Staff from Newport-based recruitment specialist Acorn by raising more than £2,500 for mental health charity Mind.

Teams from all 38 branches and on-site teams across the UK, including the Acorn head office in Celtic Springs, Newport, donned Christmas jumpers, baked festive cakes, held raffles and quizzes with prizes including a weekend hire of an Audi A8 and even busking in the streets of Exeter, all in the name of a very good cause.

The fundraising efforts began on December 3 and were due to conclude on the 14th, but since the initiative was so successful, the firm decided to extend the fundraising deadline.

Mental health charity Mind supports more than 513,000 people across England and Wales.

Its services include supported housing, crisis helplines, drop-in centres, employment and training schemes, counselling and befriending.

Mind believes that anyone who experiences mental health issues should be able to access excellent care and services, and be treated fairly, positively and with respect.

Andrew Tugwell, group operations director at Acorn, said: “It’s a worrying statistic that every year, one in four people will experience a mental health problem.

"As a company we truly believe that the work that Mind does is vitally important, which is why we were pleased to nominate them as our Christmas charity.

“It’s been great seeing staff from across the country really get behind the campaign, with some individuals raising more than £500.

"It’s been such a success that we’ve decided to extend the fundraising deadline, in the hope that we can raise even more money for this great cause.”

Lucy Lloyd, senior fundraising officer at Mind, said: “We are thrilled that Acorn Recruitment chose to support Mind. Through fundraising across their branches, employees have raised vital awareness about mental health. Everyone who donated will be helping to make sure no one has to suffer a mental health problem alone. We are very grateful.”

No strangers to charitable giving, Acorn has raised thousands for a variety of charities such as Newport-based St David’s Hospice Care, The Wallich, Prince’s Trust, NSPCC, Action for Children and MacMillan Cancer Support in recent years. The firm's annual ‘CEO Kickabout’ alone raised more than £23,000 for Welsh football this year.