Funded by The Baring Foundation Back to the Future brings together rural older people living in sheltered housing with residents from Supported Housing Foyers, which support young people, to create new films in Worcestershire and Herefordshire.

The Worcestershire project worked with residents from Storer Court Residential Home and the Haysfield Housing Foyer in Malvern. Both groups took part in camera training, recorded short pieces to share their thoughts with one another and enjoyed a cinema screening together. Then, working with Director Rachel Lambert, they developed a short screenplay Getting Close.

Sam and his Grandma don’t speak, they don’t even get on, but circumstance dictates that they have to meet. Will their differences be put to one side?

Storer Court resident Pat Pullen and Foyer resident Kerri Walton took on the main acting roles in the film which was shot in December and January, with other residents from both centres involved in performing and technical roles.

Although generations apart the older people and the young people share similar experiences about their own housing needs. Back to the Future is bringing both groups together to share their thoughts and stories, whilst dispelling myths and increasing understanding between generations. The project is also providing opportunities for older people to take advantage of new technologies and offers the young participants a safe environment in which to learn new technical skills to share with the elderly residents.

The Herefordshire project worked with residents from Woodville Grove Residential Home and the Supported Housing Foyer in Leominster.

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As the project progressed it became clear that the Woodville Grove residents met less often in the communal lounge, which made the process less group orientated and more individual based. Instead we made appointments with residents and visited them in their flats. The young people controlled and filmed the interviews with the older residents and got to know each of them in an in-depth way.

After conducting the interviews and workshops we decided that we wanted to focus on one particular person whose incredible stories had really struck a chord with all of us.

Betty told her stories with such vigour, that she had us rapt as an audience. Each story was full of detail and she imbued them with such emotion that it felt like she was able to recall the exact feelings she had experienced at the time. For all the stories Betty told there was one that seemed extraordinary; the story of Eddie. A Letter Every Day tells this story 

For more information about the project please contact Adrian Lambert on adrianl@ruralmedia.co.uk