Iconic Northampton jeweller pledges to support town mental health charity for three years

An iconic and well-known Northampton jeweller has selected a town mental health charity as one of its charities to support for the next three years.

Michael Jones Jeweller, in Gold Street, has chosen The Lowdown as one the recipients of its community fund for the next three years.

The Lowdown, based in Kingswell Street, is a mental health charity, which offers free and confidential counselling, wellbeing drop-ins, LGBTQ+ support services, practical support and sexual health services for 11 to 25 year olds.

For the next three years, the jeweller will donate £5,000 a year, which the charity says will go towards “developing and supporting new, additional youth activities and projects”.

Matthew Tyrrell director of Michael Jones Jeweller said: “This is a wonderful charity for our community fund to support.

“Michael Jones Jeweller celebrated our centenary in 2019 but with global lockdowns, social media and the unstable nature of the planet, young people have never had such a complicated world to navigate.

“Our members are delighted to help the Lowdown with the vital support they provide to young people.”

Ellie White fundraising and marketing manager at The Lowdown added: “Support from local businesses is so important and not only raises funds and awareness for our services, but also promotes the businesses and their support of charity work.

“The funds donated will make a huge difference to young people’s lives giving them access to new youth activities in the heart of Northampton town centre.

The effect of the pandemic on young people’s mental health and wellbeing, means more young people are referring to The Lowdown’s services as they feel unable to cope with the issues they face.

Referrals to the charity’s counselling service alone increased by 55 percent from the previous year as it provided 9,540 sessions to 1,473 individuals during the same time frame, a 24 percent increase.

The Lowdown is currently in the process of developing an out-building in its garden to deliver its established Espresso Yourself Café every Monday and Friday providing a drop-in for young people and their parents and carers and providing new youth services.