The COVID-19 pandemic caused Cancer Research UK to cancel its Race for Life event series, heavily impacting fundraising for vital research.
Live streaming specialist, Groovy Gecko, supported Cancer Research UK with a series of bespoke Facebook Live – to encourage the Race for Life community to take part at home and continue to raise vital funds for the charity.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Cancer Research UK’s Race for Life mass participation events were cancelled in 2020. The charity launched Race for Life at Home in April as a way for its supporters to continue to take part in Race for Life in their own way at home, allowing the community to share stories and ideas and take part in live stream workout events, as well as raise vital funds together.
Leading live streaming agency with over 20 years’ experience, Groovy Gecko, supported Cancer Research UK with the first ever Race for Life at Home Facebook live stream series. Running over several weeks in April and May 2020, Groovy Gecko produced and streamed the series. Celebrities such as singer Jake Quickenden and TV presenter Chloe Madeley led workouts directly streamed into people’s homes, while viewers were able to submit questions and share personal experiences in a private pop-up box on-screen that were then moderated by the hosts.
The success of these events was followed by a Facebook Live event, ‘A Very 2020 Race for Life’, hosted by TV presenter Alex Jones on Saturday 26 September. 55,000 viewers tuned in to the Race for Life Facebook page to experience elements of an event day, including hearing from people affected by cancer, a minute’s silence to remember loved ones and a warm up routine. After the live stream participants were invited to set off on their own 5k in local parks and neighbourhoods.
Thanks to the interactive nature of Groovy Gecko’s live streaming technology, the Race for Life Facebook Live events have seen high engagement levels including over 260,000 total views and over 400 comments sent in as people across the UK were inspired to get involved in their own homes.
Reflecting on the success of the streams, Jake Ward, Business Development Director at Groovy Gecko, said: “Taking events online has to include a huge amount of interaction, or it’s never going to fill the void that is left from the Race for Life mass participation events.. Cancer Research UK wanted to ensure the community spirit of the event series shone through with interaction being possible from different viewer locations. By inputting our REALM Live Questions tool into the live streams, we enabled viewers to interact while taking part from home.”
Sarah Pickersgill, head of Cancer Research UK’s Race for Life marketing said: “As a result of COVID-19 our Race for Life events were unfortunately cancelled this year, and this will have a huge impact on Cancer Research UK’s life-saving work. But we’re determined to keep making progress for people affected by cancer, who have never needed us more.
“We wanted to bring our fantastic Race for Life community together and with Groovy Gecko’s expertise, we were able to encourage our supporters to join a series of live stream events that were fun, engaging and heartfelt, keeping with the spirit of our Race for Life events.”
For more information on Groovy Gecko, please visit https://www.groovygecko.com/
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Notes to editors:
- Craig Moehl, Manging Director, and Jake Ward, Business Development Director at Groovy Gecko are available for comment or interviews.
- High res images are available on request.
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About Groovy Gecko
Founded in 1999, Groovy Gecko is an award-winning Live Streaming agency.
With over 20 years of expertise in live streaming technology and production, working on projects ranging from international film premieres to interactive company presentations and global gaming conferences, Groovy Gecko is continuously pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in live streaming.
Founded on innovation, Groovy Gecko not only helps clients engage with audiences in exciting ways but adds value to live streams with their risk management approach and smooth delivery.
For more information on Groovy Gecko, visit https://www.groovygecko.com
Twitter: groovygecko
Instagram: groovygecko
About Cancer Research UK’s Race for Life
Cancer Research UK’s Race for Life, in partnership with Tesco, is an inspiring series of 5k, 10k, Pretty Muddy and Pretty Muddy Kids events which raise money to help fund life-saving research.
About Cancer Research UK
- Cancer Research UK is the world’s leading cancer charity dedicated to saving lives through research.
- Cancer Research UK’s pioneering work into the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cancer has helped save millions of lives.
- Cancer Research UK has been at the heart of the progress that has already seen survival in the UK double in the last 40 years.
- Today, 2 in 4 people survive their cancer for at least 10 years. Cancer Research UK’s ambition is to accelerate progress so that by 2034, 3 in 4 people will survive their cancer for at least 10 years.
- Cancer Research UK supports research into all aspects of cancer through the work of over 4,000 scientists, doctors and nurses.
- Together with its partners and supporters, Cancer Research UK’s vision is to bring forward the day when all cancers are cured.
