Campaign to End Loneliness (CTEL): Be More Us by BMB

Research from the Campaign to End Loneliness (CTEL) reveals more than half of UK adults (54%) feel it has been a long time since they made a new friend. With loneliness and isolation on the rise, BMB and the CTEL have joined forces to resolve the problem - using the power of six year-olds.

CTEL and BMB sent out children accompanied by adults into a café where typically solitary and un-sociable people tend to keep themselves to themselves. With the help of hidden cameras, we filmed these adorable children approach young and old adults sat alone and ask to be their friend, as well as recording the resulting heart-warming conversations and interactions that were started.

The film launches Be More Us, a movement to inspire people of all ages to celebrate the things we share. Be More Us is about taking time to connect, and celebrating small moments of connection - like saying hello to someone in your local shop or smiling at someone on the bus.

CTEL is asking everyone to inspire others to be more open and talk to others by sharing the film with the hashtag #BeMoreUs. We want to show that EVERYONE can easily connect with other people just like children do, and simply reaching out to each other can help stop loneliness in its tracks in the first place. Be More Us is a nationwide movement to inspire connection, tackle loneliness, and bring people together.