Three Derry schools register for Lego-based play programme

Agnew Group is continuing its partnership with mental health charity, MindWise, which will see it support a drive to roll out the programme across 16 schools in the north. The renewed agreement between the car firm and the charity will also see 400 staff at Agnew Group benefit from Mental Health Awareness training. MindWise will deliver the training, which will allow staff at Agnew Group to recognise and identify mental health illnesses, explore the impact of stigma as well as refine the customer experience to support clients’ mental wellbeing.

Agnew is also pledging to raise £50,000 for MindWise by the end of this year. Those invaluable funds will support the charity’s Beyond Bricks school programme — a Lego-based play which uses a ‘recovery to discover’ approach to enhance children’s overall mental health and wellbeing today and in the future. MindWise has already paired up with schools here to deliver the five-week initiative which will be co-facilitated by teachers at the respective schools.

Agnew Group Managing Director, Yuile Magee, said: “We are delighted to partner with MindWise for another year. Few households have been left untouched by mental health problems. The past few years of the pandemic and the current cost of living crisis have only served to exaggerate already present conditions. For us to be able to support a charity that delivers so many worthwhile programmes, and support systems for those affected, is a privilege.

Christine Grant, Head of Marketing at Agnew Group, said: “We too will benefit from the charity’s expertise and knowledge in the area of mental health as the team at MindWise support our 400 customer-facing staff in working with customers living with mental health conditions, as well as supporting their own team members and honing the skills to manage their own mental health.

“The Beyond Bricks programme is excellent, in that it reaches out to children in the early stages of life, to equip them with the right tools to navigate their own mental health. We are happy to contribute to that roll-out and wish the charity the very best with the delivery of the programme which aims to reach over 500 pupils.”

Anne Doherty, MindWise Chief Executive, said: “We are delighted to have the Agnew Group support us this year. The business has such a huge imprint across Northern Ireland, which not only allows us to share our knowledge further but it helps us raise invaluable funds that make projects like Beyond Bricks a reality.

“We are engaging with schools to promote the Beyond Bricks programme and we already have several schools interested and we are seeking more to participate. Without the support of our partners, these kinds of programmes would not be available. We look forward to working with Agnew Group throughout the year.”

For further information about MindWise, the Beyond Bricks Programme, or any of the other programmes available, visit www.mindwisenv.org.