Words by Smiley Team
Channel 4 and Age UK announced a brand-new partnership to highlight the significant number of older people that will experience loneliness this Christmas.
The new campaign aired on Channel 4, with the first of three 30 second films launching on 17 December during Celebrity Gogglebox.
The campaign shines a light on new research from Age UK that finds 1.4 million older people are expecting to feel lonely this Christmas, nearly a million older people do not have anyone to celebrate Christmas with this year and that nearly one million older people will feel lonely this Christmas after losing a loved one.
The campaign asks viewers to help Age UK Make Christmas a Little Brighter for lonely older people and directs them to the charity’s website where they can donate to help Age UK meet an upsurge in demand for its Telephone Friendship and Advice Services, to support those that need it the most this winter.
[Discover more positive news on Smiley Movement]
Chris Braithwaite, agency and client sales leader, Channel 4 said: “Channel 4 has a long standing relationship with Age UK, working together on impactful creative campaigns that deliver an important message. We’re really proud to be collaborating again this Christmas to help raise awareness of the terrible loneliness experienced by too many older people at this time of year.”
Kathi Hall, head of brand & content strategy at Age UK said: “We’re excited to be working with Channel 4 again – together we’ve had some very successful Christmas partnerships in the past and I’m sure that this year will be no different. This partnership provides us with a powerful platform, which will help us to raise awareness of our Make Christmas a Little Brighter campaign.
"We’re hoping that as many people as possible take real notice of the films and donate to the Charity’s work – our Telephone Friendship and Advice Services are a lifeline to so many people, especially now during these challenging times."
Age UK’s Make Christmas a Little Brighter campaign is encouraging everyone to donate to help the charity meet an upsurge in demand for its Telephone Friendship and Advice Services, to support those that need it the most. It also asking everyone to make the effort to phone an older friend over the Christmas season, so they know they are not forgotten.
The Age UK Telephone Friendship Service is a lifeline for so many older people. More than 22,000 friendship calls were made during the Christmas period alone last year and the service is continuing to experience huge demand, so Age UK urgently needs donations so it can continue to be there for those that need it.
The charity has launched its Make Christmas a Little Brighter campaign to raise awareness of the need for its services and the issues so many are facing. Funds raised will also help to support Age UK’s Advice Line, which is open 365 days a year including Christmas Day, and Age UK’s wonderful subsidiary charity The Silver Line Helpline, which is open 24 hours a day for a friendly chat for anybody who needs it. To donate, visit: www.ageuk.org.uk/brighterchristmas.
