Valentine’s Day. A national holiday which swings round every year with the obligatory heart-shaped chocolates at the checkout and the flower shop newsletters you don’t remember subscribing to bombarding you with offers.

This year, SheSays are encouraging people to use the day to celebrate those around them who helped them progress, the people who lift up others as they climb. To spread the love in a rather different way.

#TheyMadeHerShine provides a space for women to thank and appreciate the people who have helped them get where they are today. All you have to do is visit www.theymadehershine.com to write your note and it’ll then be delivered via social media. 

The campaign was created by junior creative team Charlotte Barnard and Holly Bidgood, and SheSays committee members Melissa Wong, Deenisha Bhika, Jennifer Vobis, Melissa McGinnis and Joyce Kremer. It was made possible by committee members throughout the Global SheSays network.

Commenting on why they decided to create the campaign, Charlotte Barnard and Holly Bidgood, explained: “We have found that advertising is such a generous community to be a part of. From book crits to creative catch-ups, we can never thank the people who have taken their time to help us enough. We wanted a place where they could see our appreciation and thankfulness towards them and even started to wonder about who helped them.” 

Often it can be all too easy to let those small acts of kindness, those little conversations go unappreciated, leaving people none the wiser that their support helped you progress. Running from Valentine’s Day to International Women’s Day, this campaign is spreading that kindness around, something we could all do with a little of during these strange and uncertain times.