London start-up to send 2,000 handwritten letters to boost morale during coronavirus outbreak

“The more digital the world gets, the more we long for something physical.” Coronavirus: the symptoms
Receiving a message of support when lonely or working no-stop could make all the difference to a life
Charlie Duffield19 March 2020

A London-based tech start-up will send 2,000 letters to those self-isolating or delivering vital healthcare services to help boost morale during the coronavirus pandemic.

InkPact specialises in fostering human connections in an increasingly disconnected world by sending handwritten, branded stationery notes to help businesses communicate with customers in a memorable way.

Their #CoLoveLetters campaign launches tomorrow to cheer up individuals, with the option of sending a love letter to someone feeling lonely, or a thank you note to a healthcare hero fighting coronavirus on the frontline.

CEO Charlotte Peace told the Standard: “We accidentally set our business up for a moment like this. We want to use this privileged position to give back - today more than ever, businesses cannot leave people behind."

2,000 notes of love and positivity will be sent to the lonely and isolated (Photo: Inkpact)

The letters are handwritten by InkPact's "scribe tribe", made up of 400 mothers, elderly people, art students and citizens recovering from illness, who are scattered across the country from Scotland to Cornwall.

Ms Pearce explained: “For years handwritten letters have been connecting people through war, illness and across oceans.

"The world needs now more than ever that moment of delight opening the envelope you weren't expecting and reading the carefully inked words of love from a stranger that cares."

“The anonymity of our letters is especially powerful as people feel so weirdly connected right now – there’s a sense that we’re all in this together, with lots of people connecting with those they haven’t spoken to before.”

She added: “The more digital the world gets, the more we long for something physical.”

The letters are free to send, and you can either send one to an individual, or bulk send up to 25 letters to an organisation, with the option of adding a first name or keeping it generically from a stranger who cares.

Inkpact is also donating additional profits from March and April to three charities, Covid Mutual Aid, Age UK and The Trussell Trust, to help tackle the global health pandemic.

On Sunday, Health Secretary Matt Hancock confirmed the Government will ask people over 70 to stay home for up to four months, even if they have no coronavirus symptoms.

The advice is set to come in “within weeks”, and care homes have been specifically asking for post to be sent to them.

Swarthmore Care Home in Buckinghamshire shared a post on their Facebook page, asking people to write to them and several days later were inundated with handwritten letters.

"Thank you so much. We are reading and enjoying your correspondence. We have started to reply...you have no idea how amazing you have made the residents and staff feel," they responded.

Ms Pearce added: “There’s something innately human about hand-writing.

"Hopefully it will spiral a revival of letter-sending in general, as people get back to using pen and paper. A letter can be a keepsake someone saves for years, which truly makes their day."

You can send an InkPact handwritten letter by simply filling out this form.

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