Pictured - NPA staff did some fundraising via a sponsored walk and run around St Albans
As part of its centenary celebrations, the National Pharmacy Association (NPA) has raised over £11,000 for mental health charity Mind.
The NPA marked its 100th birthday in 2021 and partnered with Mind in England and Wales, and its equivalent charities in Scotland and Northern Ireland - SAMH (Scottish Association for Mental Health) and Inspire Wellbeing – to raise awareness of pharmacy services for people with mental health problems and to generate funds for the work of these charities.
The NPA held set-piece events, such as sponsored walks, and pharmacists, colleagues and their families and friends were encouraged to organise their own activities.
Fundraising events included a sponsored walk by NPA Board member Raj Aggarwal and his pharmacy team who visited pharmacies in Cardiff in July. In Scotland, a team from the NPA took part in the Kiltwalk in Glasgow in September. Collection tins were placed in pharmacies in Northern Ireland.
Money was also raised by the creators of the 2022 NPA calendar after they donated five per cent of orders during Ask Your Pharmacist Week in November.
Chief Executive of the NPA, Mark Lyonette, said: “I was delighted to be at our sponsored walk in St Albans, home of our head office, last year. This and other fundraising events all underlined the message that community pharmacies are concerned with the wellbeing of the whole person – mind as well as body.”
Charlotte Porter, Head of Corporate Partnerships at Mind, said: “We are so grateful to the National Pharmacy Association for supporting Mind as we help those of us affected by a mental health problem. The money raised will help support our services, like the Mind Infoline, and the campaigning we do to ensure that the one in four of us who experience a mental health problem each year, do not face it alone.”
The NPA raised a total of £11,583 to Mind and continues to encourage members to support the charity.