London pubs giving out free crisps this month in mental health campaign
Free packets of crisps will be given out this month at London pubs, in a scheme to help people open up about mental health.
The Open Up crisps, from Beavertown Brewery and suicide prevention charity Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM), hope to inspire meaningful conversation.
Brits keeping a lid on our emotions is not just a national stereotype, according to new research by Beavertown Brewery, which shows that over half (56 per cent) of the UK have pretended to be ‘okay’ to avoid talking about their own mental health, as (60 per cent) of us feel there is still a stigma around it in today’s society.
To tackle this, Beavertown Brewery is teaming up with suicide prevention charity Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) to launch ‘Open Up’, a new range of crisps containing conversation starters designed to encourage friends to open up.
The vegan cheddar and jalapeño-flavoured crisp packets offer questions created by CALM including: “What gets you through tough times?”
The crisps were launched as part of Beavertown Brewery and CALM’s We Are Not Alone campaign to bring people together and make life feel worth living.
Playing on the well-known British pub tradition of buying a packet of crisps and tearing it open to share with the table, Beavertown and CALM have designed a packet of crisps that helps people share more than just their pub snacks.
Research revealed that nearly half (46 per cent) of 18- to 44-year-olds have said that they wouldn’t know how to start a conversation with friends about their mental health.
This comes as part of Beavertown’s wider partnership with CALM which aims to create moments that bring people together and make life feel worth living as part of their campaign ‘We Are Not Alone’.
The new crisps will be trialled across over 260 Youngs pubs and independents nationwide, with bar staff giving away packets for free on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays, as the study found that pubs can provide a safe space for these conversations, with 1 in 3 (30 per cent) saying that they feel more at ease opening up in a pub or over a drink.
Supporting the ‘Open Up’ campaign is English actor and comedian Tom Davis, who has openly documented his struggles with mental health,
“We often shy away from getting deep and opening up with our loved ones about what’s going on in our lives, masking it with comedy — something I’ve done many times,” said Tom Davis.
“These crisps give you that natural invitation to start sharing in a laid-back way, right there at the pub, which is the perfect place to do so if you ask me. The only downside is you do have to share your crisps, which I am fundamentally against, but you can always just get another bag.”
According to the research, many Brits often feel awkward (28 per cent) about sharing their personal problems and (42 per cent) of people would be more likely to open up to someone who had opened up to them first.
Tom Rainsford, Beavertown Brewery’s marketing director, said: “Pubs are a place where we can come together as a community and with our mates to catch-up and chat, but that doesn’t mean we are always honest about how we really feel.”
“Our research shows that over a third of us don’t know how to start a conversation about mental health with our friends. We hope our Open Up crisps, created in partnership with our friends at CALM, will give people the nudge they need to have a more honest and open chat with their friends. Head to your nearest participating pub now, ask for yours at the bar and try it out with a mate.”
Simon Gunning, CEO of the Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM), said: “It started with tackling loneliness through communities and climbing and now we’re taking on conversation starters with Beavertown through crisps.
“Checking in with your mate is one of the most important things you can do to help – it’s not always obvious if someone is struggling, so together we’re finding ways to make important conversations part of our routine”.
Find more information, or find your nearest participating pubs here.