Age UK and Channel 4 team up to shine a light on loneliness this Christmas

17 December 2021

Channel 4 and Age UK today announce a brand new bespoke partnership to highlight the significant number of older people that will experience loneliness this Christmas.

The new campaign will air exclusively on Channel 4, with the first of three 30 second films launching tonight during Celebrity Gogglebox at 9.30pm.

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[i], 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[ii].

The creative borrows Channel 4’s iconic blocks and the voice of continuity announcer Isla Paton before turning to darkness as the audience hears from older people expecting to feel lonely this Christmas.

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.

4Sales and MG OMD offered key strategic input for the campaign and brokered the new partnership. The concept was developed through 4Sales’ creative arm PL4Y with Recipe, who were also responsible for production. Age UK’s research was carried out by Yonder.

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.

Everyone on the team from MG OMD, Recipe and Channel 4 were fantastic, has worked collaboratively and at speed in order to create something really special for Age UK. It’s been a pleasure working with them!”

James Thompson, Executive Director, Head of Planning at MG OMD said: “It’s been great to have Age UK, Channel 4 and MG OMD working in Partnership yet again this year. By delivering a very important message in an impactful way we hope to draw attention to how so many people will be spending Christmas this year and encourage action to those that see it.”

Ends.

Creative credits

Creative Agency: Recipe

Creative Director: Dom Sykes

Creative: Aimee Cleaver

Producer: Lisa Dawson

Post Prod: Recipe

About Age UK

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[iii] 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 please visit: www.ageuk.org.uk/brighterchristmas

Age UK is a national charity that works with a network of partners, including Age Scotland, Age Cymru, Age NI and local Age UKs across England, to help everyone make the most of later life, whatever their circumstances.

In the UK, the Charity helps more than seven million older people each year by providing advice and support.  It also researches and campaigns on the issues that matter most to older people. Its work focuses on ensuring that older people: have enough money; enjoy life and feel well; receive high quality health and care; are comfortable, safe and secure at home; and feel valued and able to participate

Age UK’s subsidiary charity, Age International, supports older people globally in over 30 developing countries by funding programmes such as vital emergency relief and healthcare and campaigning to raise awareness and change policies.

Age UK is a charitable company limited by guarantee and registered in England (registered charity number 1128267 and registered company number 6825798). Charitable services are provided through Age UK and commercial products are offered by the Charity’s Community Interest Company (CiC) (registered company number 1102972) which donates its net profits to Age UK (the Charity).

 

[i] Age UK calculation based on data (weighted to be representative of the UK population) from Yonder online and telephone omnibus research polling for Age UK, November 2021 (sample of 2539 people aged 65+ in the UK, between 20th and 27th October 2021) and ONS mid-year 2020 population estimates (published 25th June 2021). 11% of people aged 65 & over in the UK ‘slightly agree’ or ‘strongly agree’ with the statement ‘I expect to feel lonely this Christmas’, which equates to 1,413,934 people (11.03% multiplied by 12,508,638). Figures may differ due to rounding.

[ii] Age UK calculation based on data (weighted to be representative of the UK population) from Yonder online and telephone omnibus research polling for Age UK, November 2021 (sample of 2539 people aged 65+ in the UK, between 20th and 27th October 2021) and ONS mid-year 2020 population estimates (published 25th June 2021). 8% of people aged 65 & over in the UK ‘slightly agree’ or ‘strongly agree’ with the statement ‘I'm going to feel lonely this Christmas after losing a loved one’ which equates to 995,173 people (8% multiplied by 12,508,638). Figures may differ due to rounding.

[iii] 22,553 Age UK friendship calls were made between 1st November 2020 and 31st December 2020