Purley Way M&S staff go the distance to help YoungMinds – Inside Croydon

By Vimal Vivegananda

Staff at M&S ​​Purley Way completed an impressive 17-mile walk from the store to Westminster, raising £700 so far for the charity YoungMinds.

Receipts: Staff at M&S ​​Purley Way raised £700 for charity with the long walk

Samantha King, Camilla Harris, Kelly Woodford, Reshma Khan, Michael Stevens, Marli Rosa, Alicja Gieryk, Marlene Ballasingh and Ben Fisher took part in the walk, which saw them follow the River Wandle and then turn right once they reached the Thames. Purley Way is one of 360 stores across the country facing the fundraising challenge.

The activity is part of M&S’s partnership with Young Minds, which aims to raise £5 million over the three years to support young people’s mental health. Last month, M&S announced that 5p from the sale of every loaf of its Farmhouse bread range would be donated to YoungMinds.

“It was brilliant to complete our 17 mile walk to Westminster as a team and raise money for such a worthy cause,” said Samantha King, deputy manager of the Purley Way store.

“I would like to thank all our customers for their generosity and there is still time to donate!”

The charity YoungMinds supports up to 7 million young people and adults through easy-to-access online resources and a dedicated helpline.

Laura Bunt, chief executive of YoungMinds, noted the difficulties young people face in getting support for their mental health, said “M&S’s fundraising efforts will help us reach and support more young people and adults in their life”.

Bunt said: “Life is getting harder for young people and record numbers need support for their mental health. When they are able to access the help they need, things can get better, but the wait for help is often too long or the right help is not available. Together with M&S, we want to show young people that together we can change things.”

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