Proclaimers Fight Suicide
Author:
Rebecca
Charles
Posted:
2007-11-07
Can Scots lift the lid on their emotions? Is the nation’s traditional reticence behind worryingly high statistics for suicide and serf-harm? Rebecca Charles of top Scots PR consultancy SMARTS talked to Scottish pop icons The Proclaimers about their support for Suicide Prevention Day. The campaign calls for Scots to be more open in their emotional lives. The aim of the campaign was to encourage people to help save lives by shattering the silence around suicide.
More…Over 400 Scots pledged to talk more openly and sent us their mug shots for a national collage. The photographs were used to create the beginning of the large scale collage, which would spell out the word ‘suicide’. Mounted on a travelling van, the collage was unveiled by The Proclaimers in Glasgow on Suicide Prevention Day in September, before touring across Scotland to quite literally ‘drive’ the word ‘suicide’ out into the open.
Having Charlie and Craig - who have personally been touched by suicide - at the launch created a media frenzy, with photographers, TV cameras, radio presenters and both broadsheet and tabloid journalists all wanting a piece of the guys. Myself and Ann had the task of preventing too much elbowing action between the journalists and ensured each one left with a headline making comment. Which is exactly what we achieved on tv, radio and national, regional and local newspapers throughout the country the next day.
About the author
Rebecca’s PR experience and strong communications skills have led to her forging excellent relationships with key Scottish and national media contacts. During the eight years she has spent in the pr industry, Rebecca has worked with a wide range of clients from the catering and hospitality industry to arts, hair, beauty, IT and mental health.