Family-owned UK shoe retailer, Pavers, donates £65,000 to leading mental health charity, Mind, through its charitable initiative, the Pavers Foundation.
Mind has been awarded £65,000 by the Pavers Foundation, the employee led charitable initiative created by family-owned shoe retailer Pavers Shoes, after employees voted it their latest Charity of the Year.
The Pavers Foundation was established to share Pavers success through charitable giving to causes close to the hearts of its 1,700-strong employees. Since launching, the Pavers Foundation has awarded over half a million to good causes. The Charity of the Year initiative, which is part of the Foundation’s activities, involved staff at their Head Office and across Pavers Shoes stores, Jones Bootmaker stores and at Herring shoes, voting for their favourite charity from a shortlist of four.
Wishing to show support to its three runner-up charities, the Foundation has donated £2,500 to Antibiotic Research UK, Dogs for Good and Parkinson’s UK.
Mind offers specialist support and advice to anyone with a mental health problem. Mind provide essential information, so people can make informed choices and access the treatment and support that is right for them.
The Pavers Foundation donation will help Mind continue to provide support to anyone who needs it through projects like Elefriends, their online peer support network, and local peer support projects like Side by Side. Supported by national Mind, each Side by Side Hub equips people running local peer support groups with coaching, 1:1 support, toolkits and resources, so they can deliver quality peer support and make a real difference to people who are struggling to cope.
“It’s like opening a door and entering a different world, shutting the door and then being able to breathe and think, oh I can take a sigh of relief and think ‘I’m here, I’m with people that get it.”
Emma Ihsan, Head of Corporate Partnerships at Mind, said:
“We are so grateful to all the employees at Pavers, Jones Bootmaker and Herring, for choosing Mind as their Charity of the Year. This generous donation will help us fund projects such as the Infoline, which provides support and advice to those of us with mental health problems, ensuring none of us experience them alone. It also helps us campaign to ensure that everyone with a mental health problem gets support and respect. On behalf of everyone at Mind, thank you.”
Marie Samuels, Area Manager at Pavers and Pavers Foundation Committee Member said:
“I voted for Mind as they do such valuable work. As a mental health first aider within the business I recognise that many people can suffer poor mental health from time to time – whether it be, the stress’ and pressure of the workplace or school, anxiety, phobias and disorders, periodically people need someone they can talk to or confide in. Mind is a place of confidence and comfort for those people.”
To learn more about the Pavers Foundation, visit: www.paversfoundation.co.uk/, and for more information on Mind and to donate: www.mind.org.uk/.
