Branded Items Group praised for helping Theatre Support Fund | St Helens Star
A ST HELENS company has received a standing ovation for its role in a high profile campaign that has raised more than £1million for theatre charities in lockdown.
The Branded Items Group (BIG) decided to diversify in April last year at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, providing PPE, hand gel and branded face masks.
But just 12 months later, the fortunes of the multi award-winning company have changed following an enquiry from the newly-formed Theatre Support Fund in London’s West End.
Chris Marcus and Damien Stanton, two friends who worked in London’s theatre industry had created the brand ‘The Show Must Go On’, with the aim of selling branded merchandise to raise much-needed funds for charities supporting the theatre industry.
Managing director of BIG Steve Fairhurst said: “The initial enquiry to our company was for just 100 branded mugs and 100 books.
“I thought that ‘The Show Must Go On’ campaign was brilliant from inception and the message resonated with the situation we were all facing during the Covid-19 crisis.
“We were however shocked at what was to follow and how fast the campaign took off.
“The theatre ordering system literally crashed within days due to the high demand.”
Chris Marcus, found of The Theatre Support Fund said: “We started the Theatre Support Fund as a tiny project in April 2020 but the project grew at an extraordinary rate.
“By the end of the first day on sale, the orders were near 1,000 books and mugs and 6,500 t-shirts.”
The Show Must Go On campaign gathered momentum and drew international media attention with high profile celebrities like Keira Knightly and Dame Judy Dench supporting the cause as well as a cast of household names who posted images of themselves wearing the branded t-shirts.
The year-long campaign culminated last week with the Theatre Support Fund running a five-night live performance of The Show Must Go On Live at the Palace Theatre in London starring a host of west end musical legends and hosted by Bonnie Langford.
