The Business Exchange Swindon & Wiltshire Edition 47: Feb/March 2020 | Page 8

HAINES WATTS - PROMOTING THE IMPORTANCE OF MENTAL HEALTH The team at Haines Watts Swindon kickstarted 2020 with a positive mindset by expressing a charitable side to their working lives. As one the area’s leading accountancy firms working with successful charities and not- for-profit organisations, this team believe in not just ‘talking the talk’ they are also ‘walking the walk’. In January this was taken by some team members quite literally, as they worked alongside other Haines Watts’ offices across the UK in an active challenge to raise money for the mental health charity MIND through the annual initiative RED January. ‘RED January’ stands for ‘run every day’ and is aimed at getting people active on a daily basis, doing something they enjoy, throughout a month which is often perceived as the bleakest month of the year. Participants can take part in any activity they enjoy which involves exercise. They can also choose to register with the project to monitor their activity and raise money for MIND. Activities throughout the group have included running, swimming, cycling, walking, yoga, pilates and even dancing. Coordinated locally by office manager Anna-Marie Healy, the team aimed to help raise at least £2,000 as part of the Haines Watts Group. She said, “Mind is a national charity providing advice and support to people facing mental health challenges. They work tirelessly to improve services, policies and the stigma surrounding mental health issues. Over the last two months we have collected and donated to the Swindon Mind shop to help support our local services.” The Haines Watts team adopted ‘Red Fridays’ consisting of lots of fun activities to 8 www.tbeswindonandwilts.co.uk help get team members exercising and to raise a little money too. Mike Lloyd, managing partner, said, “When everyone is working hard it’s very easy to be deskbound or glued to a phone or a screen – and then go home and do the same thing. Just taking time out daily to do some exercise, like walking your dog, can make a huge difference to a person’s mental health. It gives you time to think, breathe and just ‘be’.” RED January was created in 2016 by Hannah Beacham who was concerned about her own mother who was suffering from severe depression and had a history of mental ill health. She took a leap of faith and signed herself and her mum up for a walking marathon. They started getting out every day and gradually her mum’s wellbeing improved. Hannah felt that this would be a great way of helping people who needed an extra push to be active. “January seemed like the perfect month for such an initiative as it provides us with an opportunity to kick start the year in a positive way. Also people tend to be low on funds and motivation and there are less social occasions planned in January. This is something which can be done for free,” Hannah said. Since RED January started the project has raised more than £1.7million for MIND. Nationally, Haines Watts is a top 15 firm of chartered accountants who specialise in advising and supporting business owners, individuals and not-for-profit organisations locally and throughout the UK. The firm Pictured, Sue Plumb, partner, who is a specialist in working with charities and not-for-profits with fellow partners Martin Gurney and Mike Lloyd. has been at the centre of the Swindon and Wiltshire business communities for the last 25 years. For more information visit: www.hwca.com/accountants-swindon [email protected] 01793 533838