M&S colleagues put in a winning performance at a 19-team charity football tournament at Powerleague Leeds Central last week, raising £14,900 for youth mental health charity YoungMinds.
The charity football tournament, now in its third year, saw members of M&S’ property team compete against partners such as Audas Project Management, construction company The Wates Group, and demolition specialists BibbEgan, who help to build and renew M&S stores across the UK.
Repair and refurbishment contractors APA Group Services took the trophy this year, with asbestos removal contractor WestCross Environmental Services taking second place. The tournament has raised a combined £31,500 since it kicked off in 2023.
The event marks the end of this year’s M&S Big Fun-Raiser campaign. The money raised will help YoungMinds continue providing vital support for young people, parents and carers including through their Parents Helpline and online resources.
Nearly 14,000 parents and carers contacted the helpline for support last year and anxiety, difficulties at school and anger/aggression were among the top concerns young people were struggling with.
Since launching in October 2023, M&S has now raised over £7million for charity partner YoungMinds, helping to fund the charity’s work and ensure more young people and families get the support they need.
The Leeds tournament follows the fundraising efforts of M&S stores across Leeds, with colleagues at the Pudsey store taking part in a ‘Pudsey to Paris’ 470-mile cycling challenge on an exercise bike in-store and others scaling the Yorkshire 3 Peaks.
Marc Simpson, Construction and Global Sourcing Office Safety Manager at M&S, said: “The tournament is an amazing opportunity to come together here in Leeds with our brilliant partners to raise money for a fantastic cause - and to get a bit competitive. A massive thank you to everyone who joined in and all those who donated. When we first started three years ago, we had eight teams taking part, so to see that more than double to nineteen is a particularly proud moment.”
Kiran Ramchandani, Interim Director of Policy and Communications at YoungMinds, added: “A huge thank you to everyone who took part. 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.”
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