Charity of the Year partnership between arc and Suffolk Mind has been extended into 2021

We are pleased to announce that we will be extending their charity partnership with Suffolk Mind into 2021.

We have been working closely with Suffolk Mind throughout the year to not only help them raise awareness but also funds for their worthy cause, while providing shoppers with some exciting activities throughout the year.

We celebrated Mental Health Awareness Day over the weekend, treating shoppers to a gift to put a smile on their faces. The gifts ranged from £5 Paperchase vouchers to ‘meals on us’ at Wagamama and Nandos. However we aim to promote the importance of Mental Health awareness and the Suffolk Mind services throughout the remainder of 2020 and throughout 2021, not just on Mental Health Awareness Day.

With the year that everyone has had, Suffolk Mind has been even busier than normal with the callers using their telephone services increasing dramatically and those requiring mental health support on the rise. The Suffolk Mind team have also been creating resources for both adults and children to stay well during the COVID-19 outbreak. All while their usual fundraising activities have been reduced due to social distancing.

We are therefore delighted to be able to continue to have Suffolk Mind as our Charity Of The Year for 2021.

We will be working closely with Suffolk Mind, encouraging shoppers to speak their mind and share their stories so others can see that they’re not alone in the challenges they’re facing.

Amanda Sturgeon from Suffolk Mind said: ““We’re so pleased that the arc are continuing their Charity of the Year partnership with us for another year. Suffolk Mind are needed now more than ever as many people’s lives have been turned upside down in recent months. Partnerships like this help us to develop and run new services, training and resources in order to improve lives in practical ways.”

Steve Bunce, Centre Manager at arc shopping centre, said: “Our partnership with Suffolk Mind is really important and we are delighted to be able to extend our efforts into 2021. Mental health is such an important topic to get people talking about, with one in four of us experiencing a mental health problem it will be affecting many of our shoppers.”

Suffolk Mind’s mission is to make Suffolk the best place in the world for talking about and taking care of mental health. All of us have mental health, just as we have physical health. We are all on the mental health continuum – and we move up and down it depending on how we cope with the challenges of life and the stresses that it creates. Suffolk Mind works across the continuum, from wellbeing to ‘severe and enduring’ mental ill-health, providing support & information for everyone.