The most popular UK landscaper on social media, Mark Marshall from Macclesfield, has gone global by joining #TeamWater, the biggest ever creator crowdfunding campaign led by YouTube megastars MrBeast and Mark Rober in partnership with international charity WaterAid.
Globally, nearly one in ten people around the world do not have clean water close to home. The #TeamWater campaign blends creator influence with WaterAid’s expertise by bringing together more than 3,000 creators from more than 84 countries with the aim of raising $40 million (£30 million) in August to bring clean water to 2 million people for decades to come.
Mark, 38, rose to fame creating relaxing and informative landscaping and garden transformation videos resulting in 4.1 million followers across his Lawns, Stripes and Hedges social media channels.
In a his first video in support of #TeamWater, Mark uses his usual informative tone to raise awareness of the global water crisis by highlighting how central water is to everything including landscaping, yet more than 700 million people – that’s one in ten – do not have clean water close to home. The campaign is aiming to address this injustice.
Mark also performed an at-home experiment to demonstrate how money raised through #TeamWater will fund work such as the digging of boreholes to get clean drinking water.
As part of the campaign, Mark will be posting more content across the month raising awareness and encouraging donations to #TeamWater.
On joining #TeamWater, Mark said:
“I’ve been really lucky to build a platform doing something I love – creating beautiful outdoor spaces and helping people take pride in where they live. And now, joining #TeamWater has given me the amazing opportunity to use my platform for something bigger and life-changing: helping to bring clean water to communities around the world. Water is essential for life, but millions live without it. If I can make a real difference using my channels, I’m in!”
From the deserts of Colombia to the mangrove forests of Bangladesh, #TeamWater is working with communities across the world and rally voices globally through the power of creators and their audiences. Jimmy Donaldson, aka MrBeast and former NASA engineer Mark Rober are leading the charge, helping harness the reach of creators to mobilise people to take collective action on one of the world’s most urgent challenges: clean water access.
Tim Wainwright, Chief Executive at WaterAid, said:
“We’re grateful to all the thousands of influencers like Mark Marshall who have joined #TeamWater to help shine a light on the global water crisis and create momentum for real change.
“Nearly one in ten people around the world don’t have clean water close to home. All funds raised will go towards long-term, sustainable water solutions for homes, schools and healthcare centres – from solar-powered wells to hundreds of miles of pipes. With WaterAid’s decades of experience, we will ensure #TeamWater’s impact will change lives.”
Watch Marks’s videos on YouTube (@MarkMarshall_LSH). To learn more about #TeamWater and donate, please visit teamwater.org