Sweet deal for charity from sour TikTok challenge
A Paisley sweet store has raised more than £ 1,200 for a mental health charity after its Super Sour Challenge became a TikTok sensation.
SweetPunkz challenged followers of its social media accounts to claim a free sour packet and attempt the 20-second challenge to raise vital funds for the Scottish Association for Mental Health (SAMH).
Participants have to hold the sour sweet in their mouth for as long as possible, while recording their efforts for the world to see.
They can then make a donation through a JustGiving page.
SweetPunkz owner Grant Fraser explained that watching the affect that lockdown was having on mental health was what spurred him into action.
Latest ONS stats, for the period of January 27 to March 7, show around one in five adults experienced some form of depression in early 2021.
This is an increase on the 19 per cent in November 2020, and more than double that seen before the Covid- 19 pandemic began.
Grant, 28, said: “The pandemic has taken its toll on many people’s mental health, and the demand for charities such as SAMH has never been higher.
“SAMH has worked tirelessly throughout lockdown and we decided we wanted to help them out by raising awareness of mental health and the invaluable work that the charity carries out.
The initial target of £300 was smashed within with the first week, as the challenge quickly went viral across social media.
Requests for sour packets soon rained in from across the globe, with SweetPunkz receiving messages from as far as the USA, Canada and Australia.
The Super Sour Challenge has now been viewed over 2.5 million times, with the store’s followers growing from 2,000 to 27,000 in the space of a month.
Grant added: “Never for a moment did we believe that we would raise over £1,200 for charity.
“We have been blown away by the support we have received, not just from here, but from outwith the UK.
“What started as just a bit of fun to raise a little bit of cash has quickly snowballed into something special.
“It has been fantastic and we are proud to have raised so much for such a worthy cause.
Chloe Watson, community and events fundraiser at SAMH, said: “We are so thankful to receive donations from the SweetPunkz Super Sour Challenge.
“At SAMH, we know how a mental health problem can affect everything.
“It can have the most profound impact on our relationships, our work, our wellbeing and our quality of life.
“These funds will help SAMH raise awareness, promote good mental health and support those in Scotland who need it most.”
To donate, visitwww. justgiving. com/ fundraising/ sweetpunkzsupersourchallenge.
You can claim a SweetPunkz sour packet by visiting www. sweetpunkz.com
SweetPunkz launched at the beginning of 2021 in Paisley’s
Start- Up Street initiative on
George Street. Start- Up Street provides entrepreneurs the opportunity to lease space and grow their operation to help their businesses get off the ground.