Lothian has unveiled a newly-wrapped double-decker bus for Support in Mind Scotland, its charity of choice, to help mark the extension of its charity partnership to the end of 2022.
Launched as the company’s charity of choice for 2020-2021 following a staff vote, Lothian has taken the decision to extend its partnership for another year due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The bus has been wrapped in Support in Mind’s colours and was designed in collaboration between Lothian and the charity. The vehicle will be based at the company’s Marine garage and will operate on various routes across Edinburgh and the Lothians.
Carrying the message ‘anyone can experience a mental health issue’, with silhouettes depicting how common mental health issues are in society, the bus also features the charity’s contact details, offering help to those who may be suffering. Gaynor Marshall, Communications Director of Lothian said: “Mental health issues can affect anyone at any point. We are delighted to extend our Charity of Choice partnership with Support in Mind Scotland for a further year, as we continue to work together to raise awareness of the work that they do and the support services that they offer within our community. This bus livery has been designed to highlight the difficulties that many individuals face each and every day and to encourage anyone suffering with mental health issues to seek the help and support that they need.”
Michele Mason, Support in Mind Scotland’s Area Manager for Edinburgh and the Lothians, commented: ‘We hugely appreciate the Lothian Bus staff voting for us as their charity of the year, and their decision to continue our partnership for another year shows Lothian Buses’ commitment to community-mindedness. Support in Mind Scotland staff and service users have really enjoyed engaging with Lothian staff around mental health, and we are really grateful for the opportunity for people to share their stories.”
