From Santa runs to a grassroots mental health hotline, Jaylo Miles has became a symbol of the festive spirit
IT’S mid-December, 2020. Christmas is just around the corner, but so is another lockdown, and eight-year-old Lilia Jay isn’t happy about it.
Not only has Hawthorn Primary closed early, like many schools across the country, but all of the festive activities have also been cancelled, including their Christmas play. She and her friends are heartbroken – it feels like Christmas itself has been called off.
But her father isn’t about to stand by and do nothing.
“I sat and thought, ‘What can I do?’” said Jaylo Miles, of Colwinstone Street in Llandaff North. “And we decided, ‘Let’s take Christmas to the children.’”
The 39-year-old, along with his wife, Kim, and long-time friend, Wayne, came up with the idea of a Santa run. They would go door-to-door delivering selection boxes of little gifts to the children of Hawthorn Primary, and leave boxes on the doorsteps of families in quarantine.
However, as Covid worsened in Cardiff and Christmas spirit waned, plans began to change.
“Our imaginations went a bit bigger – we ended up walking around Llandaff North with Santa,” said Wayne Hancock, Jaylo’s best friend of almost 20 years.
“About a week before Christmas, we decided to do it for whole community, not just for Lilia Jay’s friends,” he continued. “But we were shocked at how many kids were waiting for us.”
What started as a way to cheer up his daughter amid school closures, evolved into an entire community effort by Llandaff North – ASDA and local shops donated selection boxes for the children, cars beeped as Santa walked past, and families waited on the street in what both Wayne and Jaylo describe as an “amazing turnout”.
Jaylo puts it simply: “We brought Christmas to Llandaff North.”
He adds: “We were so welcomed and we had the most amazing night, full of laughter, surprises, and the odd tear shed. It meant the world to some families, even in the rain.
“And we just knew, from that moment, that next year, we were going to have to come back bigger and better.”
So, who is Jaylo?
While Jaylo has spread Christmas cheer in his community since 2020, his reality has not always been merry and bright.
A British Army veteran, Jaylo has since developed CPTSD (complex post-traumatic stress disorder), but notes this is not linked to his service. In fact, he was living a normal, happy life after coming home.
“I met my partner, and everything was good, everything was all fine.
“And then one day we woke up, and my world was upside down.”
Almost overnight, Jaylo was launched into battle – not back into the army, but with himself. For years now, he has been fighting a constant battle with CPTSD, depression, and suicidal thoughts.
“It was really, really tough. I still struggle to find the words to explain what living with PTSD is like, but it’s soul destroying.
And then one day we woke up, and my world was upside down.
Jaylo Miles
Jaylo has tried many coping mechanisms for his mental health, from medication to sport, but everything changed when he met Oscar, his first pet owl.
“The minute I saw him, I just knew.
“He gave me confidence to get out of the house. He gave me confidence to give people eye contact when I’m talking to them if it was a bad day.”
Around town, Jaylo is easily recognisable, as he often brings at least one of his two emotional-support owls, Louie Lou and Oscar.
“Part of my coping mechanism is my owls,” Jaylo admits. “They’re a massive part of the community in Llandaff North.”
While the owls help Jaylo, they also allow him to help others. Residents will recognise him on his walks around town because they spot Oscar or Louie Lou first, and Jaylo offers support when they need to chat.
“We all know that the people in Llandaff North may be suffering from poor mental health and suicidal thoughts, but there’s still a stigma attached to it. Nobody knows what to do, what to say, and where to get the help, and it’s hard.”
Outside of Llandaff North, Jaylo is still well-known, but this is likely due to his online prominence with his blog – Many Downs, Time To Get Up – which he started six years ago. Now, it has grown to over 1,000 followers with an audience from all over the world, and many call on Jaylo and his team for advice in moments of crisis.
“Originally, it was just to raise awareness of PTSD, mental health, and suicide,” Jaylo says. “But it’s actually taken on a role of signposting people in their time of crisis and as support for families and other veterans.
“In Cardiff and across the world, people have looked at me for inspiration. Some people have lots of need for comfort and a sign, and that’s what we’ve become – that little bit of hope for people.”
Now a team of six, Many Downs acts as a 24-hour mental health hotline, in addition to the Facebook page that Jaylo runs where he details his ongoing struggles.
Heading into the new year, Jaylo looks forward to how he plans to expand it beyond Facebook.
“We’re looking to register as a charity, but in the meantime, every penny we fundraise goes to events, so we might do food hampers for the homeless, runs.
“Eventually, we are hoping to become a recognised organisation in Cardiff with a building and emergency team.”
“He’s back again!”
With the Omicron variant spreading rapidly across the UK, many in Llandaff North are in need of hope this Christmas season, and, as always, Jaylo is here to provide that comfort to his community.
When describing his plans for Llandaff North’s big Christmas event this year, it feels like night and day in comparison to the events of 2020.
“Last year, it was a bit dubious, a guy walking around the streets giving chocolate,” Jaylo jokes. “This year, people have gone, ‘He’s back again!’”
From walking around the streets in the rain last year, this year, Jaylo and his team have a full agenda planned, including a Santa’s Grotto, a Shetland pony, and over 300 selection boxes for children.
Not only is the event “bigger and better”, but it has also seen support from the Cardiff community at large. The Llandaff North festival committee, town councillors, and Cardiff Council have all offered donations of selection boxes and additional promotion of the event.
The event will include visits from South Wales Transport Police, South Wales Fire and Rescue, and the community police unit, all of whom support Jaylo’s mission to raise awareness for mental health – and, of course, to spread Christmas cheer.
“We really appreciated the support last year, but this year we knocked the support out of the water,” Wayne says.
“I just want to thank the local community, the Llandaff North committee, and Cardiff Council for really putting in an effort and giving us the backing we need this year.”
Looking ahead to the future, Jaylo hopes to continue this tradition and grow each year, with plans already in the works for 2022.
“We were hoping to do a lot more this year, but obviously with how Cardiff Council is, you have to have everything checked over. So in March, we’ll be applying for a traders’ licence to be ready for next year.
“With a traders’ licence, we’re hoping to bring Christmas, well and truly. Next year, I want to bring a Christmas market. We’re planning on getting floats and turning it into a proper Christmas event.”
Llandaff North may be small, but Jaylo won’t let that stop it from becoming one of the most festive wards in Cardiff.
“We’re hoping to bring something bigger to Llandaff North, and almost make Llandaff North a Christmas hub in Cardiff. That’s what it feels like it’s becoming.
“If everybody did what we were trying to do, every street would look like a Christmas town.”
The Santa’s Grotto event will be held on Tuesday, December 21, on Caldy Road in Llandaff North, with Santa arriving at 6pm.
If you or someone you know is struggling with suicide, depression, or other mental health issues, contact Samaritans on their 24/7 helpline, 116 123.
