With millions of Brits currently social distancing to stop the spread of coronavirus, it’s safe to say these are strange and anxious times.
So, working with mental health charity CALM (Campaign Against Living Miserably) we wanted to lend a hand in spreading the word that their lifesaving helpline is there for those who need it while raising a smile and staving off boredom with some much needed Friday night entertainment to kick the weekend off in style.
The CALM Friday Night Lock-In was born, as thousands fired up, their Instagram’s on the stroke of 5 pm and tuned in to seven uninterrupted hours of back to back lives from some of the nation’s best known big-name comedians, singers, DJ’s, reality stars and entertainers.
Including the likes of Each donating their time, they took to their social feeds to perform ‘gigs’ ranging from comedy cook along, Q&A’s, quizzes and live music set offering a bit of escapism from the anxiety and uncertainty of life during these strange times of self-isolation.
Featuring the likes of Olly Alexander from Years and Years, comedians Ed Gamble, Phil Wang and Mark Watson, Arlo Parks, Declan McKenna, Chris & Kem of Love Island fame and DJ Steves of Kurupt FM to name but a few
Each did a stellar job in prompting people to donate to a helpline that had seen a whopping 37% increase in calls in the week’s following the outbreak was announced, supporting the message that talking, and talking about mental health, are vitally important in tackling the stigma around mental health among young people.
And the results, were staggering, delivering over 150 pieces of national, consumer and regional editorial in the likes of The Guardian, Shortlist, NME, Digital Spy alongside 117 social posts from participating talent reaching more than 13 million across Instagram and Twitter.
With over 60,000 viewers across the evening on Instagram Live, around 850,000 people in total interacted with the campaign – driving a truly significant spike in visitation and donation to the CALM website during a time people need it most.
