A Cornwall local and M&S colleague is preparing to cycle the length of the country to raise vital funds for the charity YoungMinds.
Simon Bonner (36), who has worked at M&S for 12 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 used to cycle a lot but after having my little boy, Fletcher, three years ago, family life became my priority and I stopped,” said Simon. “This challenge has given me the perfect reason to get back into the saddle. I’d love to be able to tell him one day that his dad achieved this.
Simon continued: "YoungMinds is an incredibly important cause to me both personally and professionally, especially as you really notice the mental health struggles people go through post-COVID.
"The work the charity does to support children and their families is huge, and I'm so proud to be part of a challenge that unites everyone across the business - from customer assistants right up to the board - behind such a vital message.”
M&S has raised over £6.6 million 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.
“I’ve taken part in cycle fundraisers before, including 100-mile sportives for Macmillan, but I’ve never done anything on the scale of Land’s End to John O’ Groats,” Simon added. “It’s been a juggling act to fit training in around my day job and family life, but I’ve managed to squeeze it in wherever I can!
“I think the hardest part of the challenge for me will be spending 11 days away from my family, I haven’t been apart from my son since he was born. But despite the nerves, I’m really looking forward to it, especially reaching Scotland. I’ve never been before and everyone tells me how picturesque it is, so I can’t wait to get to that finish line and cross it altogether.”
As he makes his final preparations, Simon is encouraging the local community to get behind the challenge: “This charity is so important as it’s all about family life and our future generations. In my professional setting, it’s heartbreaking to watch young people’s career paths be affected by mental health issues.
“Almost every family knows someone who struggles, which is why it’s such an essential cause to get behind. Any support from the local community would mean the world to us.”
Abigail Ampofo, Interim Chief Executive at YoungMinds, said: “We’re hugely grateful to Simon 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