A DOG which symbolises depression is touring Oxfordshire schools to tackle stigma around mental health.

Charities have partnered with High Sheriff of Oxfordshire Richard Venables to bring the Black Dog campaign to county schools and colleges.

Run by support charity SANE, the national campaign sees a dog statue visit students as a metaphor for depression, with an accompanying plinth encouraging them not to suffer in silence.

Mr Venables, who is championing the cause as a SANE ambassador, said: “I have decided to champion issues affecting Oxfordshire’s youth and become acutely aware of the increasing problem of mental health.

“My aim is to get the black dog statue into as many of Oxfordshire’s secondary schools and higher education establishments as possible to raise the awareness.”

The High Sheriff accompanied the 4ft tall resin statue for its first stop on its tour – d’Overbroeck’s in Summertown, where he was formerly a student.

He partnered with the school earlier in April for a fundraising dinner, which raised £10,000 for the Black Dog campaign.

Students at d’Overbroeck’s got to name the dog for the duration of its trip around the county, which started there in April.

They chose ‘Sirius’ partly due to the Sirius Black character in Harry Potter, who was able to shape-shift into a black dog.

It is also the name of the brightest star in the night sky, also known as the Dog Star.

Principal Emma-Kate Henry said: “We were delighted to be the first school in Oxfordshire to welcome the black dog statue.

“We are proud to support such an important campaign.”

The school said Sirius became ‘part of the family’ and students would pat it affectionately on the head every morning.

Last month the dog visited The Cherwell School and Oxford University, and other educators have been invited to take part.

Mental health charity Oxfordshire MIND and the Mental Health and Wellbeing Network at Didcot's Aureus School, which launched last year to allow schools to share best practice, have also backed the campaign.

SANE said Mr Venables was ‘instrumental’ in setting up the Prince of Wales International Centre, the charity’s research hub in Headington.

Chief executive Marjorie Wallace said: “We are delighted that he has now become an ambassador for our charity, and excited by his vision of raising awareness and making it easier for young people and families to seek help.

“We hope this will be repeated in other towns and cities.”

Social services in Oxfordshire have seen a significant rise in children battling poor mental health, with the number of cases assessed almost doubling between 2015 and 2017.