Fortitude Communications to produce video series to help football charity tackle loneliness

As part of a national ​‘Let’s Tackle Loneliness Together’ campaign by the EFL Trust Oxford United in the Community have launched ​‘The Manor Club Extra’ in partnership with Age UK Oxfordshire, and Active Oxfordshire. 

Oxford United in the Community is the football club’s official charity and helps inspire people to reach their potential and improve their health and wellbeing via the power of football, engagement, and education. 

Before COVID-19 Oxford United in the Community ran The Manor Club as a monthly meeting for the over 50s. A guest speaker, usually an Oxford United legend, would treat people to stories and memories via a Q&A and lunch would also be provided. Thanks to funding by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, Oxford United in the Community are taking the Manor Club online to ensure further support for older people. 

A recent study from the Office National Statistics showed 2.6 million adults reported they felt lonely ​“often” or ​“always” while 7.4 million adults reported their well-being had been affected having felt lonely in the past seven days.

Fortitude Communications will film, edit, and produce a series of six bespoke videos entitled ​‘The Manor Club Extra’. It will involve interviewing former Oxford United players, members of the Oxford United in the Community team, and filming specialist fitness advice and workouts with Active Oxfordshire and Age UK Oxfordshire. Fortitude has also been commissioned to produce content for a series of accompanying brochures. The work complements our on-going PR and Communication activity on behalf of the charity. 

The videos will be broadcast via the internet in care homes participating in the project, and to people living alone. They will also be posted on Oxford United in the Community’s YouTube channel. This week Fortitude’s videographer Thom Airs filmed the first episode at our office, which included an in-depth interview with former Oxford United footballer and current Oxford United in the Community Patron James Constable. BBC South Today attended to film a news piece to broadcast covering the announcement of the loneliness project, as part of our PR programme. 

Chris Lowes, Head of Oxford United in the Community, said: ​“Fortitude Communications provide an outstanding on-going service to our charity via communications and PR. They were an ideal fit for us to provide video production and copy writing services for our loneliness project. The opportunity to provide a digital alternative to our regular community work via video has been fantastic for us.

“The first video was recorded this week, Fortitude managed the whole process and put all the interviewees at ease straight away. We are looking forward to continuing to work with the Fortitude team as a key delivery partner on this exciting project that will make a real difference in our community.” 

Greig Box Turnbull, founder of Fortitude Communications, said: ​“We are proud to be part of the fabric of the Oxford community and the important work of Oxford United in the Community. This is an important project and one that will deliver genuine impact for people in our community at a particularly challenging time for most people. Our clients are increasingly asking us to provide video production services alongside our regular PR, media relations, and communications services and this is testament to the high quality output we produce.”

You can read more on Fortitude’s video production services here. If you would like to discuss a video project please contact us here.