North East M&S staff team up to take on the Great North Run for mental health charity

Five M&S North East colleagues aim to raise £5k for YoungMinds by taking on Great North Run
-Credit: (Image: M&S)


M&S staff from across the North East will be switching their uniform for running gear as they take on the Great North Run.

Store managers and deputy managers from four branches in the region have teamed up to take on the 13.1 mile route from Newcastle to South Shields to raise money for UK mental health charity, YoungMinds. And before they even reach the start line, the team have already smashed their £5,000 target, raising more than £6,800 for the cause.

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

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.

YoungMinds, which is M&S’ charity partner, provides mental health support for young people across the UK and the adults in their lives, including running a parents helpline which provides advice and support. The retailer announced its partnership with YoungMinds last October and is aiming to raise £5million over the next three years to support seven million young people and the adults in their lives.

So far, more than £2.1million has been raised through range of in-store events across the retailer's North East stores, including a 'Paint the North East Yellow' day where M&S colleagues swapped their uniform for yellow clothes in support of YoungMinds.

And taking part in the Great North Run is the next attempt to bringing the team closer to reaching their ambitious £5million target.

Hallen Chaganis, Store Manager at M&S Durham Arnison and one of the five taking on the Great North Run said: "We are incredibly excited, and slightly nervous, for this Sunday! The training has been a real challenge but what has got us through is the fantastic support we’ve had from the entire M&S team in the North East and our incredible customers.

"We cannot believe we hit our target and with 3 days still to go we're hoping to raise even more. YoungMinds is a charity really close to our hearts and they do fantastic work in supporting young people, their parents and carers - for parents like Rob and I it's good to know there are people to turn too should our children need support. We are so proud to be playing our part in helping support YoungMinds work and we will be easy to spot, crossing the finishing line in our yellow YoungMinds t-shirts!"

Hellen will be taking on the Great North Run alongside Rob Slone, Store Manager at M&S The Galleries, Zoe Bober, Deputy Store Manager at M&S Silverlink in North Tyneside and Vicky Stephenson and Josh Cooper, Deputy Store Managers at M&S Metrocentre in Gateshead have been training for months in preparation for the run.

Five M&S North East colleagues aim to raise £5k for YoungMinds by taking on Great North Run
Five M&S North East colleagues aim to raise £5k for YoungMinds by taking on Great North Run -Credit:M&S

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 of Hellen, Rob, Zoe, Josh, Vicky and the whole team at M&S will help us reach and support more young people and the adults in their lives – the whole YoungMinds team will be cheering them on this Sunday!"

The team's online fundraising page can be found here.