Support in Mind Scotland announced as Lothian’s Charity of the Year

More than 2500 staff across all Lothian sites voted for the charity Lothian Buses today announced that mental health charity, Support in Mind Scotland, has been chosen as the company’s Charity of Choice for the next two years. Support in Mind Scotland are Lothian’s second Charity of Choice, after its two year partnership with Macmillan Cancer Support came to an end last year. Support in Mind Scotland will be gifted a specially designed bus to carry their messaging, which Lothian will use on services across Edinburgh and the Lothians. Support in Mind Scotland specialise in helping people with mental health issues. The charity’s main aim is to improve the quality of life for anyone whose mental health problems or mental illness has a serious impact on their lives. The charity supports 1,300 people each week across a wide range of services. In their Broughton Street base at The Stafford Centre, Support in Mind Scotland runs free music lessons, a mental health radio station, as well as hosting arts and crafts groups. The charity also organises weekly walks around the Lothians, promoting a healthier lifestyle as well as improving mental health. Lothian’s 2500+ strong workforce chose Support in Mind during a staff vote across all of the company’s sites. Gaynor Marshall, Communications Director of Lothian, said: “Lothian are absolutely delighted to announce Support in Mind as our Charity of Choice for 2020/2021. “Awareness of mental health and wellbeing is hugely important and colleagues from across the business made a real connection with the Charity’s ethos and values” “We look forward to working with Support in Mind over the next two years and hope that our partnership will help to both raise awareness of and develop a better understanding of some of the challenges faced by those suffering from mental health issues.” Frances Simpson, CEO of Support in Mind Scotland, said: “We are absolutely thrilled to embark on this exciting two-year partnership with a company as high-profile as Lothian and thank their employees for choosing us. The backing of Lothian will make a lasting difference to our charity. We look forward to raising mental health awareness among staff and passengers and promoting the work we do at The Stafford Centre and beyond.”