Audit Scotland announces support for the Scottish Association for Mental Health

31 Jan 2019 09:57 AM

Audit Scotland is delighted to announce a new charity partnership with SAMH (Scottish Association for Mental Health).- Opens in a new window

SAMH currently provides over 60 services in communities across Scotland, including support for mental health social care, homelessness, addictions and employment. These services together with the charity’s national programme work in See Me, respectme, suicide prevention, sport and physical activity; inform its policy and campaign work to influence positive social change.

The mental health charity was the clear winner in a vote by Audit Scotland staff, who nominated a range of organisations for the biannual poll. We will now work closely with SAMH over the next two years to raise awareness and funds for the charity’s life-changing services.

Fiona Lewis, Corporate Partnerships Manager, said, “Thank you to all the staff for choosing mental health as their cause. We are delighted to be voted the new charity partner for Audit Scotland.

“As well as raising vital funds for our work supporting people experiencing mental health problems, we’re excited to be working together to start conversations on mental health and wellbeing in the workplace with the whole staff team.

“SAMH’s partnership with Audit Scotland will make a valuable difference to people’s lives at a time when they most need support.”

Diane McGiffen, Audit Scotland’s Chief Operating Officer, said: “We have a proud track record of fundraising in Audit Scotland; both for our corporate charity and for dozens of other good causes that colleagues feel inspired to volunteer for.

“Audit Scotland is committed to helping colleagues support mental health and wellbeing  so I’m delighted that we’re going to be working with SAMH to do the same for thousands of other people across Scotland.”

Follow Audit Scotland on social media to keep up to date with the latest news about our work with SAMH.

Audit Scotland colleagues previously raised more than £14,000 for The Brain Tumour Charity, with a busy programme of fundraising events since 2017 that included taking part in the Edinburgh Marathon Relay, working with local schoolchildren and volunteering at the charity’s Big Brain Benefit.

The Brain Tumour Charity’s chief executive, Sarah Lindsell, said: “We are hugely grateful for all the support that Audit Scotland have given in raising vital funds towards research into brain tumours.

“Every year, over 11,400 people in the UK are diagnosed with a brain tumour - that's 31 a day - and our five-year research strategy ‘A Cure Can't Wait’ aims to double survival within 10 years and halve the harm caused by brain tumours on quality of life.

“We receive no government funding and rely 100% on voluntary donations and gifts in wills, so it’s only through the efforts of all our supporters, including the team at Audit Scotland, that we can change these shocking statistics in the future and bring hope to the thousands of people who are diagnosed with a brain tumour each year. Thank you to everyone involved in our partnership for making it such a success”.