If you have been in Newcastle city centre this week, you may have noticed something that's making people look twice.
A giant interactive billboard has appeared at Monument with a message that's said to be "impossible to focus on".
The aim? To show people just how difficult it is for children to focus whilst hungry.
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It comes as part of a campaign between Heinz Beanz, and charity Magic Breakfast to raise funds and awareness of child hunger in Newcastle and across the UK.
As passers-by approach the billboard above the entrance to Eldon Square, they will be able to read the sentence, ‘this is how hard it is for kids to focus when they’re hungry.’
But, the longer they stare, the sentence will become increasingly difficult to read and float away from their gaze.
However, once they have texted Magic Breakfast to donate to the cause, the billboard will become legible again.
The charity works with schools to provide healthy breakfasts to more than 200,000 children in the UK who arrive too hungry to learn.
For every £5 donation, it will provide one child with almost a month’s worth of breakfasts to help the 1.7 million children at risk of starting the day hungry.
Magic Breakfast, which works with two Newcastle schools, says that figures from End Child Poverty show that over 21,000 children in the city are classed as living in poverty. That's a huge 41.2% of all children in the city.
And as the cost of living crisis bites, this number is expected to rise.
Lucy Cooke, Brand Manager at Heinz Beanz, which will match all of the text donations, said: “It’s more important now than ever before that we continue our fight against child hunger with our brilliant partners Magic Breakfast.
"As families up and down the country face increasing financial pressure, we hope that our immersive campaign will raise further awareness of the issue of child hunger and encourage widespread donations to a vital cause.
"At Heinz, we strongly believe that no child should be too hungry to learn, that’s why we’ve already pledged more than 16 million meals to Magic Breakfast to help those at risk of going to school hungry.
"By donating through the billboard, you will be contributing toward helping some of the most disadvantaged children in the UK, helping to ensure these pupils can start their day with the energy and nutrition they need to make the most of their morning lesson.”
The billboards will also appear at locations across the UK, including Birmingham and Manchester, which all have more than 30% of children living in poverty.
Lindsey Macdonald, CEO Magic Breakfast said: "There’s still a lot to be done to raise awareness of the scale and impact of child hunger in this country, especially the effect hunger can have on a child’s learning which has long-term consequences on that child’s life.
"Magic Breakfast supports children living nearby to all of the billboards’ locations so this is a fantastic opportunity to raise awareness of the issue in those communities.”
To donate £5 to Magic Breakfast please text ‘Beanz’ to 70450 and Heinz will match your donation.
