Press Release: StoryTerrace Launches Unsung Heroes Maggie's partnership

Memoir-writing service, StoryTerrace partners with leading cancer charity, Maggie’s to honour the unsung heroes of COVID-19

Launched in May, StoryTerrace is running a national campaign to nominate your community’s lockdown heroes 

Maggie’s CEO is the first to join the judging panel to collate 25 inspiring stories from the national campaign into published book   

To view all the Unsung Heroes submissions, visit the microsite: storyterrace.com/unsung-heroes 

In what has been one of the most difficult periods in British history, COVID-19 has left its mark on the life stories of millions. In the past three months, countless stories of everyday heroism and selfless acts have not only lifted the spirits of the nation, but kept communities going through some extraordinarily tough times. 

The campaign from national biographer StoryTerrace - Unsung Heroes - aims to bring to light the everyday acts of kindness that have characterised the heroes of this lockdown, from saving lives to feeding a neighbours’ cat whilst communities recover.

Over 400 nominations have revealed some truly inspiring stories from every facet of society; countless frontline workers, a professional chef feeding schools and small business owners that have shifted production to PPE and scrubs for medical workers. As the end of the campaign approaches, StoryTerrace is urging everyone to cast a light on the humble heroes in their communities, and give them the recognition they deserve.

With one week remaining to nominate local unsung heroes, StoryTerrace announces their partnership with the charity, Maggie’s, which offers free support for people with cancer diagnoses in anything from treatment side effects to money worries. Maggie’s believes that everyone should have access to professional, psychological and emotional support to help change the way they live with cancer.

The national biography-writing service will be creating a book, compiling the nation’s everyday heroes and their unique stories of selflessness, and creating a website to showcase all those nominated at: storyterrace.com/unsung-heroes .

Of the submissions, 25 amazing Unsung Heroes will be gifted with the final book, within which, their stories will be captured as part of a national keepsake. 

 

About Maggie's 

Maggie’s has continued to support people with cancer throughout the coronavirus crisis on the phone, on email and via their online community for face to face support. Their centres are open to see people by appointment and limited drop ins for those who are visiting hospitals. This support will run alongside Maggie’s ongoing phone, email and digital support.



Judging Announcement

StoryTerrace is also very pleased to announce that Maggie’s CEO, Dame Laura Lee, will be on the judging panel for ‘Unsung Heroes’.

Maggies' CEO Laura Lee

Laura Lee started her career as a Registered General Nurse in the NHS in Scotland. While working as a Clinical Nurse Specialist at the Western General Hospital, Edinburgh she became Maggie Keswick Jencks’ nurse during her treatment for secondary breast cancer.   

Maggie and her husband Charles Jencks shared their vision of a cancer support centre in an uplifting environment and in 1996 Laura oversaw the opening of Maggie’s Edinburgh, where she became Programme Director and Centre Head before being elected Maggie’s Chief Executive in 1998.

Together, the judges will be tasked with selecting the 25 nominees that will be included in the final book. Laura has grown the support she pioneered in the very first Maggie’s centre to 26 centres across the UK and beyond and the charity supports over 285,000 people with cancer every year. This support makes a real difference to the lives of people with cancer and their friends and families. 

How it works

The Unsung Heroes submissions will use an image of the nominee alongside a small paragraph of text explaining their story posted to social media, accompanied by the hashtag #UnsungHeroes and collated by StoryTerrace. The campaign allows anyone to nominate someone in their life who has gone above and beyond to help others– these could be nurses, doctors or even simply good Samaritans. 

Anyone can nominate a hero on StoryTerrace’s website: storyterrace.com/unsung-heroes

Alternatively, entrants can post on their Instagram, Facebook or Twitter by using the #UnsungHeroes hashtag and @StoryTerrace handle. The campaign is open for entries until June 30th, and StoryTerrace will announce the selected nominees before the end of July. All the entries can be found on the website.    

StoryTerrace's ‘Unsung Heroes’ campaign has helped motivate community members to share the stories of heroes of the COVID-19 crisis.

 

Rutger Bruining, CEO and Founder of StoryTerrace comments:

“As millions around the globe are currently stuck at home, many of us are feeling nostalgic and reminiscing – and at StoryTerrace, we believe that sharing stories can be one of the most therapeutic ways for us to connect in this difficult time. This is an incredibly testing time for cancer patients worldwide and I'm proud that an organisation that Maggie’s, which provides such vital support for so many people, has partnered with us for this project, and that Laura will be on our judging panel.”

Dame Laura Lee, CEO of Maggie's says:

"During the coronavirus crisis we have heard many stories from the people we support at Maggie's of individuals and communities coming together to help friends and neighbours who have been shielding or are unable to get out for various reasons. We understand the need for support and community and it is central to everything we do for people with cancer in our centres, so it is fantastic to be highlighting these amazing people through the Unsung Heroes competition and I am delighted to have been asked to be a judge."

 

About StoryTerrace

StoryTerrace is a company which connects everyday people with professional ghost-writers, meaning that everyone can have their life story, or the life stories of their loved ones, documented in a professionally curated autobiography, biography or series of memoirs. They have a network of 600 professional writers worldwide, many of whom are critically acclaimed, and provide a range of packages to suit each individual life story.



StoryTerrace's BookMaker platform - which includes a questionnaire - helps turn stories into books 

StoryTerrace has previously made the first part of their service (a tailored questionnaire) available for anyone stuck at home who would like to get started on their life story for free. But having been overwhelmed by the acts of kindness and selflessness from around the country during this time, they have decided to pay tribute to these heroes through the ‘Unsung Heroes’ campaign.

 

If you would like to hear more about our Unsung Heroes campaign, please don't hesitate to contact us: press@storyterrace.com 

 

Written by StoryTerrace

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