amazing.
0:26:03 > 0:26:05Keep it up.
0:26:09 > 0:26:11As if you've done that!
0:26:11 > 0:26:14- That's great, isn't it?- That's amazing.
0:26:14 > 0:26:17He also said some really lovely things about what your letter meant
0:26:17 > 0:26:19to him, how it helped him.
0:26:19 > 0:26:21Why are you trying to break me?
0:26:22 > 0:26:25- What is this?- I'm not trying to break you.
0:26:25 > 0:26:27- It isn't that lovely?- That's amazing.
0:26:27 > 0:26:29It's so nice to put a face to him as well.
0:26:29 > 0:26:31A thumbs up from Canada.
0:26:32 > 0:26:36It takes a lot to write to people that you don't know
0:26:36 > 0:26:38and spend your time...
0:26:39 > 0:26:41..making people happy.
0:26:41 > 0:26:43Please don't get upset.
0:26:45 > 0:26:49And I don't think that you realise how amazing you are.
0:26:50 > 0:26:52She doesn't realise.
0:26:52 > 0:26:55No, she doesn't. And how you help people.
0:26:55 > 0:26:57I don't think
0:26:57 > 0:27:00you realise the enormity of it, do you?
0:27:05 > 0:27:07I've written you a little letter.
0:27:07 > 0:27:09It's a really little letter.
0:27:09 > 0:27:11I'm not very good at writing letters. Not like you.
0:27:11 > 0:27:13Thank you so much.
0:27:13 > 0:27:15And my writing is terrible, so you might not be able to read it.
0:27:15 > 0:27:17- Can I read it?- Yeah. You might not be able to.
0:27:17 > 0:27:19- This is my best writing as well, OK? - OK.
0:27:22 > 0:27:25"Dear Jodi, what an honour it's been spending time with you.
0:27:25 > 0:27:27"I have never met someone who has
0:27:27 > 0:27:29"such a positive impact on so many people.
0:27:29 > 0:27:32"Your light certainly shines bright.
0:27:32 > 0:27:33"Keep doing what you're doing and
0:27:33 > 0:27:35"all the very best with your exhibition.
0:27:35 > 0:27:37"I'm sure it'll be a huge success.
0:27:37 > 0:27:39"I will be thinking of you.
0:27:39 > 0:27:41"With love and positive vibes, Aled."
0:27:41 > 0:27:44You sweetheart.
0:27:44 > 0:27:46Takes one to know one.
0:27:46 > 0:27:47- Thank you so much.- Well done.
0:27:47 > 0:27:49I mean what I say. You're awesome.
0:27:49 > 0:27:51Thank you. I'm going to go and put that on my wall.
0:27:51 > 0:27:53I'm just going to start collecting your letters.
0:27:53 > 0:27:55Is my letter going to be on your wall?
0:27:55 > 0:27:57- Yay!- Yes, it will be.
0:27:57 > 0:27:59From her small front room in Birmingham,
0:27:59 > 0:28:02Jodi's lovely letters have been travelling far and wide,
0:28:02 > 0:28:05putting smiles on faces all over the world,
0:28:05 > 0:28:08helping people when they need a lift.
0:28:08 > 0:28:11Who knows if Jodi will ever write her million letters?
0:28:11 > 0:28:14But, in a way, it doesn't really matter because she's already changed
0:28:14 > 0:28:17so many people's lives, even her own.
0:28:17 > 0:28:18She's a really special person.
0:28:20 > 0:28:22OK. See you.