M&S will launch national charity partnership with Young Minds to raise £5m to help young people’s education, work and relationships.

M&S will kickstart fundraising itself with a £1m corporate donation, and the partnership will also target raising awareness of the help available to young people struggling with their mental health. The partnership, which will provide funding and support for vital resources aimed at young people and the adults in their lives, launches as new research shows the majority of young people are still not asking for help with their mental health, despite struggling.

Despite struggling with their mental health, two-thirds (65 per cent) of young people hadn’t asked for any kind of formal support, with 33 per cent of those saying they felt too embarrassed. Even when having sought support, 61 per cent of those waiting for mental health support have stopped attending school, college, university or work.

Outside of education and work the research also reveals the social consequences of not finding support, with many young people dropping out of sport, stopping exercise and hobbies, not seeing friends, and experiencing problems in relationships with families and partners.

Of the issues, loneliness is the biggest cause of mental health problems in young people with 44 per cent saying loneliness had a negative impact on their mental health.

Laura Bunt, chief executive of YoungMinds said: “Young people today are experiencing pressures that are unique to their generation. Having grown up in a pandemic, they are now living through a cost-of-living crisis and in an increasingly unstable world. Referrals to services are at record highs, and too many young people are struggling without support.”

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