Thanks to all at Bird & Blend for raising £1306 for WTF as your Charity of the Year 2024/25
By Hadley Truman
As soon as I joined the Bird & Blend Tea Co. team back in spring of 2023, it was clear that a local independent retail store based in the heart of Nottingham city centre was heavily community oriented. Whether that be LQBTQ+, refugees or mental health related, I learned the clear message that everyone is welcome and everyone should be supported.
Most corporate companies in the current economy like to donate to charities so a portion of their profits don’t end up with the taxman. However, Bird & Blend go above and beyond, supporting numerous charities per quarter every year.
In 2023, the Nottingham store donated a portion of its sales to Broxtowe Women’s Project, a charitable organisation helping women and families escape and survive domestic abuse. I understood that the Nottingham team would prefer to donate locally to causes that affect people they may come into contact with.
When approached by the store manager Eva to vote for the 2024 charity of the year, there was no hesitation in which community group I was going to nominate. I had only just started volunteering for WhyTalkingFixes but I knew I’d do anything I could so we could get this extra funding. There was simply no need to worry as the entire Nottingham crew backed the idea, since we are all young people who have suffered or continue to suffer with varying states of mental health needs.
In January, we launched the new store blend ‘candy floss at the fair’ which was a fruit blended tea inspired by the famous Nottingham goose fair. Each quarter we appeared in store on weekends to spread our message and try and sell the public our tea. We achieved just that. Kev and Jo were at the centre of real, meaningful and vital conversations. I recall one time the first three separate customers to come into the store that morning shared precious stories of how they had been affected by suicide.
In May, Eva helped with other WTF volunteers at ThinkFest in Chesterfield, which overtime has become my favourite event to help out and attend as a WTF volunteer. She then hosted a Bird & Blend pop-up stall at our memorial football match. Her support throughout the year was so impactful and crucial in leading the team to promoting the charity. It’s not always easy dropping the phrases ‘suicide’ and ‘mental health’ to customers, especially when they have entered your store for a brew. But that’s when I knew the special people at Bird & Blend alongside us at WhyTalkingFixes were forming a formidable partnership.
A huge thank you to all staff members from Bird & Blend’s Nottingham branch, from the period of Jan 24 through to Apr 25 we raised a sublime total of £1306.07. I no longer work at the tea store but I remain a long-term customer and I’m glad to say I made friends for life in the Nottingham staff. I hope we can collaborate further down the line. Now as 2025 is well and truly underway, please go and continue to support the store alongside their new charitable cause, the Notts Womens Centre.
Hadley
Trustee
