Marie Curie make the most of this weekend’s extra hour
Howard Lake | 26 October 2016 | News
Terminal illness charity Marie Curie is marking this weekend when the clocks go back by highlighting the role of its nurses.
Actress Alison Steadman presents a short video to encourage the public to support the charity’s nurses. She begins by saying:
“While we’re sleeping, Marie Curie nurses will be working the extra hour”.
She is an appropriate presenter for the 30-second video. She explains that she has personal experience of the care and support that the charity and its staff provide. She says:
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“I should know. They helped my mum when she was dying.”
There is no direct fundraising in the video, just a request:
“So please take a minute to appreciate Marie Curie nurses this weekend.”
The video ends with a simple on-screen message: “Please support our nurses today”, together with the Marie Curie logo. There is no web address or response channel indicated for a donation on the video, but the video is published on Marie Curie’s site where there is an on-page donation mechanism. In addition, the version of the video that will be posted on social media will include a text-to-donate call to action.
Brands donate advertising space
As part of the extra hour campaign, several brands have donated their advertising space to Marie Curie.
Between 7 and 8pm on Saturday, digital advertising billboards across the UK will display an image of Marie Curie Nurse, Sally Monger-Godfrey and urge people to support the Marie Curie’s Nurses.
The brands and media owners include EDF, Spotify, WHSmith, The Daily Telegraph and outdoor media companies Primesight, Rapport and Verifon Media.
Billboards will appear in city centres across the country, including the iconic Piccadilly One billboard, and on digital billboards on top of London’s black cabs.
Marie Curie Nurse Sally said of being the face of the Extra Hour campaign:
“I’m not a particularly shy person but it is quite strange to imagine my face appearing on all these billboards across the country – that doesn’t happen to most people. But I’m of course incredibly proud to be a Marie Curie Nurse and proud of my fellow nurses who, like me, will be working through the night as the clocks go back.”
Donations in response to the awareness campaign are being accepted. You can text EXTRAHOUR to 70025 to donate £5. The charity receives 98% of this donation.
Making the most of an extra hour
In the UK the clocks go back an hour at 2am on Sunday 30 October 2016, returning to Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). For many people, that means an extra hour in bed.
The clocks go forward an hour on 26 March 2017, moving to British Summer Time. This usually means one hour less in bed.
Several charities have sought to make the most of this extra hour in October:
- Rank Group staff make the most of the extra hour for Carers Trust (2015)
- Cancer Research UK makes the most of that extra hour (2003)
Is your charity inviting supporters to make the most of the extra hour? Do let us know in the comments below.
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.