Bio

Christopher Nation

Christopher Nation (born 1997) is a Caribbean British Radio Personality in South Wales (United Kingdom).

Christopher was born in London his Father Mark Graves is from the Cayman Islands and his MotherAnnika Nation-Reid(http://annika-nation-reid.blogspot.com/) is a Welsh native.

Christopher is raised in a single parent home and supported by his Grandmother and fellow Radio Personality Mamma Barnes whom he has a close relationship with.

Christopher became a Young Carer at the age of 6 following his mother being diagnosed with a clinical Depressive Disorder.  He recalls how "My Mum would be extremely happy when she got money we would go shopping, she would buy me Letts workbooks, she'd take me to the games arcade, to toy shops, we would go to parks and feed the ducks, she would play and read with me.  Other imes my Mum would take me late to school because she found it hard to wake up in the morning and to get out of bed, I would often here her crying in her room when she thought I was asleep.  There would hardly be any food shopping in the house and we would live on take-away's because she would be exhausted from the medication she was on, the house was not tidy when she was really ill, my Nan and Grandad would get upset with her because they wanted my Mum to try and do better, they being Caribbean did not understand the effects of my Mum having depression.  They would help me to tidy the house up and take me during my school holidays so that I could have fun and play with other family who were my age!" 

In 2006 Christopher's life would change forever when his mother was left with a physical impairment from a domestic dispute with her then ex-partner.  Christopher would now be 9 years old and his role as a Young Carer changed to Primary Carer.  Christopher remembers having to accompany his mother to the hospital "My mother was in so much pain I stayed in the corridor but I could here her screaming as the doctors and nurses tried to put her dislocated foot back in place, it was horrible and I was crying I remember thinking if only I was bigger I could protect my Mum"

With his Mum still suffering from the Depressive Disorder she would now have a new diagnosis from her injuries which left her with Muscle Weakness and joint pain and she began to Self Harm.  These medical conditions combined contributed to a tragic end result in 2007 when Annika made an attempt of suicide on her life.  Christopher now nearly 10 years old remembers thinking at the time; "Why is this happening? Why did My Mum do this?"  He then asked his Mother with tear filled eyes"Was I not a good enough reason for you to stay alive Mum?" she told him he was the best reason and promised him she would never do this again.

At this time support was offered through Childrens Social Services as Christopher would now be considered a "Child in Need" which means that a plan of care has to be implemented by health professionals, school professionals, local government agencies, education authorities and the parents so that the childs needs can be catered to.  Christopher would receive counselling sessions with the NSPCC (National Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Children), CAMHS, and a Male mentor withBAWSO (Black Association for Women Stepping Out).  He would also get his first taster of radio life by presenting "Youth Beats" a Saturday morning show on Radio Cardiff (http://www.radiocardiff.org)

His mother also began to receive the support she needed and things looked were looking up, she started to study and work again. Christopher then began to attend Drumming Lessons with The Forte School of Musicand Drama Club at The Mark Jermin Stage School.

Christopher now nearly 11 years old had to start to think of secondary school options.  His Mother was always aware of how gifted her son was when it came to Mathematics and Acting.  She made enquiries to various Independent Schools and Christopher went along to open days and took the entrance examinations at two of Wales's most prestigious schools.  He passed both examinations and was offered a place at both schools.  He chose to attend The Cathedral School.  During his first term of school things went very well, he became an active member of the school enjoying the perks of being a part of The Chess and Science Club .  

Tragedy struck when his mother was involved in a road traffic accident which nearly saw him lose both his Mother and Grandmother.  His Mother's condition worsened, now being too ill to support Christopher to go to his extracurricular avtivities and take care of Christopher's needs things would become difficult for Christopher at both home and school he would be diagnosed with ;Asthma, IBS and himself began to Self Harm.  Christopher would also become a target for school bullies and was involved in a serious assault from another pupil.  He recalls "I would have to look after my Mum, keep on top of school work and it just felt like for all my hard work what was I getting back nothing, none of my friends in school could relate to what I was going through there was no one to talk to, or who I could trust to talk to because I didn't want any more stress for my Mum we needed help and never got it!" 

Through lack of support from the school, and other services Christopher lost his place at The Cathedral School .

His Mother tried to appeal against the decision but had no support and lost her case, the school were unhappy with the fact that Christopher wore his hair in braids, stating it not to be "traditional office dress code" they found Annika to be an "unreasonable parent" as a consequence of her medical side effects at the time, the school claimed they did not have the facilities to support pupils or their parents who live with disabilities.  


Although Christopher had the opportunity to accompany his mother on various assignments such as theMOBO Awards press launch party, and meeting the likes of hip hop star Nelly when he toured in Cardiff, his first official press room experience came when he attended the 'Michael Jackson Tribute Concert' and got to meet A-list celebrities such as Alexandra Burke, La Toya Jackson, Diversity, 3T, Smokey Robinson, Craig David, Leona Lewis, The Jacksons-Marlon, Jackie & Tito, Latoya Jackson, JLS and Ne-Yo.  Christopher also gained valuable knowledge from the media industries best with Journalists such as MTV's Sarah Whitmore also covering the event at the Wales Millenium Stadium.

Currently Christopher is attending a public school nearer to his home, he is volunteering with Radio Cardiff and enjoys the Mark Jermin Stage School.  He hopes to raise awareness of issues young carers face with the support of the YMCA and Crossroads; an organisation which help young people to meet other young carers and enjoy activities away from home care life (http://www.crossroads.org) 

Christopher looks forward to what the future holds, awaiting the publication of his first children's book: 'A Day in the Life of a Young Carer', hosting and promoting the 'Young Carers Show' on Radio Cardiff, working with the Director (Mr Dean Alexander) of the UK Birmingham Black International Film Festival, progressing further in theMark Jermin Stage School and continuing training with the Welsh Athletics Team and Welsh Karate Kickboxing Association. He hopes to  attend university visit Japan and become a successful business man so that he can be independently support himself and take care of his Mother and Grandmother better in the future.

You can follow Christopher's progress here:
https://twitter.com/cjsnation