Angus Collins - A Great British Odyssey

“Driving awareness of men’s mental health and fundraising for suicide prevention charity James’ Place – Angus’s journey from a place of personal despair to saving the lives of hundreds of men.”

When Angus Collins, the world’s most successful ocean rower, came to Cause asking us to support his epic charity row - A Great British Odyssey - in the hope of shining a light on the mental health crisis facing young men today and raising £250,000 for suicide prevention charity James’ Place, we knew we had an exciting and emotional journey ahead of us. 

A Great British Odyssey would see Angus aim to become the first person to row solo, unsupported and unassisted around Great Britain - a treacherous feat which had never before been completed. We devised an intensive programme of pre-launch, launch and post-launch media relations, beginning with an announcement about Angus’ intrepid endeavour on World Suicide Prevention Day in September 2024. 

With our help, the media took his story to their hearts, running in-depth national interviews about Angus’ own personal battles and the one that lay ahead of him. Coverage was secured in top tier nationals including The Times, The Sun (a stunning and colourful double page spread complete with route map), Sunday Express, Sunday Mirror and a sixty-minute interview on BBC Radio 5 Live, along with a deeply personal long-form feature in rowing bible, Row 360 - perhaps unheard of for an expedition that had not yet taken to the water. Once the row began, our drumbeat of coverage led to two national broadcast interviews on the two biggest shows on commercial radio; Heart Breakfast with Jamie Theakston and Chris Evans on his Virgin Radio breakfast show. 

We also worked closely with regional media pre and post launch - both on the South coast, where Angus lives, and in Cornwall, where his beloved boat Goosander was made.