A Cheshire local and M&S colleague is preparing to cycle the length of the country to raise vital funds for the charity YoungMinds.
Kersty Grout (54), who has worked at M&S for 10 years, is one of 18 colleagues taking on the gruelling Land's End to John O' Groats challenge as part of M&S’ ‘Big Fun-Raiser’ charity event.
Starting on 4 June, the team will embark on a mammoth 900-mile journey, cycling for 10 consecutive days and covering approximately 90-100 miles each day, as part of M&S’ efforts to support young people's mental health through its partnership with YoungMinds.
“I first took up cycling about twelve years ago as a respite while I was the primary carer for both my mum and my dad, and I found it really helped my own mental health,” said Kersty. “When the opportunity came up to get involved with this fundraiser, I thought what better way to help young people than by using a hobby I absolutely love.
“It’s a very personal cause to me as my own son struggled with his mental health when he was younger, and looking back, I wish I had known to contact YoungMinds at the time. The work they do to support young people and their families is absolutely fantastic.”
M&S has raised over £6.6million for charity partner YoungMinds over the past two and a half years and is now aiming to reach £7 million to help fund the charity’s work. This includes their services and support for parents and carers, to ensure more young people and families get the support they need.
This isn’t Kersty’s first endurance challenge as she’s previously completed cycling challenges both in the UK and abroad. “I’ve been lucky enough to enjoy cycling holidays all over the world as well as a charity cycle from London to Amsterdam, which will hopefully stand me in good stead for the journey ahead,” she said.
“My plan is just to take it slow and steady, as keeping going day after day and tackling those notorious hills is definitely going to be the most challenging aspect. I’ve been putting in the hours at my local country club to prepare, and my spin instructor has been so supportive that they’re even coming to see me off at the start line!
“Normally I go abroad to cycle because of the heat, so I'm really looking forward to seeing some of the beautiful parts of this country and just taking in all the nature from my bike. I’m especially excited to reach Scotland as my dad was from Edinburgh and it was a big part of my childhood growing up.”
Kersty added: “It's also going to be incredibly special to share this experience with colleagues across the business - it's so lovely that everyone from customer assistants to board members are taking part as equals, supporting each other every step of the way.”
As she makes her final preparations, Kersty is encouraging the local community to get behind the challenge: “This is a massive challenge we're taking on and I'm certainly no spring chicken, but it is completely worth it for such a brilliant cause.
“I would encourage everyone to get behind the team in any way they can, because every little bit of support will help us make a real difference for young people.”
Abigail Ampofo, Interim Chief Executive at YoungMinds, said: “We’re hugely grateful to Kersty and all the riders at M&S for taking part in this challenge. Their fundraising efforts will help support our work including our parents helpline, so we can be there for parents and carers and the young people in their lives, at a time when more young people than ever are struggling with their mental health.”
To learn more about the event or to donate, visit thebigfunraiser.com
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For further information, please contact:
M&S Corporate Press Office: +44 (0)20 8718 1919
[email protected]
Notes to editor
Launched in 2023, M&S and YoungMinds partnered to make a difference for young people’s mental health.
YoungMinds are the UK’s leading youth mental health charity, providing vital support to young people and equipping the adults in their lives with the tools they need to help.
Your efforts have already helped us smash our £5m target for YoungMinds. With your support, M&S aims to raise a further £1.5m - that amount could fund YoungMinds’ services for parents and carers for a whole year.
About M&S
At M&S our vision is to be the UK’s most trusted retailer, committed to doing the right thing for our customers, communities, and colleagues. We offer a wide range of delicious, great-quality M&S Food and stylish Fashion, Home and Beauty products across UK stores, international franchise partners and online at M&S.com. With quality at the heart of everything we do, we bring the magic of M&S to life through exceptional products, great value, outstanding service, and continuous innovation - delivering an inspiring shopping experience whenever and however customers choose to shop with us.
About YoungMinds
YoungMinds is the leading charity for young people’s mental health. They provide information and advice for young people online through social media and direct programmes to support their mental health. They also run a dedicated parents helpline, providing information and guidance for parents and carers to support their child’s mental health. The parents helpline can be reached on 0808 802 5544. Or visit youngminds.org.uk for more information.
Follow YoungMinds on Instagram and Facebook