Gymshark to raise £175,000 for NHS via viral campaign

By

Barbara Santamaria

Published
Apr 20, 2020

Solihull-based training apparel brand Gymshark is asking people to upload a ‘sweaty selfie’ on social media to raise funds for two NHS charities.

For each photo shared using the hashtag #NHSSweatySelfie, Gymshark has committed to donating £5 to Birmingham Women’s and Children’s Hospital Charity up to a total of £175,000.

Participants can also choose to match the £5 through a JustGiving page.

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Commenting on the donation, Louise McCathie, director of Fundraising at Birmingham Women’s and Children’s Hospital Charity, said: “Gymshark have stepped up to support us when we really need them, and we can’t thank them enough. We may all currently be in lockdown, but that doesn’t mean we can’t do our bit from home, and Gymshark has made it so easy for us to get active and raise money!”

Gymshark will try to get followers to share at least 35,000 photos using the #NHSSweatySelfie hashtag on Instagram, facebook and Twitter to reach its £175,000 goal.

The brand said the initiative will support the “phenomenal work the NHS do, and will continue to do”.

With more than four million followers on its Instagram account, Gymshark has built its thriving business from savvy social media marketing. The company is one of Britain’s  fastest-growing clothing brands, and social media influencers have helped it gain a cult-like status among millennials.

In the year to July 31 2018, the company saw revenues more than double from £41 million to £103 million, while pre-tax profits rose to almost £18 million.