POSITIVE POST BOX

Nationwide Building Society and The Diana Award have joined forces to spread positivity throughout schools via their new pen pal scheme, The Positive Post Box.

The Positive Post Box campaign aims to help stamp out bullying and instil mutual respect from a young age, by encouraging proactive positivity and goodwill gestures. The campaign will see children writing positive messages and posting them around the country to other children via their very own special Positive Post Box.

Recent research from Nationwide Building Society showed that a third of children (32%) have never written a handwritten letter, with a similar amount (35%) having never received one either. However, 4 in 5 (84%) children surveyed said they would be excited to receive a letter in the post! With that in mind, Nationwide and The Diana Award are looking to bring back the joys of letter writing and tap into children’s excitement for the dying art, with The Positive Post Box campaign launching in line with The Big Anti-Bullying Assembly in October 2022.

Schools are invited to sign up and participate, with the first 50 sign ups receiving their very own life-sized Positive Post Box, and a further 250 receiving a stylish smaller desktop version to add to the excitement of the experience. Schools can register their interest at www.antibullyingpro.com/take-action/positive-post-box by Monday, October 24 to take part.

Both campaigns are backed by lots of familiar faces like Will Poulter, Molly Rainford, Steph Houghton and many more. The Big Anti-Bullying Assembly will be taken to primary school classrooms, and into homes across the country from October and will also be available to view on The Diana Award’s AntiBullyingPro YouTube channel.

The assembly brings together hundreds of thousands of children, empowering them to tackle bullying with a host of celebrities sharing their own personal stories and messages as well as key information and guidance on how to recognise and handle bullying behaviour, and the support available.

Research by Nationwide Building Society showed that 8 in 10 (83%) children have experienced bullying, with the vast majority (84%) stating that the bullying took place within the school grounds.

Half of the children surveyed (50%) said the reason for the bullying was because of their appearance, with over a third (36%) stating it was due to social factors. A large proportion of bullying has shifted online via social media, with a quarter (25%) of the children surveyed stating the bullying was online.

The data shows that in relation to their friends being bullied, three quarters (75%) were aware that their friend(s) had been bullied. And almost half of the children surveyed (45%) said they checked to ensure the person was okay after it happened.

“I’m delighted to take part in a campaign like this and I wish when I was in school there was a project like this to spread positivity. Getting the chance to write my own letter was really rewarding, it’s been years since I wrote a letter but I will be definitely picking up a pen more often and getting creative. I think it’s really important that these campaigns exist to encourage children to speak up, write down their feelings and also show their creativity. I hope the Positive Post Box is going to help loads of children across the country.”

CBBC star and Positive Post Box Ambassador, Molly Rainford

“I’m so proud to be taking part in such a positive project. As somebody who has spoken publicly about bullying before, I will also support initiatives that spread positivity and respect. I can’t wait to see all of the children reading and writing their letters.”

Rhys Stephenson, Presenter and The Diana Award ambassador

“Working with The Diana Award to promote mutual respect to tackle bullying head on by spreading messages of hope and positivity is an honour.

“The on-bullying stats are pretty scary, so anything we can do to combat the root of the problem is vital, and that’s what we hope to do with this partnership. We want to show children who may be suffering they’re not alone, too. At Nationwide, mutual respect has always been a core value to us, so we are incredibly proud to be able to drive such a positive message and promote equality, respect and inclusivity in society.”

Director of Advertising & Marketing at Nationwide Building Society, Paul Hibbs

“On the back of our annual Big Anti-Bullying Assembly with Nationwide Building Society we’re delighted to be part of this brand-new campaign which encourages kindness through the revival of letter writing.

“Simple written messages of kindness can have a positive impact on both the sender and receiver.  At The Diana Award we’re passionate about tackling bullying behaviour by empowering young people to make change.  We’re looking forward to seeing young people across the county putting pen to paper and sending their messages.”

Deputy CEO of The Diana Awards, Alex Holmes

Alongside this campaign, Nationwide Building Society is working with The Diana Award to train an extra 10,000 Anti-Bullying Ambassadors in over 660 primary schools across the UK over the next three years. Through this initiative, school children can develop key skills around tackling bullying, celebrating difference and supporting their peers, online and offline.

The find out more about the initiative visit: positivepostbox.com

Notes to Editor

For more information about the campaign or to gain access to additional imagery, please contact Alex Halls or Victoria Tidmarsh at nationwide@hatchpr.co.uk

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