Funeral director raises £3,500 for Mind Dorset

A funeral director has raised £3,500 for mental health charity Mind’s Dorset arm. Douch Family Funeral Directors raised the money at a series of fundraising events last year, including an ascent of Mount Snowdon, Halloween fancy dress night and a cheese and wine evening. Funeral directors, Nick Douch and Emma Regan presented the cheque to Dee Swinton and Alexis Stevens from Dorset Mind. The mental health charity has been supporting local people in Dorset with mental health challenges for over 70 years. Although an affiliate of the national Mind, the charity’s Dorset arm generates its own income which means that all donations remain within the county. Nick Douch, Managing Director of the funeral group, said: “Dorset Mind was our charity of the year for 2018 and our staff really got behind the fundraising. We have also made use of the charity’s services by putting our staff through mental health awareness training that also covered trauma and peer support. “It was hugely beneficial and useful and means our staff know what signs to look out for and what to do. We’d encourage all businesses to consider training their workforces. We have already begun raising money for this year’s charity, Dementia Friends.” Dee Swinton, Dorset Mind’s income generation and marketing manager, said: “We’ve grown incredibly over this last year, which can be attributed to our work with local forward-thinking organisations such as Douch Family Funeral Directors. “Not only were we their charity of the year which has obvious financial benefits, but we were able to work with their team and raise mental health awareness in a profession that can be very challenging. “We’re extremely grateful to Douch Family Funeral Directors and the staff in all their branches for their efforts - we’ve had a brilliant time working with them over the course of the year.”