Published Article

HeadlineScream on the Green

Short HeadlineScream on the green - London's newest form of therapy

StandfirstLondoners flood to Primrose Hill for their new post 9-5 release

Have you ever felt like it was all getting a bit much? On the cusp of a tough breakup? Made redundant? Cost of living got you down and broke? Ever felt you just wanted to scream your lungs out incessantly for 15 minutes in a park? Well Londoners, now you can.

Mona Sharif, founder of The Official London Scream Squad needed it too.

So last week she posted a video inviting TikTok users to join her in Primrose Hill for a communal scream.

“Personally, I’ve had a year. Leaving a toxic job, friendship break-ups, career crisis, a non-existent love life. I NEEDED to scream.”

Mona quit her corporate 9-5 job in April 2025 and has since garnered a social media platform centred around the challenges she faces as a 26-year-old British Iraqi woman living in London.

So how was Scream Squad born? Like most of us Mona had been scrolling on TikTok and came across a video of a ‘Minnesota Scream Club’, with creator @landof10000screams “hosting these group scream clubs by some random lake.”

Mona had been experiencing what most Londoners have; a lack of community, relentless 9-5 and no place to release. According to the charity, Campaign to End Loneliness, “Londoners are more likely than others in the UK to be affected by severe forms of loneliness – 700,000 of them feel lonely ‘most’ or ‘all of the time.”

For Mona, enough was enough,  “What started off as a joke in my room after months of pent-up frustration, ‘London Scream Squad was born.”

@monsharx

♬ original sound – MON SHARX | مـُـنى

Without realising it, Mona hit a gold mine.

“I had 0 expectations regarding the turnout. I attended alone as I thought only 20 people MAX would turn up, because let’s be real, scream club? That’s so absurd.”

Not so absurd, to her fellow Londoners, with 600+ attendees, Mona’s relatability, and openness mirrored hundreds of other young people living in London.

Scream Squads’ success unearths a deeper issue “there is a lot of unease in the city and world for that matter, and the number of attendees reflects that.”

According to the mental health charity Young Minds, 35% of 18–24-year-olds in employment reported needing to take time off work due to poor mental health or stress.

Mona’s confession created a domino scream effect “what initially started off as a personal side quest to let off some pent-up steam, turned into a mosh pit of pure screaming joy.”

For Mona, inclusivity and wellness are the foundations of Scream Squad “there is still immense stigma around talking about mental health and personal daily struggles.” This manifests in all London communities, with suicide being the leading cause of death for people aged 5-35 in England in 2023, and three quarters were boys or young men.

These statistics emphasise not only the purpose of Scream Squad but its focus on inclusivity “stress relief and community are for everyone. There is no point excluding people when it comes to discussions around mental health.”

@domrbuxton

London Scream Club at Primrose Hill #londonscreamclub

♬ original sound – Dom Buxton

Mona has become the figurehead of a mental health movement. The first Scream Squad’s immense success solidified a gap in the London market, and an outlet for post 9-5 release.

The second Scream Squad event will be taking place on Saturday 18th October @ 15:00, in Hyde Park,  but before you attend, Mona makes the first rule of Scream Squad clear: think about your intent.

Ask yourself why and how scream squad can help you. Come with “the intention to release stress and be a part of a bigger community to combat the stigma around mental health.”

She also gives troublemakers a serious warning; anyone “with the intention to cause chaos and disrupt the event. Please stay home. This isn’t a number game, or how loud can we scream.”