ITV and The National Lottery encourage the public to ‘Miss Out’ on their favourite ITV show to ‘Help Out’ their community

By missing just one episode of their favourite tv show, members of the public could make a big difference in their communities, thanks to a new advertising campaign that launched at the weekend.

Created in partnership with ITV, STV, The National Lottery and The National Lottery Community Fund, the largest funder of community activity in the UK, the ‘Miss Out to Help Out’ campaign invites people to swap one hour of tv-watching for one hour of helping others.

The advert, voiced by Dermot O’Leary, premiered on Saturday and will run for three weeks. In it, he asks viewers to “simply miss an episode of their favourite show and use that time to help in their community” demonstrating how small acts of kindness can go a long way.

There is a wide range of activity people could get involved with. For those looking for ideas MissOutToHelpOut.com provides lots of useful hints and tips on how to get started. It also lists a range of voluntary opportunities across the UK, including virtual volunteering for those currently unable to leave the house.

Whether people fancy getting outside and picking up litter with The 2 Minute Foundation, or chatting on the phone to a person living with dementia for Alzheimer’s Society, there’s really something for everyone - no matter how much (or how little) time they have. A list of all available opportunities can be found here.

In the time it takes to watch an episode of This Morning (always available for catch up on the ITV hub) it’s possible to make a huge difference in someone’s life.

Faiza Khan MBE, Director of Engagement and Insight at The National Lottery Community Fund, said: “We know - from the thousands of projects we fund each year – that people who give up their time to help their communities and make things happen are incredibly important. Small acts of kindness are needed now more than ever as we all adapt to profound changes during the COVID-19 pandemic. I hope, through this campaign, more people will be inspired to lend a helping hand in communities across the UK.”

Paul Reddish, CEO at Volunteering Matters, said: “We’re delighted to be involved in this campaign from The National Lottery and ITV that celebrates the difference that volunteers have had and continue to have in communities across the UK during these difficult times. We hope this provides encouragement for people to find opportunities that are local to them. Getting involved doesn’t have to take up a lot of time and can make a huge amount of difference.”

Camelot’s Keith Moor, Chief Marketing Officer for The National Lottery, said: “National Lottery players make a huge difference to UK communities – with over £30 million raised each and every week for Good Causes. This partnership with ITV and STV aims to remind people that there are loads of ways to get involved with volunteering – many of which only take as much time as an episode of their favourite TV show.”

The National Lottery Community Fund distributes money raised by National Lottery players for good causes. Last year, we awarded over half a billion pounds (£588.2 million) of life-changing funding to communities across the UK. Thanks to National Lottery players, £30 million is raised each week for good causes throughout the UK.

At the heart of everything we do is the belief that when people are in the lead, communities thrive.

To find out more visit www.TNLCommunityFund.org.uk