McVitie’s is partnering with charity Mind to launch a campaign aimed at promoting positive mental health by encouraging people across the UK to get talking.

The ‘Let’s Talk’ partnership kicks off this month and will see the biscuit brand support Mind with the opening of eight Time to Change hubs, and training hundreds of new Mind champions in the UK.

It’s also supported by in-store activity across the UK’s leading retailers and 7,000 c-stores, which will offer shoppers the chance to gift almost five million complimentary packs of biscuits to loved ones. POS will also be displayed to promote the message and remind shoppers why it’s good to talk.

This activity will be rolled out in the likes of Tesco, Waitrose, Co-op, Asda and Sainsbury’s in June.

“Our partnership with Mind is the biggest initiative in our business right now and we want it to have as big an impact as possible,” said Nick Bunker, managing director at McVitie’s owner Pladis UK&I.

“So, it’s fantastic to have the support of some of the UK’s biggest retailers to promote the simple, yet impactful message around the importance of talking for our mental wellbeing – and what better way to do that than over a biscuit and cuppa.”

Pladis is also working to improve the mental health of its employees via an internal wellbeing programme. In 2017, the company launched an internal mental health and wellbeing initiative named Positive Minds, to create an environment for its 4,600-strong workforce in the UK where colleagues feel supported and understood. The programme is supported through mental health awareness training for all line managers, more than 100 mental health & wellbeing ambassadors across all sites, a 24/7 Employee Assistance Programme and Occupational Health support.