Big Lottery Fund hands major childhood push to 23red

The Big Lottery Fund, the organisation which uses money raised through the National Lottery to help communities in the UK, has appointed 23red to lead a new campaign promoting early childhood development.
The campaign is part of A Better Start, a ten-year £215m National Lottery funded programme set up by the Big Lottery Fund to help families give their babies and very young children the best possible start in life. It will run in the five areas of England where A Better Start is based: Blackpool, Bradford, Lambeth, Nottingham and Southend.
Led by 23red, the campaign is due to launch next year and will aim to increase understanding about the science behind children’s social, emotional and language development. It will target caregivers and parents of children aged up to 4 years old, which is recognised as the most instrumental period of rapid development in human life and is an essential aspect of socialisation and growth.
The theory behind the campaign builds on the Frameworks Institute’s Core Story of Early Childhood Development research; a set of scientific insights into early brain and biological development. The insights have been distilled and translated into themes and metaphors that make the concepts more accessible to the public. This will be the first time the research has been used in this way in the UK.
In addition to developing the concept and delivering all campaign assets, 23red will be developing a media plan for each A Better Start partnership to deliver in their local communities.
Sarah Gibbs, Head of Funding for A Better Start at the Big Lottery Fund, said: “Drawing on 23red’s expertise in behavioural change, this campaign will take the evidence behind good early childhood development and make it relevant and real to the lives of new parents and caregivers, helping them to give their children the best possible start in life.”
23red client partner Marcus Hernon added: “The significance of early childhood development is often overlooked. Everyone has a role to play giving children a better start and to make a real difference for future generations which is why we’re so delighted to be a part of such an influential campaign.”
Since June 2004 the programme has awarded £8.5bn to projects that improve the lives of millions of people.