The 29th February offers the unique opportunity to create a completely fresh, national date in the diary, according to the #Make29Matter campaign. The idea is to establish a national day shaped by contemporary values and society, to stage extraordinary activities across the UK for the greater good. Its unique occurrence every four years automatically gives 29th February a special feel and while it’s unlikely to happen in 2016, the four years to 2020 gives organisers plenty of time to plan.
The campaign’s objective is straightforward: to gain enough signatories to its petition to government to start the process of formally establishing the date. Subsequently, the discussion of exactly which proposal would best suit the once-every-four year celebration can begin in earnest. The campaign has no agenda beyond that.
Visitors to www.Make29Matter.org will find some suggestions of initiatives for 29th February, but they can submit new ideas via This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. If they support the campaign’s objective, visitors are asked to sign the #Make29Matter petition to government.
Some of the current suggestions include:
- ‘Tax for charity’: government, businesses and individuals donate to a single fund to pay for critical medical research, affordable housing, charities or other major works, which could amount to £1.2bn from the UK alone
- ‘National Unite Day’: a day for the nation to unite in a celebration of contemporary humanity
- ‘National Community Day’: we participate in community projects
“#Make29Matter believes there is an opportunity to unite the UK in extraordinary activities for everyone’s benefit every four years by utilising the uniqueness of 29th February. We have no agenda beyond that and if enough people rally behind the campaign, then in 2020 we could have a celebration of real relevance and value with national participation.
“Are we sure of success? No. Are we naive? Maybe so. But we want to try. The internet revolution has demonstrated repeatedly that the voice of the everyday person can make an impact,” commented Christine Joyce, Managing Director, CJAM Group, a marketing agency in Essex, which originated the campaign.
Follow @Make29Matter on Twitter for the latest developments and use #Make29Matter to share your suggestions and get involved in the conversation.