Do you like a laugh? Here’s your chance to join in with people across the northern rivers to laugh away a minute celebrating the United Nations (UN) international day of happiness. Laugh-a-minute for mankind was launched two years ago at Ballina primary school to celebrate happiness and the uplifting effect of laughter.
‘The experience was exciting, fresh and new. It was fun,’ said Peter Flannery, principal of Ballina primary school. ‘We weren’t quite sure what to expect at first but it turned out to be lovely to make lots of fun out of something so simple and natural as laughter. Once the kids got going we couldn’t stop them.’
Local community radio stations Bay FM Byron Bay 99.9 and Paradise FM 101.9 will be joining in the fun by filling the airways with a minute full of laughter at 1pm on 20 March.
‘Everybody knows laughter is good fun but not many are aware of its proven positive benefits for our mental and physical health,’ said Founder, Richard Jones.
‘We’ve invited over 100 schools in the Northern Rivers from Grafton along the coast to Ocean Shores right out to Kyogle and all the places in between to tune in or stream Paradise FM or Bay FM and broadcast the laughter throughout the schools PA systems to unsuspecting students. What follows is some confusion at first followed by joy and laughter as the contagious effects of laughter overcome them giving the students and teachers a super boost of happiness and joy.’
Having started small in the local area laugh-a-minute has been picked up by radio lollipop network who broadcast in hospitals for children. ‘They said they would love to participate and have decided to have a minutes laughter every hour throughout the day.’ Radio lollipop broadcast in six Australian hospitals as well as hospitals in the UK, New Zealand, USA and South Africa.
Schools who would like to get involved can register online here.
‘We also encourage offices, factory floors, job sites, council and you at home to tune into the radio broadcast to listen and join in and let the laughter and happiness overcome you,’ said Jones. ‘It is just such a fun thing for people to do.’
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