When the pandemic struck and the nation was confined to lockdown living, none of us knew how long we would have to endure such limited, and often solitary conditions. A year on, although we might be out of the immediate medical emergency, treating the physical aspects of Covid, the mental health crisis it has perpetuated remains.

Mind surveyed over 16,000 people during the first lockdown and found that over half of adults and two thirds of young people said their mental health got worse during the pandemic, with many developing problems for the first time. A fifth of adults who tried to access support were unable to do so and when asked why, many said they were deterred from asking for help from the NHS because they didn’t feel their problem was important enough. As a result, many people have tried to access support through alternative routes, like the voluntary sector.

Against this backdrop, Mind’s services, such as its Infoline, trusted information resources and online peer support platform Side by Side, are in demand more than ever. Such growth in demand necessitates an increased drive in fundraising and Mind has appointed Medialab to help the charity achieve its ambitious objectives. Medialab will support Mind in facilitating growth, and realising its vision to ensure that everyone experiencing a mental health problem gets both support and respect.

Our partners make us stronger. A deep-rooted understanding of the pervasive nature of the problem and shared values which put the needs of individuals first form the basis of the partnership between Medialab and Mind. Medialab have long established charitable expertise, working with 30 charities including RNLI, Guide Dogs, and British Red Cross, and support the mental health of their community through their internal network of Mental Health First Aiders. This new partnership is one of a number of new wins this year for Medialab continuing the momentum highlighted last week in the Campaign School Reports which showed Medialab as the fastest growth media agency in the top 50 for the second year running.

Commenting on the appointment, Alex Bushill, Head of Media and PR at Mind said, “Right now, more people are turning to Mind than ever. Working with Medialab across our key products and campaigns will help us to reach even more people with the services and resources they need to support their mental health at this critical time.

“Selecting an agency whose values align with our own was really important to us. Medialab is committed to supporting workplace wellbeing and creating an open culture around mental health. From offering practical tools like Wellness Actions Plans, Mental Health First Aid training and wellbeing webinars, to free yoga sessions and protected lunch hours – it’s fantastic to see that Medialab takes its responsibility to support the mental health of its employees seriously.”

Chief Executive Officer of Medialab, Marcus Orme, commented, “Mental health has become a pandemic which touches us all; our families, friends, colleagues. It is therefore a real privilege to be given the chance to work with such an amazing organisation like Mind so we can play some small part in continuing to take mental health mainstream, making support ever more accessible for those in need.”