PM to join Christmas Eve Jingle campaign and ring a bell to spread 'hope and togetherness'
Video report by ITV News Correspondent Rebecca Barry
A bell-ringing campaign to combat loneliness on Christmas Eve has received the backing of the Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his fiancee Carrie Symonds.
Organiser Mary Beggs-Reid from Harrogate, North Yorkshire has encouraged people to join the 'Christmas Eve Jingle' event at 6pm on December 24 by ringing bells or banging saucepans on their doorstep for two minutes.
She said the the campaign to spread 'hope and togetherness' is needed "more than ever".
The 41-year-old, who works as an estate manager, was contacted by No 10 on Tuesday after Mr Johnson expressed an interest in ringing bells on Christmas Eve.
Ms Beggs-Reid said: "He said him, Carrie and Wilfred will be out ringing bells to help Santa on his way.
"They love the idea and will look for bells to join us. They said they support anything helping Santa fly his sleigh for the children."
The event has been endorsed by Captain Sir Tom Moore, who called it “a brilliant initiative at a time where it is really needed”.
Mrs Beggs-Reid told PA: "Especially with the recent news, this is more needed now than ever.
“It was just a simple bell-ring to start with but it’s evolved into so much more, so that for two minutes on Christmas Eve nobody feels alone."
She added: “I think it’s fantastic that the Prime Minister is getting behind an everyday mum like me and trying to help communities as much as we can.”
More than 445,000 people have signed up to take part in the event on Facebook through Ms Beggs-Reid's original post and she has now teamed up with the Christmas/Together campaign.
It follows the clap for carers campaign that started in March to show gratitude to NHS frontline workers and carers.