London men tell their mates ‘I love you’ for the first time in public billboards

New research commissioned by Beavertown has found that while 87% of Londoners say their friends are some of the most important people in their lives, over half (54%) have never told a mate they love them.

To address this, Beavertown has partnered with suicide prevention charity Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) to lauch ‘Tell a Mate Why You Love Them’ this Valentine’s Day. Fronted by real life friends Joe Marler and Chris Stark, the nationwide campaign challenges men to get past the discomfort and say how they really feel.

Launched today in London, Joe surprised Chris with a public declaration of love by rolling down an 8 by 10 metre sign over the side of the Wallis Road bridge in Hackney Wick, close to London’s iconic Olympic Park. This sign displayed his appreciation for their friendship loud and clear reading, “I LOVE YOU CHRIS STARK – YOUR MATE, JOE MARLER”. You can watch their reveal moment here.

Alongside Joe and Chris, Beavertown has also helped London local, PJ (31), a poet, say “I love you” to his best mate, Mandeep Singh (32), a child psychiatrist. The pair have been close friends and celebrate a friendship rooted in music as they can often be found taking part in spoken-word events, performing at The Jazz Café in Camden.

PJ decided to surprise Mandeep with a public declaration of love by covering the side of Regents Park Road Foot Bridge in A0 posters. The posters featured their catch phrase ‘how’s your heart and soul’ which is a mantra the pair use to check in on each other. When asked why Mandeep thought it was important for men to open up, he said “it’s incredibly important for men to say I love you [as] you just don’t know when the last time someone heard it is”. You can watch their reveal moment here.

Beavertown also helped Kofi Achina (27), a copywriter, surprise his best mate, Jack Dubber (27), transport modeller, with a message of love. Kofi and Jack met at school and their friendship grew once they moved in together in Streatham and was filled with endless pub quiz nights at their local.

Commenting on the reveal, Kofi said he wanted to surprise Jack because “living with Jack was the first time [he] had someone to speak to when [he] came home at the end of the day” and Jack would support him even if that meant simply sitting in silence. To surprise Jack, Kofi created personalised billboards which appeared on the road leading to their old Streatham flat.

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Beavertown’s research shows that three quarters of London blokes (75%) think their mental health would benefit if they were able to open up more to their mates, and 80% admit they want their mates to be there more for them emotionally.

A huge 80% of men in London would like to go beyond conversations about surface level topics to have deeper conversations with their mates, but rather than doing this, the research shows that around the same amount (79%) admitted that they are more likely to hide their affections for their mates in ‘banter’. When they do want to show they care, 32% buy their mates a pint, while 37% give an awkward ‘man hug’, fist bump (27%) or give them a high five (25%).

Simon Gunning, CEO of CALM, added: “Strong friendships can be a lifeline, yet many men struggle to open up to those closest to them. The real-life stories featured in this campaign show how expressing appreciation can strengthen bonds and have a positive impact on mental health. Working with Beavertown to encourage men to take that first step is a simple but powerful way to highlight the value of friendship.”

Jochen Van Esch, Managing Director at Beavertown, said: “Pubs bring mates together, but conversations often stay on the surface. Over the past few years we have worked with CALM to break the norms around mental health in order to help people open up to their friends, whether that’s taking up a new skill like climbing, a packet of crisps designed to start a chat and now a public declaration of love for your friend. So this Valentine’s Day take a mate for a pint, and tell him how you feel – it could make all the difference.”

From 9th to 22nd February, Beavertown is also giving away 5,000 free pints through the DUSK app to encourage Brits to invite friends to the pub and say “love you, mate” in person.*

To find out more about the campaign visit https://beavertownbrewery.co.uk/tell-a-mate