Agnew Group Renews Commitment to Mental Health Charity MindWise, www.mindwisenv.org

Prominent car dealership Agnew has announced the extension of its partnership with mental health charity MindWise for an additional two years, solidifying its commitment to supporting the Beyond Bricks programme — an initiative that reaches out to the younger generation.

Beyond Bricks uses Lego-based play to enhance the mental health and well-being of children in schools across Northern Ireland.

Since the inception of the partnership with MindWise, a leading mental health charity, in mid-2020, it has been dedicated to addressing the increasing need for mental health support among employees and their families.

In 2022, the business identified the Beyond Bricks Programme as a targeted initiative and exceeded its fundraising target, raising an impressive £85,000. In 2023, its commitment continued with a target of £50,000, and the team surpassed that with a contribution of £77,000 at the end of 2023.

The Beyond Bricks programme has made a significant impact, assisting the charity in delivering 40 classes, benefiting 114 school staff, and impacting the lives of 1089 young people in 2023 alone.

It follows five key aspects of emotional wellbeing – self-awareness, motivation, self-control, social resilience and coping but with only 7.94% of primary schools in Northern Ireland having received the programme, Agnew Group is committing to an additional two years of support in 2024 and 2025 so the benefits can be felt further.

Yuile Magee, Managing Director of Agnew, said: "We are delighted to partner with MindWise for another two years. The Beyond Bricks programme is excellent, reaching children early in life, and providing them with tools to navigate their mental health. We are proud to contribute to this initiative and support MindWise in their mission.

"We aim to forge a robust legacy through active community engagement and ensure our ongoing support is dedicated to sustaining and communicating the programme's impact within the broader school community.”

Anne Doherty, Chief Executive of MindWise, added: "We are delighted to have Agnew support our work for another two years. Their commitment enables us to support the mental health and wellbeing resiliency of our young people – there is much to be done. The case for early intervention and prevention is well documented. Despite this, there is limited or no provision for mental health education and training in youth settings, especially in schools. Only 8% of the Department of Health’s Mental Health budget is allocated to child and adolescent services.  However, with support from Agnew, MindWise is addressing some of the key issues affecting our children as Beyond Bricks aligns with the NI Department of Health’s Mental Health Strategy 2021-2031 (Action 6).

“MindWise look forward to continuing our collaboration with Agnew and, on behalf of the school communities we work with across Northern Ireland, we would like to extend our sincerest gratitude to the Agnew Charity Champions.”

To commemorate the renewed partnership with MindWise, Agnew Group hosted a thank-you lunch for its 'Charity Champions' on Thursday, 25th April at Deanes at Queens.