It was good to see MoneySupermarket partnering with mental health charity, Mind, this week to raise awareness of the link between finances and mental health issues in society.

According to research by the comparison site, finances are the biggest daily stress for 16 million Brits and the vast majority think their financial worries will only increase this year.

I’ve lost count of the number of stories I’ve written and read about people who can’t re-pay their debts, afford their monthly bills or even buy the basics.

Most families have had to tighten their belts as they face increased living costs, wage freezes, redundancy or fears about job security and these pressures could easily have triggered mental health problems such as stress, anxiety or depression.

The UK economy may be looking in slightly better health – we narrowly missed the dreaded triple dip recession, after all – but consumers are clearly still reeling from the last five years.

Data released just this week by Citizens Advice showed 4.5 million households can’t afford properly heated homes, including 3.5 million with children, elderly, long-term sick and disabled people.

And last week, charity StepChange said debt levels among the over 60s have increased 40% since the start of the economic crisis.

It’s little wonder, therefore, that health charities have reported a significant spike in enquiries relating to employment and personal finances since the start of the recession. Calls to Mind Infoline alone have risen by 100%.

MoneySupermarket should be applauded for this new initiative which will see the company fundraising for Mind for the next two years and offering its staff extra resources for free.

Unsurprisingly, the charity sector has been hit hard by the recession and anything big organisations can do to help them will no doubt be welcomed.

Of course, it wouldn’t be purely altruistic. The reputation of financial companies has taken quite the beating recently. Aligning themselves with charities may go just a little way to restoring some consumer faith in this beleaguered industry.

I hope we see more companies launch tie-ups with charities. After all, it’s in everyone’s interests.