For the past year GTR and Missing People have been collaborating behind the scenes to deliver our Safe Way Home Campaign.
Last October, we launched our first preventative out-of-home campaign in partnership with JCDecaux in response to the cost-of-living crisis. The aim was to reach people who might be thinking of going missing and signpost them to our Helpline. The idea behind this was “find us first” to be that barrier between progressing into what could be something quite dark, lonely, and, for some, final.
Working with Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR), we have replicated our preventative campaign across their network in 2023. Using billboards, digital boards, and audio announcements at stations to help prevent people in crisis from going missing and to help those who are already missing find a safe way home to their loved ones or another place of safety, keeping people in crisis from harm and reuniting family and friends.
In addition, GTR launched a PR activation in Blackfriars Station on Platform 1, where they have the highest footfall of customers. There were 40 footsteps prints to represent the 40 people that go missing every rush hour; this is live for 2 weeks. They have also used their landing page for long term missing appeals for 12 weeks with a different appeal every week, this includes our helpline number and imagery/branding.
GTR has helped Missing People, and will continue to, work towards our goal and make sure that our vision stays alive. Together we have made sure that people understand that missing is a life and death crisis by bringing those footsteps to life at Blackfriars station. The campaign makes sure that people out there know that we exist, so that they can obtain the right help, at the right time. Coming together on such a large scale we hope to ensure that fewer missing people come to harm.
Thank you GTR, for everything.
We have launched a regular email so that you can be aware of new missing person appeals and share them far and wide! We are also calling on all Heroes to be the eyes and ears for Missing People on the ground. Your sighting of a missing person could make a difference in a crucial time.