Comedian Stephen Fry boosted the number of pledges for a UK health trust’s campaign to raise awareness of issues surrounding mental illness, after he tweeted details about it.

The 5 Boroughs Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, which covers areas in the north-west of England, including the major towns of Warrington, Wigan and St Helens, initially had 1,400 signatures until Fry, who himself has battled bipolar disorder, intervened on the social networking site and the tally shot up in days.

Fry, famed for his roles in hit TV shows Blackadder and Jeeves and Wooster, first posted a message on his profile page on May 14 urging his 1.5 million Twitter followers to get behind the campaign.

“No sooner had the tweet appeared the pledge counter went into overdrive, it was a really exciting moment,” said Joanne Waldron, the Trust’s E-Communications Assistant.

When the actor and quiz show presenter posted another tweet three days after the original, thanking his followers for their support and once again asking people to pledge, the counter rocketed for a second time.