Three cracking charity April Fool’s campaigns

From homelessness and poverty to disaster relief and disability, the issues charities tackle is no laughing matter.

But April Fool’s Day is a prime opportunity to take a break from the serious stuff and have some fun.

Here are three cracking campaigns to put a smile on your face.

Blind Veterans UK

In 2023, Blind Veterans UK announced an innovative ‘guide tortoise’ pilot to support blind veterans.

The charity posted a short animation to its social media channels, touting the benefits of a reptilian companion.

The chirpy female narrator says that guide tortoises are ‘perfect for blind veterans who prefer an amble to a walk’, adding that they’re a cost-effective alternative to guide dogs, as all you need to do is ‘feed them a few dandelion leaves and off they go’.

The video was supported by more pun-filled content on the charity’s website.

In a statement, Shelley Hardback, Rehabilitation Lead, said:

"This pilot is revolutionary, but it’s fair to say it’s not without its challenges. For a start, most of the applicants have been half asleep and, sadly, the trials we’ve run have ‘tortoise’ nothing so we’re on the hunt for more recruits 

If you happen to own a tortoise with a nose for directions, please let us know in the comments. And we ‘shell’ be in touch."

National Trust

From grand houses and palaces to cotton mills and urban homes, the National Trust looks after 200+ historic buildings in the UK. It’s also responsible for conserving the 13,500 oil paintings within those buildings.

This is no mean feat. It can take weeks or months to restore a single painting.

In 2022, The Trust announced that the restoration team at its Upton House property had come up with a unique way to ensure the public can continue to enjoy the works of art while they’re undergoing conservation.

In a hilarious video, two National Trust staff explain the ‘People as Paintings’ project.

‘When paintings or other items from our collection are removed for repair or conservation cleaning, curators from the places we care for have been filling those gaps with people.’

The video goes on to highlight some of the ‘live paintings’, including a reconstruction of The Card Players after Theodoor Rombouts.

The presenter goes on to say ‘the project has been so well received we’re trialling it at several of the places we care for due to the sheer amount of people that bear a striking resemblance to these priceless works of art,’ and encourages viewers to send in their own live paintings.

WWF

In 2017, the World Wildlife Fund teamed up with the Telegraph for an Arctic-sized prank.

On April 1, the newspaper published an article claiming that a polar bear had been spotted by a dog walker on an island in the Outer Hebrides.

It claimed that scientists believe the bear had been forced to head south to flee the melting Arctic ice cap, and that due to its abundance of seals, ‘the island of North Uist could soon find itself home to a whole colony of polar bears.’

The story didn’t stop there. It went on to say WWF scientists believe the bears could one day head south to Glasgow and survive on discarded haggis, kebabs, and other meat products from the city’s bins.

Clever marketing

The fabricated article was a big hit online. But, while it may have raised a smile, it carried a powerful message: By 2050, polar bear numbers may decline by 30% due to the rapid loss of sea ice, unless climate change is halted. 

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