M&S Chichester takes part in a big 'fun-raiser' for YoungMinds mental health support

M&S Chichester has completed a ‘Fun-raiser’ challenge for YoungMinds, the leading mental health charity for young people, to raise awareness and much needed funds for those struggling with their mental health.

M&S Chichester is one of over 360 stores across the UK to take on a challenge to see how far they can go for the charity.

The store team clocked up an incredibly 180 miles across two days on an exercise bike in-store, raising over £1,700 so far. One colleague John took on the return 90-mile challenge solo, raising £450 in the process while several store team colleagues took hour-long turns on the bike.

Customers are still able to donate in-store or via the M&S website here and the Chichester team is hoping to surpass the £2,000 mark by the end of the month.

The activity is part of M&S’ partnership with Young Minds, announced last October, aiming to raise £5million over the next three years to support young people’s mental health.

This will enable YoungMinds to support seven million young people and the adults in their lives through easy to access online resources and its dedicated Parent’s Helpline.

Nina Lewis, Deputy Store Manager at M&S Chichester, said: “We are incredibly proud as a team to be supporting the fantastic work YoungMinds do to support young people across the country.

"I’d like to thank all our customers for not only their amazing generosity but all the support and encouragement they’ve given to the whole team.

"It has really got us through those miles! If anyone has a young person in their life, I’d encourage them to take a look at the support YoungMinds can offer or ask a member of our Chichester team for more information.”

To kick-start the partnership last October, M&S made a £1 million donation, and the generosity of customers and colleagues has raised an additional £700,000 so far.

M&S also recently announced that 5p from the sale of every loaf in its Farmhouse loaf range would be donated to YoungMinds.

The popular Farmhouse range is comprised of five different loaves and now has updated packaging to highlight the donation.

Research commissioned last year by M&S and Young Minds found that despite struggling with their mental health, 65% of young people hadn’t asked for any kind of formal support – 33% of those said they felt too embarrassed.

While loneliness was found to be the primary cause of mental health problems among the young people surveyed, 61% of those waiting for mental health support said they had stopped attending school, college, university or work – risking greater isolation form their friends.

Laura Bunt, Chief Executive of YoungMinds, said: “Life is increasingly tough for young people and record numbers are in need of support for their mental health.

"When they’re able to access the help they need, things can get better, but the wait for support is often too long or the right support isn’t available.

"Together with M&S, we want to show young people that together we can turn things around. The incredible fundraising efforts by M&S will help us reach and support more young people and the adults in their lives.”