Christian Aid stages wrestling competition
Howard Lake | 7 May 2003 | News
Public takes one-off chance to fight apathy and doubt (literally!) to become a hero for Christian Aid Week 2003
Office workers, shoppers and passers-by joined Christian Aid in the fight against Apathy and Doubt this afternoon and jumped into an inflatable wrestling ring to confront their inner demons.
The wrestling competition was held in Covent Garden and members of the public were encouraged to climb into the ring and beat apathy and doubt to the ground – and to donate to Christian Aid Week at the same time.
The event helped mark the launch of Christian Aid Week’s new advertising fundraising campaign. The campaign, which will feature in all major newspapers and magazines as well as on TV and radio, focuses on breaking down people’s doubt and apathy about giving to charity.
The campaign features two characters: two-headed Doubt and a larger, slower looking Apathy, as well as a hero representing ‘Everyman’. Everyman is tackled by Doubt and Apathy as he tries to donate to Christian Aid, but the hero eventually triumphs and puts money in the famous red envelope.
Christian Aid Week runs from 11 – 17 May 2003 and – having raised an extraordinary £13.5 million last year – we are hoping to continue this record-breaking trend with more people than ever before getting involved to help raise urgently-needed funds for some of the poorest communities around the world.
Now Britain’s most successful and longest-running door-to-door fundraising week, Christian Aid Week, started in 1957 and has helped communities in countries from Afghanistan to Angola, Sudan to Sierra Leone, irrespective of race, religion, culture or background. Events this year will include a search for local heroes across the UK and Ireland, which will aim to showcase people who inspire and motivate us to fight injustice and poverty around the world.
The week is easy to get involved in, whether it’s by holding a sponsored event, putting loose change in the famous red envelope or simply logging onto www.caweek.org.uk to enter a writing competition and make a pledge.
Ends
For more information about Christian Aid Week contact: Saskia Wirth on 020 7523 2404 sw****@ch***********.org
Notes to Editors:
The Apathy and Doubt Wrestling Ring will be in London’s Covent Garden, outside the Royal Opera House on Tuesday 6th May between 10am and 4pm.
The Apathy and Doubt Advertising Campaign has been designed by Partners BDDH and media space booked by John Aylings and Associates.
Christian Aid Week (11-17 May 2003) is the UK’s longest running and most successful door-to-door fundraising week. It started in 1957. Last year more than £13.5 million was raised by over 350,000 volunteers. For further details visit www.caweek.org.uk
Christian Aid is an international development agency working worldwide to fight poverty and injustice. It works with some of the poorest communities, helping people irrespective of race, religion, culture or background and expose the scandal of poverty. Christian Aid believes in life before death – that everyone has a right to a full and fulfilled life.
Christian Aid has nearly 600 partner organisations in 48 countries worldwide. Christian Aid are unique in that virtually all our projects are run through local groups – people who are the real experts on their own country and know how to help communities help themselves.
Christian Aid works on issues from peace building after conflict, emergency response and sustaining livelihoods, to HIV/AIDS, trade and human rights. This can mean anything from supporting AIDS orphans to using football as a way of bringing together warring tribes in southern Sudan.
Christian Aid also works in the UK, educating, lobbying and campaigning on the causes of global poverty. Through our campaigns, we expose the structures that create poverty, and offer people ways to help change them.
To find out more about Christian Aid’s development work, read news stories, features, press releases and reports, and view web clips and photo galleries take a look at www.christianaid.org.uk . The site also includes up-to-date information about Christian Aid’s campaigns, partner organisations, events, exhibitions and a variety of resources that can be downloaded for fundraising events and for campaigning initiatives to raise awareness about issues such as fair trade, HIV/AIDS, emergency relief, the environment and sustainable development.
To make a donation for Christian Aid Week call Freephone 08080 006 006.
May 2003
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About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.