Marks & Spencer (M&S) has announced a three-year partnership with Ireland’s leading youth mental health charity Jigsaw.
The partnership aims to raise capacity, reach and accessibility of the help available to young people across Ireland struggling with their mental health through a series of fundraising and awareness initiatives.
The announcement comes shortly after Jigsaw and Lidl Ireland announced the end of their six-year partnership.
Campaigns
Through colleague and customer donations, as well as dedicated fundraising campaigns, M&S aims to raise €350,000 for Jigsaw over the next three years.
Jigsaw’s ambition is to reach 1.5 million young people and their families by 2026 with access to mental health support and services.
The support will improve their understanding of mental health, drive awareness of available services and help to break down barriers that prevent young people from seeking support.
M&S will support the partnership with fundraising, in-store point-of-sale materials, radio and social media campaigns.
According to a report issued in May 2023, titled “A Piece of My Mind” by the Ombudsman for Children’s Office (OCO), almost 30% of children rate their mental health as “not good” and said they help to manage it.
To kick off the partnership, M&S will host a marathon walk on 7 June.
Donations will support the charity’s new initiative, Jigsaw Connect, which is an integrated and digital suite of mental health services.
‘No Young Person Should Feel Alone’
Speaking about the partnership, the country director for M&S Ireland and Northern Ireland Eddie Murphy said, “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’s values.
“We know how much the mental health of young people matters to both our customers and colleagues.
“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.”
The chief executive of Jigsaw Dr. Jospeh Duffy added, “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 joing 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.”
The director of funding and communications at Jigsaw Mike Mansfield said, “Everyone at Jigsaw can’t wait to start working with M&S staff and customers across Ireland – together, we can ensure young people are connected to their community and have easy-to-access support to help them navigate through the tough times in their young lives.”
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