Heart of England Co-operative Society shoppers help swell the coffers of Coventry and Warwickshire Mind

Shoppers at the Heart of England Co-operative Society have helped give a boost to people in Coventry and Warwickshire battling mental health issues.

Customers across the area voted for Coventry and Warwickshire Mind to receive a share of £40,000 – every penny of which was raised through the sales of carrier bags at Society stores.

With the charity scoring highly for votes in Coventry, Warwick, Nuneaton and Rugby, the Society has awarded a total of £6,000 to Mind – £1,500 to each area.

The money will be used towards the running costs of Mind’s wellbeing hubs in the four towns – free open access drop-in centres for people looking for a safe, supportive space to access information and support related to mental health and wellbeing.

Delivering almost 23,000 interventions to support people of all ages in Coventry and Warwickshire during 2016-17, Mind says poor mental health and wellbeing is rife in the area.

Costing the economy more than £12 billion a year it is estimated there are actually more than 67,000 common mental health disorders among 16 to 74-year-olds in Coventry alone, with a further 500 people experiencing a psychotic disorder.

Regionally, poor mental health and wellbeing has been identified as a significant issue, leading to enormous distress and reduced productivity, and putting increased pressure on public services.

Kay St Clair, joint CEO of Coventry and Warwickshire Mind, said: “We are absolutely delighted by the donation from the Heart of England Co-op which will benefit so many within our area through the wellbeing hubs in Coventry, Nuneaton, Rugby and Leamington.

“We would like to thank every shopper who voted for us. Every penny will be spent supporting people experiencing mental health issues in our area.”

The money was raised through sales of 5p carrier bags as part of the government scheme launched in October 2015.

Bag sales from the Heart of England Co-operative Society have reached £90,000 in the past year alone. Every penny of the sales has been distributed among charities chosen by customers throughout the Society’s network of stores.

Ali Kurji, Chief Executive of the Heart of England Co-operative Society, said: “With one in four of us experiencing mental health problems at some time in our lives, and hundreds of thousands of us struggling on a daily basis, Coventry and Warwickshire Mind provides a vital service, impacting millions of lives each year,
to ensure that no-one faces their problems alone.

“The impact of mental health is far reaching, in many cases with devastating consequences. This money will go some way to helping Coventry and Warwickshire Mind implement the necessary support systems and we would like to thank every one of our customers in Coventry, Nuneaton, Rugby and south Warwickshire who took the time to vote for the charity to receive this money.”

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