19.04.2024
We partnered with local charity Mind in Croydon for our 2018/19 fundraising year.
Partnering with a local mental health charity, situated close to our head office in East Croydon has given us the chance to get hands on with a number of local volunteering opportunities.
Mind in Croydon was chosen by PPF employees for a number of reasons, some of them personal.
Approximately 1 in 4 people in the UK will experience a mental health problem each year, with 1 in 6 experiencing a common mental health problem, like anxiety and depression, in any given week.
Our most ambitious year to date
Our mission was to raise as much as we possibly could to help Mind in Croydon fund their services, and to help break down the stigma surrounding mental health problems.
On Thursday we held an event attended by Councillor Janet Campbell, mental health champion for the Borough of Croydon and Bernadette Khan, Mayor of Croydon.
At the event, PPF employees revealed the fundraising total of £10,000 to Richard Pacitti, CEO of Mind in Croydon and some of the charity’s service users.
Oliver Morley, Chief Executive Officer at the PPF said:
“We’re very proud to have achieved so much for Mind in Croydon. To say that it’s been a busy year of charitable activity for the PPF would be an understatement. Our people have thrown themselves into the challenge and have developed so much passion for the charity that they’ve voted to partner with Mind in Croydon for a second year; a third with a mental health charity. It gives me great pleasure to lead an organisation of people who care about making a difference in the community.”
Our staff raised the money for Mind in Croydon through a variety of fundraising events over the year, including bake sales, football tournaments, a 5k run and quiz nights, and other volunteering projects.
Our volunteers also gave their time at the Mind in Croydon Hub, a drop-in centre where service users are able to take part in groups and activities to help boost their confidence, discuss their mental health needs, and meet with other people.
In October 2018, we organised our most ambitious fundraising event yet – Never Mind the Catwalk, at Boxpark Croydon. Volunteers put on a fashion show using clothes donated to Mind in Croydon’s charity shop, which were also made available to purchase. The event also featured live music, mental health information and special appearances from the Mayor of Croydon and Councillor Janet Campbell.
Lauren Furey, CSR Charity Champion said:
“Never Mind the Catwalk was such a massive collaborative effort and to see it bring the community together to raise money and open minds was incredibly moving. Every single person involved in that event from the volunteers to the performers and even the Mayor of Croydon understood the importance of what we were trying to achieve for Mind in Croydon.”
At Christmas, our volunteers donated goods for festive hampers, which were decorated and delivered to service users via the Mind in Croydon hub.
Our commitment to supporting mental health
We employ nearly 400 people and take mental health at work seriously. Every member of staff with line management responsibilities receives mental health awareness training with Mental Health First Aid England.
In 2019 so far 112 PPF employees have been given this training and nine members of staff have been trained to become qualified mental health first aiders. We also offer employees the opportunity to take up to five days’ discretionary volunteer leave.
