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7th June 2024
04:50pm BST
UK retailer Marks & Spencer (M&S) has announced the three-year partnership with Ireland’s leading youth mental health charity, Jigsaw. Through a series of fundraising and awareness initiatives, the partnership aims to improve mental health services for young people across Ireland. M&S aims to raise €350,000 for Jigsaw over the next 3 years through colleague and customer donations, as well as dedicated fundraising campaigns, Aligning with Jigsaw’s ambition is to reach 1.5 million young people and their families with access to mental health support and services by 2026. This support will improve their understanding of mental health, drive awareness of available services and help break down barriers that prevent them from seeking support. M&S will support the partnership with fundraising, in-store point-of-sale materials, and radio and social media campaigns.
To kick off the partnership, M&S staff will host a 26-mile marathon walk on the 7th of June, starting at M&S Liffey Valley and culminating on M&S Grafton Street. Along the route, participants will engage with various M&S stores and Jigsaw locations. Each store across the country will also host unique fundraising activities beginning on the same day.
Almost 30% of children rate their mental health as 'not good' and need help to manage it, according to a recent report by the Ombudsman for Children’s Office (OCO). In that same report published in May 2023, titled “A Piece of My Mind” which surveyed 2,166 children aged between 12 and 17, found that more than four in 10 children who availed of mental health services reported that it “did not deal with their problem or the cause of their difficulty”, highlighting the urgent need for accessible and effective mental health
support for young people.
"At M&S, we believe in the power of community and the importance of supporting our youth. Jigsaw’s mission to ensure every young person in Ireland has their mental health valued and supported aligns perfectly with M&S’ values. We know how much the mental health of young people matters to both our customers and colleagues," said Eddie Murphy, Country Director for Marks & Spencer Ireland and Northern Ireland, adding that, "no young person should feel alone, and no adult should feel lost when they want to help. That's why we're working together with Jigsaw to make an impactful difference. We are hugely impressed by the work Jigsaw does and inspired to walk side by side to make a real difference in the lives of young people".
M&S donations will support the charity’s new initiative, Jigsaw Connect, which is an integrated and digital suite of mental health services, accessed through Jigsaw.ie, that provides a variety of supports for young people experiencing a range of mental health difficulties.
Speaking on the partnership Dr. Joseph Duffy, CEO at Jigsaw said, "This partnership with M&S is huge for Jigsaw and for youth mental health in Ireland. As we continue to see a surge in demand for our mental health services, it is so important that young people across Ireland know that we stand by them. This partnership with M&S makes that possible. Jigsaw and M&S share a joint ambition for supporting youth mental health and wellbeing in Ireland, and together, we believe this unique partnership affords us the opportunity to spread more awareness, to raise more funds and to drive more change."
This initiative aligns with M&S UK partnership with YoungMinds - a mental health charity for children, young people and their parents - reflecting a shared commitment to youth mental health across both regions.
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