Member Article

TransUnion raises £19,500 for Mind and announces its 2019 charity partner

TransUnion (formerly Callcredit) has raised a total of £19,500 for mental health charity Mind, with the money shared across five local Mind associations, as well as the national organisation.

The different regions included Bromley & Lewisham Mind, City & Hackney Mind, Leeds Mind, St Helen’s Mind, and Stockport & District Mind, with TransUnion colleagues taking part in a host of fundraising activities, such as the Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge, which raised £4,600 after a team of colleagues covered 24 miles, including 1,450 metres of ascent, in under 12 hours.

Alongside the fundraising TransUnion has provided facilities to Mind, enabling them to hold meetings, training and events, and also worked closely with the charity to further develop awareness around mental health issues. This included activity within the business itself, with TransUnion developing its Mental Health for Managers’ training, launching its own Mental Health First Aiders and running its first Health and Wellbeing Day.

Rebecca Aberdein, HR director for TransUnion in the UK explains: “Mind were our charity of the year for 2018 and it’s been a great partnership. Of course we’re delighted with the funds we’ve been able to raise to help support their work, but it’s gone well beyond that and has ultimately changed our business, ensuring there is even greater understanding and support when it comes to mental health.

“The Mind team took a real hands-on approach – for example running stress management workshops at all of our UK sites and supporting our activities for World Mental Health Day. It’s a great example of how we like to work with our charity partners and has delivered long-term benefits on both sides.”

Charli Brunning, corporate fundraising officer from Leeds Mind commented: “The fundraising which we receive from businesses such as TransUnion enables our work as a charity to flourish, helping us to deliver mental health services across the Leeds area. TransUnion worked tirelessly throughout the year to ensure funds were raised at every opportunity and we’re extremely grateful – not only for the fundraising element, but also in raising awareness of the importance of managing mental health in the workplace.”

For 2019, following a colleague vote, the NSPCC has been selected as TransUnion’s ‘Charity of the year’ and the company will be raising funds to support NSPCC’s Childline service, which is there to help young people who need somewhere to turn.

Commenting on the announcement, Tim Bradshaw, NSPCC regional corporate fundraising manager said: “This is wonderful news and we’re delighted to have this support throughout 2019. With TransUnion’s help we can continue our fight for every childhood, with all the money raised going towards vital services. For example, £4 could pay for one of our trained volunteer counsellors to answer a call made to Childline, so we can be there for even more children when they need us the most.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by TransUnion .