Watch the alternative Christmas advert made by Sunderland dad which was inspired by his son

A touching Christmas advert is hoping to raise funds for an important charity as it hopes to ‘light up the dark’.
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The advert, This is Our Home, is created by duo and North East business partners Ben Potts and Andy Green and is raising money for Guide Dogs UK.

This year, the advert, which was filmed at Ben’s home in Castletown, shows the ups and downs of a family life during the festive period an focuses in on a little boy sat outside alone and the joy both he, and the whole family, feel by the arrival of a very important present.

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The idea for the advert was inspired by Ben’s son, five-year-old Benjamin Potts, and a rare, quiet moment in his home.

Right: Ben Potts and Andy Green. Left pictures from filming of the advert.Right: Ben Potts and Andy Green. Left pictures from filming of the advert.
Right: Ben Potts and Andy Green. Left pictures from filming of the advert.

"He was playing in his bedroom really quietly, which is quite unusual,” said Ben, of Green Key Installations.

"He was kneeling down with his back towards me playing with wrestling figures and I thought it would be really good to just show the back of a child’s head, slowly zooming in, as we tell the story. We started tossing ideas around then and that how we came up with this.”

It’s accompanied by their cover of This is Our Home by a-ha sung by Ben with Andy playing the piano and accompanied by a choir and orchestra.

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The pair recorded the song inside St Dominic’s Church, in Newcastle, to allow for socially distancing – and makes for a dramatic music video.

The duo record their song at St Dominic's Church in NewcastleThe duo record their song at St Dominic's Church in Newcastle
The duo record their song at St Dominic's Church in Newcastle
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Pulling together the advert is never an easy, or cheap, task which has been made even more difficult by the coronavirus pandemic in 2020.

"It was really tough to get everything organised but when a window arose we were able to get it all filmed in one day,” said Ben, 37.

“We hired two professional actors who play the parents in the kitchen and the rest of the family are all people who we found on Facebook – they were all brilliant.”

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Ben and Andy, of Sunderland and Newcastle, have recorded different songs over the last few years and combined them with videos – in a bid to rival the annual John Lewis advert.

Last year they filmed their own advert for the first time to go alongside song Nothing Ever Happens by Del Amitri. The advert told the story of a Santa Claus who is visiting sick children in hospital over the festive period to deliver presents.

But it is actually lonely Mr Claus himself that is in need of a little festive cheer.

Now they’re raising funds for Guide Dogs UK and, having set a target of £5,000, the advert has already brought of almost £1,500 in donations.

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And the video, which premiered on Youtube on November 28, has already been viewed more than 20,000 times.

Ben added: “Our aim is always to show an alternative and thought provoking version of Christmas through these short videos, with a story that can be linked to an important charity, to raise awareness and vital funds.”

He added that the video was filmed in line with Government guidelines, everyone was tested for Covid-19 and precautions were taken at all times.

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