Starting at 12am on Monday, January 17, Cambridgeshire-based entrepreneur and founder of small business community Shifties, Alex Hughes will stream for 24 hours non-stop.

The idea was first formed last year as a way to battle negative thinking and to share stories of resilience for individuals and businesses alike. The first event was hugely successful and raised over £4500 for charity, CPSL (Cambridge, Peterborough and South Lincolnshire) Mind.

The event is promising to be bigger and even better than last year, with fundraising activities continuing throughout the week, including a charity football match hosted by Mental Health Advocate Jamie Archer and a walking challenge hosted by Justin Leigh of Walk and Talk 4 Men.

Over 30 special guests will be joining the day-long stream, including TEDx speaker and entrepreneur Jamala Osman and Founding Director of ABC Life Support CIC Daniella Bridge.

Speaking about the event, Alex said: “I think it is dangerous to have a day labelled the most depressing day of the year, without there being positive action taking place to combat it, Speak Up gives anyone that has access to social media 24 hours of unique stories and content that will give the viewers reason to be excited about the year ahead.”

“The ‘Speak Up’ Live-a-thon aims to reverse the traditional doom and gloom associated with Blue Monday and show how good communication and the support of a community can make running a business fun, whilst also increasing your potential to grow. If your situation is getting you down, our message is simple: speak up – you are not on your own!”

they event is hoping to bring in £10000 this year, all of which would go CPSL Mind, a vital local charity which supports those with mental health challenges across Cambridgeshire, Peterborough, and South Lincolnshire.

Aly Anderson, CEO of CPSL Mind said: “I was delighted to be involved in the Shifties Speak Up event. It provided a fantastic platform for positivity and resilience during challenging times, creating opportunities to give to others by sharing stories, experiences, and wellbeing tips. We are extremely grateful to Shifties for creating the opportunity to help raise funds for our charity.”

To encourage donations, those who donate will be entered into a prize draw, with a chance to win one of many prizes donated by local businesses.

The event is open to anyone and those watching are encouraged to share their own stories and concerns throughout the day, while listening to the inspirational stories of local people and businesses.

The full schedule of all fundraising activities can be found at shifties.co.uk/speakup22

The event will run from 12am until 11:59pm on Monday.

To tune in or for more information, go to: www.shifties.co.uk/speakup

To donate, go to: www.justgiving.com/fundraising/shifties-speakup