The Midcounties Co-operative Raises £3,000 for Mental Health Charity

As part of our activity for Mental Health Awareness Week (10^th – 16^th May), we encouraged all colleagues to get outside and get active – not only for their own wellbeing, but for the chance to raise money for charity too.

We set a challenge for colleagues to walk, run, swim or cycle 2,500 miles collectively, with the promise of donating £2,500 to Springfield MIND – a mental health charity supporting those in need across Warwickshire and Worcestershire – if the goal was met.

By the end of the week, our colleagues had smashed the target logging over 3,800 miles in total.

In recognition of the amazing efforts made by our team, we’ve decided to increase our donation by £500 to £3,000.

Rebekah Brain, society engagement manager, at The Midcounties Co-operative, said: “We’d like to say a massive thank you to our wonderful colleagues for getting involved in our Mental Health Awareness Week challenge.

There’s no doubt that the past year has been especially challenging for a lot of people in different ways, so it’s been great to raise money for Springfield MIND. We hope it goes a small way in helping to fund their vital services so they can continue to be there for those in need in our communities."

Paol Stuart-Thomson, trainer for Mind, added: “Thank you to all of those at The Midcounties Co-operative who supported us during Mental Health Awareness Week. This money makes a huge impact in the amount of people we can support on a one-to-one basis and through our peer support.”

The Society has worked in partnership with Springfield MIND for three years to help support our colleagues with mental health training that includes tips for self-care, learning how to recognise mental health problems and how to reach out to others that may need support.

It has also facilitated sessions wiih members and colleagues, including mental health first aid training with senior colleagues to ensure that all everyone feels able to speak openly about their issues in the workplace.