Positive Post Box campaign aims to bring back art of letter-writing for children

Research from Nationwide Building Society and The Diana Award has uncovered the figures - but also found 85 per cent of children in the region would be excited to receive a letter in the post.

Nationwide and The Diana Award, with the help of a number of familiar faces like Will Poulter, Molly Rainford, Steph Houghton and many more, want to change these statistics by launching The Positive Post Box campaign.

Not only is the campaign an attempt to bring back the joys of letter writing and tap into children’s excitement for the dying art, it also has an underlying motive to tackle bullying in schools through spreading positivity and mutual respect.

As the campaign kicks off, over 120,000 children from 300 schools have received their very own Positive Post Box and are about to take part in one of the biggest pen pal schemes the UK has ever seen. Among those to sign up are 21 schools across Yorkshire.

Research by Nationwide Building Society has showed the devastating impact bullying can have on young people with a number of shocking statistics coming to light.

It found 60 per cent of children in Yorkshire have experience bullying, with all saying it was ongoing, 85 per cent at school.

During The Positive Post Box campaign hundreds of thousands of letters filled with kind messages will be delivered to children around the UK helping to raise awareness and make a major impact on children’s mental health.

CBBC star and Positive Post Box Ambassador, Molly Rainford, spoke about the campaign: “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.”

Rhys Stephenson, presenter and The Diana Award ambassador said of the campaign: “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.”

Director of Advertising & Marketing at Nationwide Building Society, Paul Hibbs added: “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 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.”

Deputy CEO of The Diana Awards, Alex Holmes added: “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. We’ve received an overwhelming response from the launch with over 120,000 children set to be involved across the whole of the UK.”