All about Independent Age’s BBC Lifeline Appeal
For our BBC Lifeline appeal, Amy Dodge, Media Communications Manager at Independent Age travelled the country with the BBC team to create the film. Here she explains what it’s like to go behind the scenes.
The BBC Lifeline Appeal is a fantastic platform for charities to tell the stories of the people they support and the difference their work can make. Typically, the format involves three people who have benefitted from a service, all tied together by a celebrity presenter.
At Independent Age, we were thrilled to hear earlier this year that our application for an appeal had been successful and we’d been given the November slot.
After an initial meeting with the BBC, we started speaking to people who had used our services to see who might be happy to go on camera — which is no small ask!
Thankfully we had a number of brave people say yes, including Fiona, Denis and Thabani who all feature in the appeal.
Creating the film
The BBC film with people in their home environment so I was lucky to be able to step away from my desk and accompany the crew on set.
Our first stop was Doncaster to meet Fiona who is a member of one of our telephone groups. She talked openly about her battle with depression and how she can go weeks without speaking to anyone, which is why she has thrown herself into the weekly calls. Fiona told us she is “the naughty one” of the group and loves to make people laugh. Fiona took part in a group call on the day, and it was clear to see the difference it makes to her. She describes it as “like having friends round to your house”.
Next we headed to Nottingham to film with Denis, a retired journalist who is something of a local celebrity in his area, having worked for the same newspaper for almost 70 years!
Luke, his volunteer match, travelled up from London for the day. It was fantastic to see the relationship they had developed and get an insight into the difference those weekly calls and visits made to Denis. We filmed in his local café, where there was a photo of Denis on the wall, and then headed to a pub which has a whole wall dedicated to Denis! So many people in the town knew Denis and said hello as we walked through the local market. Yet Denis had been battling with feelings of loneliness and isolation before Luke came along. The crew and I left with a real understanding of how you can be so well-known and regarded, yet without that regular, quality contact and communication with others, loneliness can still creep in.
Our next stop was a trip to Chelmsford to film at one of the Moneywise events our community services team was hosting. These new events bring together people in their local communities to share tips on making their money go further, as well as advice from experts and luckily for us, a professional chef! We tasted some delicious food and learnt a lot as the team brought our Moneywise guide to life.
We then headed to South London to meet Thabani. Thabani, a retired nurse, feared she was going to lose her home before she spoke to our helpline. Our advisers were able to identify £600 of money that Thabani was entitled to but not claiming. It was an emotional day as Thabani took us back to how she struggled, and her concerns. But all of us were left smiling when she told us the support from Independent Age means she can dream again. Once she’s had a second knee operation, she plans to climb Mount Kilimanjaro! Watch out world!
The final piece of the puzzle was the presenter day with Sue Johnston. We are incredibly grateful to Sue for taking time out of her schedule to film for us. In between takes we were able to discuss the stories in the appeal and why the support is so needed at the moment. Sue was fantastic, and said that as an older person she can identify with the many challenges that later life can bring. “I know the pitfalls of being older. Old age brings vulnerability, and it’s not helped if you have no resources, or if you’re lonely or isolated. I think the charity does amazing work.”
Meeting everyone who took part in the appeal has been an honour, and has really brought home why we do the work we do at Independent Age. Each person was so open in sharing their struggles but then so happy to tell us how their lives have improved now and their hopes for the future.
The final film will air on Sunday 13 November at 1.50pm on BBC One and will be repeated on Tuesday 15 November at 8.50am on BBC Two. I can’t wait to see it!
In the meantime, you can find out more about our appeal and how you can support the work we do here.
