Highlighting the power and potential of corporate partnerships to drive meaningful change
How Ordnance Survey's (OS) Charity Partner, Mental Health UK, is benefiting from OS data and expertise
"In a groundbreaking collaboration with our Corporate Partner, OS, we’ve developed an illuminating interactive map showcasing the transformative impact of our Young People’s programmes across the United Kingdom."
MHUK has been running three programmes for young people: Bloom, Me & Money, and Your Resilience, exploring challenges such as deprivation, and responses such as resilience training.
"Since 2019, Mental Health UK has been developing and delivering Young People’s Programmes to almost half a million young people aged 14-18 across the UK. These programmes support young people’s understanding of their mental health whilst building empathy and personal resilience to empower and equip them to navigate life’s challenges in an increasingly complex world."
A deeper dive
MHUK wanted to understand and illustrate the breadth and reach of their programmes supporting young people. Working UK-wide, it could be challenging for MHUK to effectively demonstrate the scale of their work, and the needs being met in some of the most vulnerable communities.
"Our programmes’ extensive reach across the UK demanded a comprehensive visualisation tool to illustrate our far-reaching impact, while also demonstrating our strategic focus on areas of greatest need, where statistically vulnerable communities have an increased likelihood of experiencing poor mental health. This map is a powerful testament to the work we’ve undertaken in these communities and also shows the vast potential for future impact we can have on young people’s mental health. This visualisation is therefore much more than a retrospective tool - it's also a strategic asset."
OS’s Jamie Heath, Technical Geospatial Analyst, linked MHUK’s delivery data to the OS Code-Point Open dataset, to map the charity's reach across the UK.
He then created a web map to present MHUK's delivery locations visually. Additional information was collated and overlaid, such as which areas are most economically challenged, have the most ethnic diversity, as well as rural communities who may have limited access to key services.
The map’s data layers highlight areas of greatest need and will help further shape and inform MHUK’s targeted approach to supporting communities, taking into account factors such as socioeconomic status, ethnic diversity, and rural communities which may have limited access to important services. It also offers commissioners, partners and stakeholders a transparent view of MHUK’s impact and potential reach.
"With the expertise and commitment of OS, we can clearly see the correlation of our delivery within areas of high need. This tool will help us evolve our programme delivery by deepening our understanding of regional and socio-economic complexities. It’s also such an inspiring story of how our programmes have supported thousands of young people’s resilience and empowerment throughout the nations. Periodic updates will help us identify gaps in our reach, optimise resource allocation and evolve future initiatives for maximum effectiveness. We are immensely grateful to the team at OS who enabled us to take this dynamic approach to showcasing the reach of our programmes. Their commitment, expertise and innovation clearly demonstrate the power and potential of corporate partnerships in driving meaningful change.”"
Explore the map and learn more about Mental Health UK and its beneficial programmes.
Our highly accurate geospatial data and printed maps help individuals, governments and companies to understand the world, both in Britain and overseas.