Barnardo's 'supports the unsupported' with new initiative highlighting the struggles of vulnerable children

Positioning Barnado’s as a charity that ‘supports the unsupported’ the TV spot draws parallels between children who thrive on the support they get from family and friends and those who feel they have no one in a bid to encourage people to feel compelled to stand up and help those with little or no support.

The 60-second film ‘Ellie’ – shot by BAFTA-nominated director Michael Pearce – sees a young boy being encouraged by his teacher at a school concert juxtaposed with a teenage girl who has been sexually exploited tearfully opening up to her Barnardo’s project worker.

Pearce commented: “The challenge was to connect the audience with the characters and take them on a journey in a very short amount of time. I thought the film needed to be cinematically compelling but also be very intimate and feel real. We cast all over the country for the role of Ellie and I'm especially proud of Morgan Campbell's performance, it was her first acting job and it was one of the most powerful scenes I've directed.”

Lindsay Gormley, Barnardo’s assistant director of marketing, said of the ad: “Ellie’s story is based on the lives of the thousands of children Barnardo’s supports every day, who desperately need support in order to begin to come to terms with the sexual exploitation they have suffered. The parallel lives construct plainly shows what a huge difference it makes when children are given the support that they need. Barnardo’s exists to support the unsupported and this advert illustrates how our services work to transform the lives of the most vulnerable children and help them start to rebuild their lives.”

The ad will air tonight (Saturday 15 March) for the first time during ITV’s Ant and Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway.