Herefordshire Mind | Charlie’s Story
The Brief
Chloe from Herefordshire Mind approached Dandelion Video Production as part of our business pledge with the Herefordshire and Worcestershire Chamber of Commerce – to deliver a free video each month to support local charities. Herefordshire Mind wanted to focus on the aspirational story of Charlie Handley, a former client of the charity who, thanks to the support she received, is now able to give back as a peer support worker.
We decided on a similar structure to a case study video – explain the challenges that Charlie faced, the solution that was presented and the outcome that was achieved.
The Process
After we agreed a filming date, we provided questions in advance so that Charlie and Herefordshire Mind’s CEO Alicia Lawrence would be prepared for their interview – after all, interviews can be intimidating.
On the day, we attended a brief site visit to select the best places to films, and collected volunteers to feature in the various b-roll shots. Everyone at Herefordshire Mind was happy and enthusiastic to help.
Our first task was the interview with Charlie. As the main feature of the video, we wanted to make sure that we covered everything that we needed to cover before moving onto everything else. Charlie was a natural on camera, both from working on her anxiety and being genuinely enthusiastic about the support she’d received on her mental health journey.
Next, we interviewed Alicia to grab the all-important context about what Herefordshire Mind can offer someone in need of mental health support.
Finally, we finished by capturing b-roll of both the staff, and various aspects of the building, to make sure that the video felt as welcoming as the charity itself.
The Result
The final video is a testament to what someone receiving help from Herefordshire Mind can achieve with the right support.
We use the video at the end of all of our corporate training as this can be quite heavy and we want to end on a message of hope and resilience. We also use it during our Ambassadors’ training, again for the same reasons. We find it inspires others and sends the message that mental health is a journey and just because you’ve come from a certain background doesn’t mean that you cannot be successful and work in mental health yourself.
Charlie’s story shows how with the right support, at the right time, you can recover from the darkest of places and live an independent happy life again. It’s been shared with the 60 ambassadors plus numerous businesses through the corporate training so far. They then go on to share it within their own businesses so the reach is potentially huge.
Chloe Holder – Fundraising + Marketing Manager