DORSET’S nationally famous brand of cold coffee is urging people to stay positive – by sending them a message 8ft tall.

Jimmy’s Iced Coffee is in tour with giant letters spelling out its motto KYCU, for Keep Your Chin Up.

The initiative by the Christchurch company follows research suggesting that positivity towards life has fallen by nine per cent since the Covid crisis.

Under the campaign, dubbed Operation KYCU, Jimmy’s Iced Coffee put up plywood letters weighing 200kg in total at Southbourne beach on Monday morning, October 26, and then took them to the New Forest’s Rhinefield Ornamental Drive.

Jimmy’s co-founder Jim Cregan said: “2020 is a tough year all round, but when we saw that the overall positivity of the nation has dropped by nine per cent, we knew we had to do something bold and do it now.

"We are getting our whole crew together to literally go the extra mile with our KYCU messaging. Our tagline has always been Keep Your Chin Up and I think the nation needs a slice of Jimmy’s more than ever right now.”

His sister Suzie Owen, co-founder of the business, said: “KYCU has been at the core of Jimmy’s since day one. It initiated from that fact we have always wanted to be a fun brand but also in a literal sense, you must Keep Your Chin Up to drink the liquid gold without spilling it. It’s amazing now to be able to share this message with so many people and lift spirits across the UK during a tough time.”

Social media users are being asked to tell the company where the letters should go next, by following @jimmysicedcoffee on Instagram or Facebook or @jimmyicedcoffee on Twitter.