Hope & Glory launch star-studded charity Mario Kart tournament with CALM x Nintendo

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Here's the latest from the creative world as we know it.

A campaign by Hope & Glory

Following the success of the inaugural CALM Friday Night Lock-In at the start of April, which saw performers including Years & Years entertain over 60,000 viewers at home, the Lock-In returned, this time with a celebrity live-streamed Mario Kart tournament in partnership with Nintendo.

Created by Hope & Glory in partnership with CALM, the series of back to back Grand Prix on the Nintendo Switch and offered hours of entertainment as a star-studded line-up of contestants went head to head in the name of charity,

Stars included Paul Mescal and Daisy Edgar-Jones, leads from BBC smash hit 'Normal People' – a series exploring issues around mental health – along with musician Tom Grennan, comedians Iain Stirling, Jon Richardson and Seann Walsh as well as YouTuber Joe Sugg, fitness influencers Bradley Simmonds and Josh Patterson.

Each celebrity battled it out live on their Instagram Live and via CALM's official Twitch stream, featuring commentary on the thrills and spill of each race by presenter and Youtuber Amelia Dimoldenberg, allowing fans to tune in to watch at home, cheering on their favourite player, comment, ask questions and donate to CALM live on screen.

The Return of the Lock-In

The return of the Lock-In was launched in response to the record demand placed on CALM's lifesaving helpline with over 19,000 calls and webchats recorded since the start of lockdown at the end of March – and having prevented 80 suicides in the intervening weeks.

While the primary aim of 'The CALM Lock-in: Mario Kart 8 Edition' was to help raise spirits and give the nation some respite from these strange times, it was also to raise awareness and donations to support the running of CALM's suite of services.

With results still rolling in, the second wave of the campaign surpassed expectations as thousands tuned in live across Instagram and Twitch, with hundreds of thousands more engaging with it through social and editorial alike.

Bagging more than 100 pieces of editorial coverage alone, stand out pieces made their way into print and online across the likes of The Metro, The Daily Star, The Mail Online The Daily Express and a multitude of online lifestyle, gaming and regional titles across the UK and Ireland.

With donations still flooding in from the activity, the money raised on the night across the integrated Instagram and Twitch donation mechanics saw over £2.5K raised within the first 15 minutes alone, surpassing expectations and going some way to funding CALM's range of lifesaving resources.

Hope & Glory launch star-studded charity Mario Kart tournament with CALM x Nintendo

CALM CEO, Simon Gunning said: "Over the last few weeks, we've seen people need CALM and our services more than ever before. We know that lockdown has been incredibly tough, so we wanted to do something that would give people a fun evening and help take their mind off everything else that's happening at the moment - even if just for a few moments - whilst also raising awareness of the CALM services that can be an added support when life gets tough.

"CALM is here for anyone who needs help, and our free and confidential helpline and webchat are open seven days a week from 5 pm-midnight. If anyone is struggling and would like some help visit thecalmzone.net for ways to support yourself and others".

Natalie Davies, Associate Director, Hope & Glory PR, said: "Although the first CALM Lock-In generated fantastic results, we knew pretty quickly we'd want to 'go again' as the platform offered such great creative flexibility. So, with uncertainty around when lockdown will end and the subsequent effect on mental wellbeing, we this time focussed specifically on the gaming community - a core audience for CALM.

Mario Kart then became the obvious choice, due in part to its iconic status but also the sheer accessibility of the game. So, working with the team at Nintendo and securing specialist tech outfit The 5Gs to donate their time, we quickly shaped and refined the process into a workable gaming activation in under two weeks.