Lidl Ireland raises record €3m for Jigsaw Charity
Jigsaw has seen a significant increase in referrals to its services across the country, rising by 49% between 2018 and 2023
Print28 May 2024
Lidl Ireland has completed its six-year charity partnership with Jigsaw, the National Centre for Youth Mental Health in Ireland, by announcing it has raised €3 million in funds for the charity.
Jigsaw provides free confidential, professional support to young people aged 12-25 in 14 centres across Ireland and online. Lidl Ireland has partnered with Jigsaw since 2018 and twice extended its contract with the charity to continue delivering vital mental health initiatives and services to those in need across Ireland, particularly in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic and its significant impact on youth mental health.
Significant impact
Launched in 2018 and delivering immediate and significant impact, the partnership between Lidl and Jigsaw quickly raised awareness and trust of the charity amongst the Irish public, growing from an awareness baseline of just 24% in 2018 to 61% in 2023. Trust in Jigsaw baseline also grew from 64% to 72% in the same period.
Jigsaw has also seen a significant increase in referrals to its services across the country, rising by 49% between 2018 and 2023, with the number of appointments offered to young people in the same period jumping by more than 59%.
The milestone fundraising achievement was marked at a celebratory event at the Radisson Blu, Athlone, and was attended by more than 135 representatives from Lidl and Jigsaw, as well as service users and partners that have benefitted from Jigsaw’s bespoke programmes and initiatives, delivered in partnership with Lidl Ireland.
Hosted by comedian, broadcaster and mental health advocate P.J. Gallagher, the event recapped on the success of the partnership and outlined key impacts delivered through the partnership across its six-year history.
J.P. Scally, chief executive officer, Lidl Ireland & Northern Ireland, said: “This partnership delivered immeasurable value beyond fundraising. From increasing awareness for the charity and driving service users to this vital resource to prompting change within our own organisation where we have built a culture of openness, acceptance and support to engage and empower our employees to all become mental health advocates for themselves and their families and loved ones.”
One Good
With a focus on programme delivery, Lidl’s flagship ‘One Good’ initiatives became synonymous with the charity partnership over the years, incorporating One Good School™, One Good Club, One Good Adult and One Good Community.
First launching in 2021, One Good School directly supported more than 54,000 students across 254 secondary schools across the country through the rollout of an integrated programme that empowered schools to strengthen the wellbeing and mental health of all their pupils.
Sporting partner
In 2020, Lidl and Jigsaw joined forces with the Ladies Gaelic Football Association (LGFA), Lidl’s sporting partner, to implement One Good Club – a five-step youth mental health awareness programme. Since then, more than 75 clubs have taken part in the programme across every county, engaging members in health and wellbeing activities.
Last year, the campaign was extended to launch its One Good Community programme. More than 80 stores in eight counties took part to empower their local communities through a series of mental health and wellbeing activities aligned with Jigsaw’s powerful message of “5 a day for mental health”. The aim was to increase mental health awareness and enhance a sense of community.
Dr Joseph Duffy, chief executive officer, Jigsaw, said:“Lidl’s support over the last six years has been game changing for our charity. It has been a privilege to partner with a company that bought into our vision from day one and continually demonstrated their commitment to working with us to change the conversation on youth mental health in Ireland. Together, we have changed how Ireland talks about, responds to and supports young people’s mental health.
Through this partnership, we have been able to launch more initiatives and significantly expand our reach across Ireland, taking our services into untapped new areas such as LGFA clubs, schools and local neighbourhoods to deliver real and lasting impact.”
Read more: Lidl Ireland named Most Reputable Retailer in Ireland RepTrak 2024 study
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