Staff from Marks & Spencer’s Simply Food store on the Upper Newtownards Road, Belfast, will be ‘stepping up’ to take part in this year’s Belfast City Marathon taking place on Monday 3^rd May 2010 to raise funds for the local mental health charity, MindWise.

 

The staff joined up with MindWise Volunteers, Dermot and Shereena to launch their fundraising efforts today at the store in Ballyhackamore, East Belfast.

 

The store is one of MindWise’s charity partners for 2010 and since November last year staff and customers have been engaging in various fundraising activities including store collections and taking part in a Santa Stroll to help raise money to support MindWise services.

 

MindWise offers support and services to local people affected by severe mental illness and other mental health difficulties from 34 services around the province

 

Staff from the store including its Manager, Andy Stone are now in training to take part in this year’s Marathon event both to raise money for MindWise and to raise awareness of the issue of mental illness which can affect as many as one in four local people at any one time.

 

Store Manager, Andy Stone hopes all of the store’s customers will take time to support their Marathon efforts by calling into the store and sponsoring the runners. He said “MindWise does excellent work to support local people affected by mental illness, something that could happen to any of us. I myself have met some of the people who MindWise support’s and I know the value of that support to them in order to help aid their recovery. I and all the staff in the store are fully committed to raising as much money as we can to help MindWise provide those services to all the people that need them”.

 

Geoff Scott, MindWise’s Public Affairs Manager is commending the staff for their efforts and is wishing them all the best for the Marathon, he said “Mental health charities often do not get financial support from the public that other causes do, so it means a great deal to us that the store is working with MindWise both to raise money for us and also to raise awareness of mental illness. I hope anyone who will be going along to this year’s Marathon will cheer on the efforts of all those taking part who are running to help MindWise”.