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By Amy Houston, Senior Reporter

June 27, 2022 | 3 min read

The topic of life and death can be emotional, uncomfortable and difficult to speak about. A campaign from agencies The Good Side, Roar Social, Mainly Photography and Skating Panda is looking to change that by getting behind a new annual event that encourages participants to ‘pause, reflect and commit to an action that invokes a memory of loved ones who are no longer with us.

‘Celebration Day’ will take place yearly on the first Sunday after the Summer Solstice – a date chosen in particular as the sun is high in the sky, nature is in full bloom, and life is all around.

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As part of the activity, there are a series of eight films celebrating remembrance that have been shot on both digital and film cameras, resulting in content that plays with notions of nostalgia and modernity, bringing together the idea of the past in the present.

“Our intention at The Good Side is always to learn from and build on culture, which is why we wanted the Celebration Day concept to be brought to life by real people with their own stories to share,” said Saul Parker, founder of The Good Side.

“We collaborated with people who had experienced loss and then turned that loss into a sense of purpose to help ground Celebration Day in real-world behaviors. We wanted the concept to feel approachable and engaging, evoking the idea that we keep our loved ones alive in our memories, thoughts and actions.”

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Within the series, viewers hear from inspiring people from across the UK, such as David Mwanaka, originally from Zimbabwe, who was the first farmer to grow white maize in the UK; Jo celebrating her late wife Paula by going to the Ritz, where they had the hotel’s first lesbian civil partnership in 2006; and Dexter Clift, more popularly known as his drag persona River Medway, celebrating his mum, lost to Covid and forever his biggest fan.

“Celebration Day is a hugely positive way to help us all honor those no longer here in ways we may not have been able to before,” added Andrea Hartley, chief executive officer and founder of Skating Panda.

“Our approach in launching the day brings to attention the collective power of industry collaboration in the social impact space. It’s a privilege to be part of the inaugural day and we look forward to increased collaboration over time within our industry, especially when tackling the critical issues of our time.”

The project will be amplified via out-of-home (OOH) activations across the country and shared on various social media channels.

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