Alex Jones, Charlie Mackesy and Shirley Ballas join keyworkers to help Share a Smile by telling jokes for Red Nose Day

2nd March 2021

Charlie Mackesy's poster for Share a Smile

Throughout the pandemic the country has seen heart-warming moments of kindness and community strength shine through even the hardest of times with people rallying together to support their neighbours and strangers, family, friends and frontline workers, with seemingly small acts that have made a huge difference. That’s why Red Nose Day is calling on the nation to help raise a smile by putting their favourite jokes in their windows, with a poster available at comicrelief.com/shareasmile. Share a Smile hopes to inspire communities to spread a little joy and come together to show how humour can unite us.

Shirley Ballas said: “I’m so excited to be joining in the fun with Red Nose Day, we need laughter this year more than ever before. After climbing Kilimanjaro and seeing first-hand the amazing work Comic Relief does in the UK and abroad and how donations help such important causes, I always look forward to joining in the fun. Putting a joke up in your window is such a small thing but you never know it could put a smile on someone’s face who really needed it.”

Alex Jones said: “This year Red Nose Day can’t come soon enough and I’m really pleased to do my bit to help share a smile. I’ve put my poster up in my window already and I really hope it brings a few laughs within the community over the next few weeks. Humour is the one thing that always unites us and coming together to share even a small amount of joy with our neighbours and friends is what we all need right now. It’s such a lovely and simple idea, and if you make donation at the same time, you know you’re going to make a real difference.”

Money raised by Red Nose Day this year will help tackle issues including homelessness, hunger, domestic abuse, and mental health problems, all of which have been exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic, in the UK and around the world.

Ben, who works as a Trading Assistant for Sainsbury’s in Banbury, has shared his poster for Share a Smile and said: “I hope this joke puts a smile on people’s faces during these troubling times. Supporting Comic Relief has really uplifted my colleagues and customers in store.”

Laila, a doctor from London, who has been working, on the front line throughout the pandemic, said: ‘It’s such a great idea! As a doctor working in mental health, I know how hard this year has been. I hope sharing a joke brings somebody a much-needed smile.’ Sarah, a Primary School Teacher from Surrey, said: ‘As a teacher, it’s been a really difficult year for the staff, children and families. That’s why coming together for Comic Relief is so important. I hope my joke will bring a smile to someone’s face today.’

To get involved with Share a Smile go to comicrelief.com/shareasmile or look out for the poster in weekend papers this weekend!