Last Friday was the Big Day for Cloud Nine Incentives, as three of the team jumped from a plane 13,000 feet high in aid of the Alzheimer’s Society.

Cloud Nine Director, Sophie Chambers, said “The cause is very close to the team’s hearts so we thought what better way to raise some much needed funds, then to face our fears head on (or actually feet first). It was a huge challenge, and whilst watching the videos back was entertaining, it really highlighted to the rest of us how much courage and determination it took to take the plunge.”

The Alzheimer’s Society is trying to transform the landscape of dementia forever. Until the day they find a cure, they are creating a society where those affected by dementia are supported and accepted, able to live in their community without fear or prejudice.

The team have raised £1,500 so far (and counting), for the charity, proving that the scary feat was well worth it.

Cloud Nine thank everyone for their donations and support. You can still sponsor the team by visiting https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/jumpingoffcloudnine.

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The Citizen’s Foundation UK, the UK arm of a major Pakistan-based charity, has appointed shopper marketing agency smp as its UK lead social media agency to drive awareness of its work and raise funds.

The Citizen’s Foundation is in the top five largest charities in Pakistan, helping give underprivileged children access to education in Pakistan, building over 1,482 schools, and educating over 220,000 children in the past 22 years.

Effective immediately, smp will refresh The Citizen’s Foundation’s paid social strategy with an initial focus on Ramadan. The appointment is a new scope of work and is part of a wider change in marketing strategy to move away from email marketing to social media-led campaigns. Led by Business Director Mark Burgess, smp will handle all the NGO’s social activity, including advertising, media buying and analysis.

Cally Archibald, Social Media Strategist at smp, says: “The Citizen’s Foundation is an exceptional organisation that brings genuine, positive social change in Pakistan through education. We’re very excited to be collaborating with them to increase awareness of the important fundraising work they do in the UK.”

Rukhsana Parveen-Cic, Executive Director at The Citizen’s Foundation, comments: “We’re an organisation working to help bring 22 million children out of poverty in Pakistan. Donors in Pakistan and the United States have been supporting the programme, but TCF UK has struggled to establish a foothold in the UK market. We’re really excited about the potential for social media to spread the word about the extraordinary work of TCF. We have won awards for the quality education that we provide for some of the most vulnerable children in the world. We hope that with the help of smp we will ultimately generate more donations.”

smp is a multi-award-winning marketing agency specialising in creating compelling content experiences for all stages of the customer journey, both online and offline. Client experience spans leading brands including Electrolux Group, Fitbit, Western Digital Corporation and Kimberly-Clark.

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The RNLI is promoting its Mayday fundraising campaign, which runs throughout May, by turning UK icons, including a classic Post Office phone box, yellow, the colour of the emergency kit its volunteer lifesavers wear.

Yesterday (May 1st or May Day) it was the turn of an iconic old style telephone box on the banks of the river Thames outside London’s City Hall. Passers-by could go inside and pick up the phone to hear real life rescue stories. The experience was designed to give participants an insight into what it really means to be a lifesaving volunteer responding to a call for help and encourage them to ‘do their bit and fund our kit’ and help to raise funds to keep RNLI volunteers safe and dry on the water.

In Wales, Criccieth Castle will be turned yellow after dark tomorrow (May 3rd) with special lighting, while the National Library of Wales in Aberystwyth has been lit yellow since April 27th and will remain so until tomorrow

Across the UK, the public are being challenged to come up with inventive ways to fundraise, from cycling, swimming and baking to donning their brightest yellow at work or school. All money raised will go to fund vital new kit to help courageous volunteer lifeboat crews save lives.

In 2017 crews launched 8,436 times, aiding 8,072 people. RNLI London lifeboat crews alone launched 697 times, aiding 273 people.

The RNLI’s Mayday campaign runs throughout May and aims to raise £750,000 to fund lifesaving kit for the charity’s brave volunteers. An RNLI crew member’s yellow wellies cost £55 a pair, a lifejacket costs £458 and a safety helmet costs £263.

The Royal National Lifeboat Institution is the charity that saves lives at sea. Its volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service in the United Kingdom and Ireland from 238 lifeboat stations. Additionally, the RNLI has more than 1,000 lifeguards on over 240 beaches around the UK and operates a specialist flood rescue team.

The RNLI is entirely public-funded, receiving no money from government.

