Samaritans and Lauren Goodger team up for Phone Free Friday campaign
The Samaritans has teamed up with The Only Way is Essex star Lauren Goodger to launch a new fundraising event called Phone Free Friday.
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Taking place next Friday (20 June) the inaugural event will be launched by Goodger on 16 June at Waterloo station during The Big Turn Off, a “mass participation” event where people will simultaneously turn their phones off.
Catherine Johnstone, Samaritans’ CEO, said: “Samaritans answers more than five million calls for help every year, and we need to make sure we continue to be there for anyone struggling to cope. We are asking our supporters to turn off their phones for one day so we can answer more calls.
“Phone Free Friday has been set up in memory of Claire Squires, a fundraiser who sadly died while running the London Marathon. Claire always had her phone close to her, and we hope that all those that were touched by her story will take part and help her legacy live on.”
Supported by healthcare provider Simplyhealth, Phone Free Friday puts people to the test by “laying down the gauntlet” to go without their phones from 9am-5pm on 20 June.
Participants who can’t last the whole day without their phones will face penalties. The charity is asking people to make a donation of £4 to Samaritans, which is the cost of answering each call they receive.