Irish forecourt and convenience retailer Maxol, has launched the Maxol and AWARE Christmas candle, which is now available at all participating Maxol sites in Northern Ireland.

The perfect stocking filler, the high-quality Irish-made candle is for sale at just £4 at every Maxol station till-point with proceeds going towards Maxol’s charity partner, AWARE and their Mood Matters Young People initiative

Mood Matters Young People is a mental health awareness programme aimed at 14-18 year olds. The programme gives the young people the knowledge and skills to help them maintain good mental health and build resilience in order to better deal with life’s problems and challenges.

With more than 150,000 people experiencing depression in Northern Ireland every year, AWARE‘s message is one of hope - that with support and information, recovery is possible.

Siobhan Doherty, chief executive at AWARE said: “We are thrilled that Maxol is joining with us for the Mood Matters Young People initiative. The candle is a simple idea that reminds us of the light of hope in dark times. We hope that Maxol customers will support this campaign and help us spread the light of hope this Christmas and beyond.”

Dermot O’Toole, head of Retail & Marketing, the Maxol Group added:

“We are delighted to be supporting AWARE with the sale of this high quality Christmas candle. Mental health is an on-going struggle for a lot of people in Ireland, but the good news is that organisations like AWARE are there to help. I have no doubt that our loyal customers will support this worthwhile initiative this Christmas and pick up one of these lovely candles for their homes.”

The charity partnership with Maxol and AWARE will run until at least the end of 2017 and supports a range of important services delivered by AWARE in Northern Ireland and Aware in the Republic of Ireland.