2 April 2020

Newspapers Support Readers And Charities During Coronavirus

National, regional and local newspapers are supporting charities and readers during the coronavirus outbreak highlighting the important role of trusted, quality journalism. Whether raising awareness of aid and services available to vulnerable citizens, calling for charitable donations or celebrating local heroes for their hard work, newspapers are an essential service to the public in times of emergency.

Reach Plc has called on brands to show their support and share special offers for health workers on their NHS Heroes site, alongside thousands of messages of thanks from the public.  Nearly 300,000 ‘thank yous’ have been pledged across the UK in support of the NHS workers on the frontlines of the coronavirus crisis.

Set up in collaboration with the Royal College of Nursing, the site acts as a hub for workers to access up-to-date information – such as deals from restaurants, and transport providers.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock said: “I wholeheartedly support the NHS Heroes campaign. Our talented health and care workers across the UK are rising to the immense challenge that we face as a country.”

The Wolverhampton Express and Star and the Shropshire Star have launched Star Neighbour which aims to spread the word about support available to local people. The papers have also produced forms readers for readers to post through the doors of neighbours to offer help and support with things like shopping.

The Telegraph has launched coronavirus charity appeal for Turn2Us who have supported people through the 1918 flu pandemic and two world wars. Turn2Us estimates that around 290,000 households will now face an uncertain future due to no fault of their own, including some 246,000 children. Within just 72 hours of launching their appeal The Telegraph was able to raise  £200,000 for Turn2US.

 JPI Media’s, Scotsman and Edinburgh Evening News, have joined a campaign to call for food donations help some of the city’s most vulnerable people during the Coronavirus outbreak. The Royal Bank of Scotland has turned part of its headquarters into a foodbank distribution centre and was working with Trussell Trust. The campaign is calling for donations via supermarket collection points. 

Iliffe Media’s, CambridgeshireLive and the Cambridge News, are working with the Cambridgeshire Community Foundation (CCF), to raise money for the Coronavirus Fund. The fund has a target of £300,000 and after ten days has nearly reached £195,000.

The fund provides community organisations emergency funding to deal with emerging issues in the community, affecting older people (aged 60 and over) and other vulnerable people (high risk, pre-existing medical conditions). This includes; need for self-isolation, financial hardship, potential for hunger, lack of shelter, further exacerbation of health issues, loneliness and isolation of these people.

The Sun on Sunday called on Britain to thank unsung heroes who have given hope during coronavirus lockdown. The paper called on readers to share a message to somebody who has made a difference to and pledged to publish each message. Hail A Hero showed messages of thanks to medical students for their hard work, taxi drivers who are helping the elderly free of charge and foodbank volunteers.

Newsquest have launched a  funding campaign to thank frontline NHS staff, #ThankYouNHS. The funds will be used to support frontline NHS staff and volunteers across 250 hospitals by providing wellness packages, food parcels and covering travel costs and accommodation. Within the first 24 hours of launching, the fund raised more than £2,500.

The Independent has launched ‘Help The Hungry’ campaign with The Felix Project to help those going hungry because of the ongoing coronavirus crisis. Community hubs are being setup across Britain to help deliver food to as many of these people as possible. The Independent has joined the cause and partnered with The Felix Project to help deliver produce across London’s boroughs.

 The York Press, has offered free adverts for independent businesses in the city, with its campaign The Press Supporting Local Businesses to help showcase how businesses have adapted their services in the face of the coronavirus outbreak.

“If anything, it makes you feel really warm knowing the local media are supporting you,” said Emma Godiliva, York Gin director. “You know that people are seeing it. We have definitely had an uplift in orders.”