The RNLI has used experiential marketing with great effect over the past few years; in 2014, the launch of its ‘Respect the Water’ experiential campaign, which is still running today, won the IPM Grand Prix, as well as two Gold awards and a Silver, plus the Consumer Award.

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Mental health charity Mind is calling on men to help raise awareness and funds for the work it does by shaving their facial hair off during April – or Shaveril, as the charity and marketing agency Brickwall have renamed it.

Brickwall, based in London’s Shoreditch, bastion of the modern beard revival, came up with the idea and is challenging men to shave off their beards for charity then post a before and after picture or video to Twitter, Instagram or Facebook with the hashtag #shaveril.

They are then being encouraged to nominate a friend to either do the same or donate to Mind using a text code or online link.

Brickwall will be hosting a free pop-up barbers at The Hoxton, Shoreditch on April 14^th and is inviting male Londoners to come along from 5.00pm to have their beards shaved by professional East London barbers (including Thy Barbers, based in Shoreditch’s The Bike Shed) or participate in a shaving master class.

From April 1^st to 31^st, Thy Barbers will donate the proceeds of all shaves carried out on bearded men who book in for a full wet beard shave quoting Shaveril to Mind.

Maria Healy, Senior Community Fundraising Officer at Mind, says: “Not only will there be men all over town sporting a brand new look, but money raised will fund our vital work including the Mind Infoline, our advice services and the campaigning Mind does to secure a better deal for the one in four of us who experience a mental health problem every year.”

Ian Noonan, King’s Teaching Fellow and Head of Department of Mental Health at Kings’ College London, has committed to shaving his beard as part of Shaveril. He says: “My beard has remained part of my identity for fifteen years. Shaving it off will make me pause and think about my identity, and how others see me. Having fun and sharing the before and after images on social media for Shaveril is a way of connecting – being part of something bigger than ourselves, which for me has always been one of the things that protects my mental health. It is also a great way to bring attention to the work of MIND and raise money to support them.”

Mind has successfully campaigned for change in the way mental health is viewed and how those who suffer are supported for 70 years. The charity provides advice and support to empower anyone experiencing a mental health problem and campaigns to improve services, raise awareness and promote understanding.

Anyone who wants to support Mind’s work can donate at https://www.justgiving.com/shaveril/ or text SHAV68 with the amount £5, £10 or £20 to 70070.

Brickwall is a creative production studio based in Shoreditch, which specialises in producing film, animation and digital platforms for charities and the public sector.

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Mind, the mental health charity, and media agency MEC have launched a new campaign enlisting celebrities to encourage people to open up about what is making them anxious.

The social media driven campaign, #TakeOffTheTape has already seen TV presenters, actors, models, sports men and women from across the country confirm that they will support the campaign, with CBBC presenter Ben Shires the first to take part.

Shires says: “It’s just so important for us to talk about the things that worry us. The team at Mind do such an amazing job supporting people across the country, and the least that I could do is open up just a little to share something that makes me anxious, and I know my friends and family will also be following suit by taking up the challenge.”

The new social campaign, developed by MEC for Mind, invites people to take a piece of paper, post-it-note or tape and write on it the one thing that makes them most anxious. They are then invited to take a selfie with the message over their mouth, then post that selfie to social media with the message: “Don’t be silenced! #TakeOffTheTape Text TAPE to 70660 and donate to @MindCharity www.mind.org.uk/tape.”

The tape over people’s mouths is being used as a symbol of everything that prevents people from talking about what makes them stressed or anxious.

Mind points out that despite many strong campaigns around mental health, the subject remains highly misunderstood. People are still reluctant to be open when they’re struggling to cope because of the reaction they fear from their friends and peers.

Ruth Richards at Mind says: “At some point, there are problems that everyone is likely to face. Whether it’s worry about work, money, our image, health, a loved one, exams – stress and anxiety are emotions we all encounter. If we don’t speak out and seek support, these feelings can build and start to impact on our quality of life, our relationships and our health. By encouraging everyone to talk more honestly about things being tough, we can help people feel more comfortable about admitting that they need some support.”

One in four people will experience a mental health problem in any given year, but Mind’s research shows that four out of five 18-34 year olds admitting to putting on a brave face when they are anxious. A quarter of 18-34 year olds also admitted to feeling that to show their emotions is a sign of weakness, even though one in five said they had cried in the past week because of anxiety. “With a better understanding of mental health, we hope more people will seek support early, before things become too much,” added Richards.

To find out more about the #TakeOffTheTape challenge, visit www.mind.org.uk/tape

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