To raise awareness of loneliness and isolation with COVID-19 social distancing, a stop-motion animation has been created by people with learning disabilities and their support workers in Devon county of England.
The animation, unveiled as part of the Marmalade Trust’s 2020 Loneliness Awareness Week, was meticulously put together over several months and is based on real-life accounts of loneliness. Titled ‘Zack’s Story’ aims to kick-start a widespread conversation about the impact of isolation on the learning disability community, especially since the Coronavirus outbreak.
Local people with learning disabilities, many of whom supported by the national charity United Response, worked with Devon-based creative groups to help shape the animation’s narrative and storyline. They were supported by staff to help build and decorate the animation’s set, while the six-minute film itself is narrated entirely by people which the charity supports.
As part of this week’s unveiling, those involved in the animation have also recorded a behind-the-scenes documentary looking at how the short film was made and how the idea first came about. Both films are available on United Response’s YouTube page.
