23red launches Brighter Journeys with Network Rail

Purpose driven creative and behaviour change agency, 23red, launches new Network Rail campaign – Brighter Journeys – to support passengers’ mental health amid return to workplace.

The integrated campaign sees the Brighter Journeys installation visiting a number of stations across the UK to help welcome back passengers during the first two weeks of October. Inspired by the wellbeing benefits of spending time in nature, the campaign aims to bring the outdoors into the station environment and put smiles on passengers’ faces in the lead up to World Mental Health Day (10 October).

The in-station sensory installation is set up in eight stations across the UK, supported by in-station media which features poems from Poetry Project, as well as OOH advertising, Metro media partnership, paid and owned social strategy and a toolkit to inspire and enable all stations to get involved.

In partnership with mental health charity Chasing the Stigma, Brighter Journeys is signposting people to share and download the Hub of Hope app if they or someone they know are struggling with their mental health. The app is the only service of its kind that brings together all the mental health support options available to someone in any given area, from NHS support and national charities like Mind and Samaritans, to 3,500+ registered national and local voluntary, grassroots, private and third sector services, with the number listed growing daily.

Tristan Cavanagh, Creative Director at 23red shared: “Together with Network Rail, we set out to reframe stations as happy community hubs. With the insight that nature can improve mental wellbeing, we wanted to bring the outdoors into the UK train stations. Using the sensory installations, we are recreating the feeling of being in nature to give passengers a lift and provide some respite on people’s journeys.”

Lucy Jones at Network Rail stated: “At Network Rail, we are committed to supporting the mental wellbeing of our passengers. With our latest campaign, Brighter Journeys, we will be making our stations brighter, more positive and friendlier places and making access to support services easier for vulnerable people to find. We’re thrilled to have worked with 23red, Sense, Chasing the Stigma and other great partners on bringing this meaningful campaign to life.”

The campaign is launching with a sensory installation unveiled at London Waterloo on Monday 4 October, which will include a burst of colourful flowers in bloom, a nature themed soundscape and uplifting poems by James McInerney featured across in-station media.