The Skipton Building Society, its board and colleagues, are donating £200,000 to support the work of its charity partner Mental Health UK, which has seen an unprecedented increase in requests from the public for help for its services during the coronavirus crisis.

The donation includes Skipton’s chair and non-executive directors donating 20% of their net pay for three months, together with personal contributions from Skipton’s executive committee and colleagues across the UK. The society itself has also donated a further £130,000, taking the total being given from Skipton to Mental Health UK to £200,000, one of the largest single donations from the society in its history.

Robert East, the Skipton Building Society’s chair, said: “During these unprecedented times, maintaining positive mental health may be a struggle for many of us. And so we all decided that we want to help, and we wanted to contribute personally too. As a mutual, which has been helping people for almost 170 years, it’s the right thing for us to do.

“At the end of last year, Skipton colleagues overwhelmingly voted Mental Health UK as our charity partner for the next three years. Little did any of us know then just how significant their already important work would be just a few months later. Our decision to give financial support comes at a time of great personal stress for many as the Coronavirus pandemic continues to affect all areas of our lives. If through our donation we can help more people access the fantastic support offered by Mental Health UK, particularly in the current climate, then everyone at Skipton Building Society will be proud of every single pound we’ve collectively donated.”

Brian Dow, CEO at Mental Health UK, added: “We cannot thank everyone at Skipton Building Society enough for their significant and generous donation. It comes at a time when our knowledge, expertise and care as a mental health charity is urgently needed to help more people than ever, and at a time when traditional forms of fundraising have been significantly restricted by the lockdown.

“The impact of coronavirus on the nation’s mental health will be profound, whether this is due to increased anxiety, people not accessing the support they require, being separated from loved ones, or uncertainty about employment and financial stability. Skipton’s support empowers us to keep doing all we can to help people, families and the nation recover from this unprecedented crisis.”