HOW PIANOS WILL BRING PEOPLE TOGETHER THIS CHRISTMAS - and 9 ways to tackle loneliness at Christmas

• From Glasgow to London, from New York to San Jose, acoustic pianos destined for landfill are being placed on our streets.
• More than 1,900 street pianos have been placed in 60 cities globally so far, which have been played and listened to by more than 10 million people worldwide.
• Together is calling on people to play Christmas songs on street pianos this festive season to bring people together
• The original project is called ‘Play me, I am yours’ by Luke Jerram launched in 2008.
• Documentary ‘Instrument of Change’ premieres on Together on 15^thDecember at 9pm and repeats on Christmas Day at 9pm.
• Together teams up with Campaign to End Loneliness to celebrate what brings us together at Christmas

UNDER EMBARGO UNTIL 7/12/2018 00.01am

DECEMBER 7th, LONDON - Free, accessible and for anyone to play. It's not busking. It's not a gig. It's a new kind of musical platform. “One piano goes to landfill every day in London. Some are rescued and given a new lease of life.” This is how the documentary ‘Instrument of Change’ get started. And it’s a journey through the voices, the stories and the good vibes people experience playing street pianos across Britain.

The documentary ‘Instrument of Change’ will premiere next Saturday on Together, the TV Broadcaster that wants people to do more. Together airs on Freeview 93, Sky 173, Virgin 269, Freesat 164.

‘I eat, sleep and play the piano.’ – says Michael, the ‘piano man’. He is a homeless, talented pianist who shares his music and alwayshelps others. He enjoys playing for anyone passing by in the London streets, especially children. ‘They understand music better’ – he says.

Along the Street Piano documentary, Together will also present the very best of its TV series, films and documentaries aired in 2018. As the festive season approaches, we are teaming up with Campaign To End Loneliness to tackle isolation and bring people together. There are 4 million lonely older people in the UK. and Many will spend this Christmas alone.

9 Ways to End Loneliness this Christmas:

• Out shopping, going for a walk or down the pub? Take time to talk with an older person. There are 1.2 million chronically lonely older people in the UK (Age UK 2016, No-one should have no one).
• Call the friends and familyyou won’t see this Christmas.Half a million older people go at least five or six days a week without seeing or speaking to anyone at all (Age UK 2016, No-one should have no one).
• Get involved in Christmas initiatives within your local community. Visit Neighbourly to join social projects within your community.
• Deliver a Christmas cardto your neighbour and stop for a chat. Not being able to get out and about can limit an older person’s social contacts. 9% of older people feel trapped in their own home and 6% leave the house once a week or less.
• Does your local hospice want supportthis Christmas? Lend a helping hand. There are hundreds of local hospices in the UK, find the one closer to you.
• Share a mince pie momentwith friends and neighbours. Small gestures like this can mean a lot in a person life who’s lonely.
• Spare chair at the table for Christmas dinner? Invite a friend who might be alone.Two fifths all older people (about 3.9 million) say the television is their main company (Age, U.K., 2014. Evidence Review: Loneliness in Later Life. London: Age UK).
• Hosting a Christmas party? Don’t forget toinvite your neighbours. There are over 2.2 million people aged 75 and over living alone in Great Britain, an increase of almost a quarter (24%) over the past 20 years (ONS).
• Travelling for Christmas? Check the street piano map: you might find a street piano right next to you! Music brings people togetherand singing carols is a great way to connect.

List powered by Campaign to End Loneliness

ENDS

For further information, photos, videos or an interview with a contributor or spokesperson, please contact:

Francesca Aita

Marketing Manager, Together

francesca@togethertv.com

07482 251 330

Notes to Editors

About Together

Together is the UK’s leading purpose-driven media brand and TV Broadcaster. We use entertaining and inspiring content as a springboard into social action.

We connect our millions of viewers to campaigns and causes through TV, video and digital technology.

Together broadcasts 24-hours on Freeview 93, Sky 173, Virgin 269 and freesat 164, and available streamed and on-demand through www.togethertv.com, TVPlayer, DailyMotion, YouTube, Facebook and BT TV.

We are owned by, and shaped by, our viewers, as we are the world’s first cooperatively-owned national broadcaster and media brand, and we are powered by extensive support from 20 leading media companies including Sky, Big Lottery Fund, Barrow Cadbury Trust, Channel 4, ITV, BBC, Unltd and Social Investment Business.

Our goal is to change lives – by activating our viewers, fans and followers to do more to change their lives, and the lives of the people and organisations they support.

To receive Together on Freeview, viewers will need to be within coverage and be watching through Freeview HD or Freeview Play devices. Some viewers may need to retune. Viewers can check predicted coverage at: www.freeview.co.uk/channels-at-your-address

www.togethertv.com

About Campaign to End Loneliness

The Campaign to End Loneliness believe that people of all ages need connections that matter.

There are nine million lonely people in the UK and four million of them are older people. Many older people find constant loneliness hardest to overcome. They lack the friendship and support we all need.

The Campaign to End Loneliness have been experts in the field of loneliness and connection since 2011. They share research, evidence and knowledge with thousands of other organisations and the public to make a difference to older people’s lives.

The Campaign to End Loneliness inspires everyone to connect and bring communities together across the UK.

Hosted by Independent Age, the Campaign is supported by National Lottery funding through the Big Lottery Fund, and also funded by the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, The Tudor Trust and donations from the general public.

Together, we can End Loneliness.

www.campaigntoendloneliness.org