Heart-Wrenching Films Highlight the Millions of Lonely Old People in the UK

Age UK has this week released its Christmas campaign, 'No one should have no one to turn to', created by Brave. The campaign of two TVCs, produced by Darling Films and titled ‘We are Here', highlights some of the challenges that older people often have to deal with but which are so much harder to bear if you are facing them alone.

Directed by James Lawes, the films show how Age UK’s Advice Line can help older people who are struggling. Viewers follow the ribbon of Age UK’s logo as it passes people across the country at the moment they reach out to the Charity for support.

New YouGov research for the Charity has found that 2.65 million older people feel they have no one to turn to for help and support. A situation which makes the challenges of later life so much harder to bear. These include coping with bereavement, feeling lonely, getting the social care you need and managing health problems like dementia.

The brand TVC takes a journey around the country, while the fundraising DRTV focuses on one individual to understand his struggle. Together, they aim to raise awareness of the support Age UK offers and to encourage people to donate to help ensure that the Charity’s essential services, such as the free Age UK Advice Line, can continue to be there for older people and their families and friends.

Drew Haselhurst, senior creative at Brave said: “It’s been a privilege to work with Age UK and put our minds to such an important cause. We’d urge everyone to get talking about the scale of the issue and more importantly donate money so that Age UK can give older people the support they need.”

James Lawes, director, at Darling Films, said: ”What was so important about this script was that the focus was always going to be on the ribbon. As such I wanted to come up with an "in camera" filming style and technique that felt like as a viewer, you are on the journey with the ribbon. We used a combination of car mounts, drones, cranes, and stedi-cam, to create an effect that feels organic, immersing us in the narrative and highlighting the isolation felt by many older people.”