What is Freddie For A Day

Freddie For A Day was the brainchild of Liz Swanton, web editor of the Mercury Phoenix Trust, the AIDS charity set up in Freddie's name in 1992. In real life she's a City of London Banker and she raised over £1,200 by spending a working day dressed as Freddie. It was such a wonderfully whacky idea that we decided to make it an annual event coinciding with Freddie’s birthday (5^th September). It’s fun, it’s slightly crazy AND it raises money for the charity which is spent fighting HIV/AIDS worldwide.

How do I get involved?

It’s very simple. You dress as Freddie Mercury in any way and anywhere you want and encourage friends to sponsor you.

What to wear

Go to www.freddieforaday.com/ for ideas for making your own costume or to the www.queenonline.com shop to purchase an outfit. All profits from costumes go to the Mercury Phoenix Trust. It’s not obligatory to be in a full Freddie outfit, you could just sport a moustache which we’re hoping to make available online as well with profits going to the MPT. The aim is to raise awareness and have fun.

Should I document my day?

Yes, great! Nearer to 5^th September you will be able to upload photos direct to www.freddieforaday.com/. We’d love to receive written accounts of your day as well, so send them to us at ffad@mercuryphoenixtrust.com. Last year loads of people just dressed up in the privacy of their own homes, that’s OK too. Another way, if you are shy or unable to spend the whole day in a Freddie costume is to throw a 'Freddie Party' where the dress code is dress as 'Freddie'.  We will be running a competition so check it out.

Competition

Each year we run a competition for ‘Best Costume’ and ‘Freddie in Most Original Location’ with some fantastic prizes. Last year's winners received an exclusive dated and personalised Freddie For A Day golden CD of Freddie’s Greatest Hits. You could even hold a Freddie For A Day party or organise a Freddie flash mob…arrange with a group a friends to suddenly assemble in a public place to perform some Freddie antics, and then disappear again back into the crowd.

Sponsorship – How to do it

Register on www.justgiving.com (go to the Freddie For A Day or the Mercury Phoenix Trust websites to find out more) and ask your friends, family or work colleagues if they will SPONSOR you for dressing up, which means they pay however much or little they wish to contribute direct by credit card into your Just Giving account. This money gets sent direct to the Mercury Phoenix Trust. You can also ask people to make donations to the MPT PayPal account. It’s as simple as that and if everybody is able to raise just a little, it could be momentous! For other ways to donate the money you raise, look at the Donate section on www.freddieforaday.com/.

Who else

If doing it by yourself is a little too challenging, involve your friends, your class mates or office colleagues. If one Freddie causes a stir, imagine 10 of you!

Why do it?

Well, it’s a laugh. It’s an amazing way to bond with total strangers, to have fun and to raise money for the Mercury Phoenix Trust.

What is The Mercury Phoenix Trust

Founded in 1992 in Freddie Mercury's name by Queen members Brian May and Roger Taylor and Queen manager Jim Beach, the MPT has quietly got on with its work of helping AIDS charities all over the world and to date has given away over 15 million dollars to over 300 charities in its global work in the fight against HIV/AIDS. With the continued support of the members of Queen and fans and friends around the world, the MPT continues to grow and keep Freddie Mercury's legacy alive.
The work of the Trust is principally HIV/AIDS education and awareness. The work of the Trust is principally HIV/AIDS education and awareness. Despite all the progress made, this is still the most essential work as each year sees a new generation of sexually active young people risk contracting AIDS through ignorance. Knowledge is equally as important now in the Western world where many people think AIDS has been cured. Well it hasn’t and even if you have access to antiretroviral drugs, do you want to spend the rest of your life on them? In total over 60 million people have been infected, 25 million have died and there are 16.6 million AIDS orphans. Each year the Mercury Phoenix Trust is inundated with requests to fund yet more projects in India, Africa, Brazil, Asia, etc. Our funds are sadly too limited to be able to help them all.

www.mercuryphoenixtrust.com