Rebecca Maguire, a 35-year-old stationery shop owner in Cheltenham, has transformed a personal mission to revive letter writing into a global movement with 12,000 members. The Sunday Letter Project, launched in October 2025, encourages people to pledge writing to loved ones every Sunday, offering an antidote to doomscrolling and digital overload.
From Childhood Joy to Adult Mission
Maguire’s inspiration came from her great-uncle Colin, who sent her sketches and art materials through the mail during her childhood. After opening Wildflower Illustration Co with her husband Karl, 39, customers repeatedly asked why nobody sends letters anymore. “People were mourning the fact that as a society we have stopped doing that as a regular practice. A lot of people thought if they suddenly wrote someone a letter out of the blue, they might think they were dying, or something weird was going on,” says Maguire.
Determined to change this, the family began writing letters every Sunday afternoon, despite being busy with newborn Edie and running the business. “We made a promise to ourselves that we would do it. Then it became a practice and we really enjoyed it as a family. So in October last year, we launched the Sunday Letter Project,” says Maguire.
Rapid Growth and Global Reach
The free project quickly gained traction. Within weeks, more than 1,000 people had signed up. Maguire then set up a pen pals project connecting letter writers through 200 stationery shops and bookstores worldwide. “It just caught people’s imaginations. People were getting fed up of the internet, and doom-scrolling, and everything being online, and feeling like they don’t have any physical memories to hold any more,” she explains.
The movement went viral after an Instagram post from @thesundayletterproject garnered one million views. Now, with 12,000 members each writing 52 times a year, the project anticipates three million letters will be sent over the next five years. “It has really captured people’s imagination,” says Maguire. “Now people can go into some really cool shops across the world and help themselves from a basket of letters that are called introductory letters and they can write back.”
Health and Social Benefits
Maguire emphasises the mental health benefits of letter writing, contrasting it with screen time. A landmark study found that people in the UK spend an average of 4.7 years of their lives doomscrolling. “There is also lots of evidence now that writing by hand is good for you and that there are many benefits from putting pen to paper. People spend so long on screens, which is low effort and high reward, that it makes things in real life seem harder than they are,” she says.
The project also partners with charities, organising letter writers for the lonely, isolated, and those undergoing cancer treatment. “I’ve just always loved letters. I know from my own experience that there is something really special about a letter. It seems to freeze time and handwriting captures the essence of a person. In a digital world, those experiences are so thin on the ground, so it’s great to forge that connection through pen and paper,” adds Maguire.
A Call to Action
Maguire encourages others to join: “If you are thinking of writing a letter or joining up, I would encourage you to give it a go. Most people who have tried the Sunday Letter Project absolutely loved the experience. It is lovely to carve out a bit of time for yourself and engage in an activity that makes you feel really good.”
