Celebrities including Brian Cox star in Stroke Association Christmas campaign
The Stroke Association has released its first Christmas campaign film featuring celebrities including Brian Cox and Alison Steadman.
The film, titled ‘Still Christmas’, aims to raise awareness of the impact stroke can have and the need for support during the festive season.
The campaign features a script delivered by high-profile supporters including Nish Kumar, Amanda Abbington, Nadia Sawalha, Christopher Chung, Jo Brand and Kiell Smith-Bynoe, intercut with home videos and photos shared by stroke survivors and their families.
The film puts the camera inside the homes of stroke survivors, showing the reality of facing Christmas after a stroke.
It is set to a contemporary cover of ‘White Christmas’, released by Universal and Irving Berlin’s estate, and is produced by Stream Media Group and directed by Stuart Hackshaw.
It will air on Channel 4 on 19 November 2025.
Juliet Bouverie OBE, chief executive of the Stroke Association, said: “So many of us associate Christmas time with joy, being together with family and friends, and enjoying much loved traditions.
“But for another 85,000 people in the UK, this year will be their first Christmas after a stroke, and those things we all take for granted are no longer the same.
“However, with strength, determination and the right support, recovery is possible. That’s why we’ve created our powerful new film, to highlight the devastation stroke can cause, but remind people that we are here for them.”
To accompany the film, the charity surveyed 1,000 stroke survivors about their experiences at Christmas.
The research found that almost a third (30 per cent) feel like they are a burden to their family and friends at Christmas time.
Almost half of those surveyed (46 per cent) said they now feel negatively about Christmas due to the impacts of their stroke.
Of those who had experienced Christmas following their stroke, two thirds (66 per cent) feel frustrated about not being able to do things they could before.
The survey also found that almost a third (28 per cent) of those who had experienced a Christmas following their stroke could not cook Christmas dinner, and more than a quarter (26 per cent) could not visit friends and family or leave the house.
Almost a quarter (23 per cent) could not decorate the Christmas tree, while around a fifth (19 per cent) could not play with their children or grandchildren.
Bouverie said: “Stroke support is crucial at any time of year for stroke survivors and their loved ones.
“We’re encouraging everyone to give the gift of stroke support this Christmas, whether as a donation, volunteering your time or fundraising, so that we can help more survivors and their loved ones find their strength and their way back to life after a stroke.”
