Beyondly donated £7,000 to Manchester Mind’s Allotment Project through its Fund for Change.
Manchester Mind is an independent mental health charity that has been supporting the people of Manchester with its services for nearly 35 years.
In 2023, Manchester Mind was selected to receive a donation from Beyondly's Fund for Change initiative, comprising 5% of the company’s annual net profit. Beyondly’s Fund for Change aims to support charities aligned with its materiality assessment, addressing environmental, social and governance issues and helping to achieve its vision of a better, fairer, sustainable world for all.
Manchester Mind received £7,000 to support their Allotment Project, which offers therapeutic gardening groups where volunteers and participants support one another. The peer support network plays a significant role in mental health recovery and inspires hope while encouraging people to find solutions. The Allotment Project also improves people’s health, builds confidence, forges connections, develops skills, and fosters a commitment to the environment.
This donation has supported their plans for several environmental improvements to their site, by:
- Planting spring flowering bulbs to support pollinators
- Adding a guttering system and water butts to improve water collection
- Creating a chamomile natural laying area as a space to enhance well-being and connect with nature
- Adding a solitary bee box to promote and observe wildlife
- Building a pond to improve biodiversity
- Expanding their outdoor kitchen to enhance their ‘soil to fork’ cooking activities
In addition to supporting these environmental improvements, promoting better mental health, and building stronger community connections, it has also helped increase access to healthy food through their wider ‘Welcome and Access’ team. It has also enabled them to build more awareness and understanding within their community of environmentally conscious food growing and climate issues. They have also been able to increase the number of sessions and workshops they can deliver, allowing them to reach more people.
Carolyn Leach, Allotment Support Worker said:
“The last year has seen the expansion of our allotment community – as a good percentage of people who have attended our therapeutic sessions choose to stay with us and become volunteers. To me that next step is an important part of the therapeutic process and it’s this supportive community that can contribute to people feeling an increased sense of resilience and empowerment.”
Feedback from a participant of the allotment
“The allotment is a safe and nurturing space and a special community, it helps manage/eases feelings of loneliness and isolation.”
Jessica Aldersley, Managing Director at Beyondly
“We felt that the charities on our shortlist, and the projects we will be supporting were best placed to help us deliver against our purpose of leading, inspiring and educating to positively impact society and the environment and realise our vision of a better, fairer, sustainable world for all. We are really looking forward to seeing the projects be delivered, and the positive impact they will bring.”
Take a look at all of the charities supported by Beyondly’s 2023 Fund for Change programme here.
