Helping Papworth Trust in social media
Caring for someone with a disability is challenging and comes with considerable demands that only those in comparable situations can truly appreciate. So, when we were approached by Papworth Trust, a charity that provides support and promotes equality for disabled and disadvantaged people, concerning a new Channel 4 series they were involved in, our interest was piqued to say the least.
Channel 4’s Secret Millions launched just over a week ago and is supported by the Big Lottery Fund for the Channel’s largest ever TV giveaway. Supported by a host of celebrities including Jimmy Doherty, Katie Piper and Gok Wan, the format consists of a range of charities bringing to life innovative and ground-breaking projects designed to have far-reaching and lasting effects on those in need. Meanwhile, the lottery watches on in secret as they decide whether or not to make a £2 million donation to the charity, and if so, the money is then used to help launch and fund these nascent projects.
In case you missed the show last night, Papworth Trust’s project was called The Farm, a radical, new holiday service that turned the more traditional disability respite model on its head. Historically, the person with the disability will spend their time at a support centre alone, providing their carer with time out of their daily caring routine. The Farm however provides the entire family unit with a beautiful venue and, most importantly, bespoke support service tailored to each family that stays there, enabling the family to spend quality time together. The show follows three families staying at The Farm and viewers are able to witness their respective successes and development. Finally, the Lottery reveals that they will support the initiative with £2 million, so Papworth Trust can build a permanent version of the Farm in beautiful Wales to offer respite holidays for disabled people and their families.
Over the last few months we’ve been giving some advice on how they can make the most of this opportunity and how they can best use their social and digital channels to bring attention to what they’re doing. They’ve actually done all the work themselves but it’s something the team here really wanted to support through a series of calls and chats.
Their primary objective for creating a social presence is to generate applications to the Farm, offering those in need with some well-deserved support. In particular, Papworth Trust wants applications from the hardest-to-reach families, those who may not already have a support system in place. To do this Papworth Trust wanted to reach those who are active both on and offline first, so that they can subsequently inform others via word of mouth.
You can find out more about the project here. This features all the necessary information for families caring for a disabled family member and whom want to apply to stay at The Farm for a free and bespoke holiday respite, as well as short films, tips, advice, and much, much more about both the TV series and Farm.
You can give your support by getting the message out about this revolutionary bespoke holiday service, for both those with disabilities and those caring for them – they’re facebook.com/papworthtrust and @papworth_trust.