Virgin Trains & Rethink Mental Illness paint platforms with famous film script
Melanie May | 30 November 2018 | News
Virgin Trains is painting the script of ‘It’s A Wonderful Life’ on station platforms from London to Glasgow this Christmas, in an initiative developed with charity partner, Rethink Mental Illness.
The It’s a Wonderful Line campaign is in recognition of how difficult the festive period can be for some, and the positive impact that simple acts of kindness can have. It will direct customers via a URL embedded in the script to information, advice, and support around mental health.
The initiative will be rolled out along the Virgin Trains West Coast route, with the film’s message of goodwill painted across station platforms in towns and cities that include; London, Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester, Preston, Carlisle and Glasgow.
Over 7.5km of script is being painted over 14 nights in 14 locations, with the script painted behind the yellow line that runs the length of station platforms and will use the same yellow paint. All of the painting will be completed by Bagnalls, Virgin Trains’ painting partner of 10 years, with help from Manchester-based Laser Cutting Services which custom-manufactured the stencils for the painting.
Throughout December, customers will also be able to watch ‘It’s A Wonderful Life’ on Virgin Trains’ on-board free entertainment service. Volunteers from Rethink Mental Illness will also be fundraising at Virgin Trains stations throughout the campaign period.
Rethink Mental Illness has worked with Virgin Trains since May 2017, training its people in how to deal with mental health issues that they might experience during their working day and in their personal life.
Natasha Grice, Executive Director of People at Virgin Trains said:
“It’s A Wonderful Life is a story of hope, redemption and kindness, which teaches us that having someone there for you when you need it the most is one of the greatest gifts you can receive. Many of our people have been personally affected by the issues raised in this campaign or know someone who has been. This is why we wanted to get as many of our staff involved as possible, working to create a message of kindness that will touch as many of our customers as we can. We want everyone to know there’s help out there, and that if you’re not affected by poor mental health, it’s really easy to help someone who is.”
James Fletcher, Head of Corporate Partnerships at Rethink Mental Illness said:
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“It is vital at this time of year to let people know that help is available if they need it. We have worked closely with Virgin Trains for the last two years to help raise funds so that more people can access support in communities along the West Coast network. This campaign highlights the need for this support at a time of the year which can be difficult for some of us, and we are proud to be part of it.”
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About Melanie May
Melanie May is a journalist and copywriter specialising in writing both for and about the charity and marketing services sectors since 2001. She can be reached via thepurplepim.com.