The UK Sepsis Trust (UKST) has reached the final of the Charity Film Awards, for a campaign video produced by video production specialists and fellow Chamber members Ark Media.  

The video titled ‘Raising Awareness in the Farming Community’ tells the story of Hannah Brown (pictured) - a 26-yr old farmer from North Yorkshire who lost her life to sepsis in March 2021.

It looks at Hannah’s life, her experience of sepsis and the work of family and friends in the farming community in raising awareness since Hannah’s death.

Filmed across two days in Cumbria, Lancashire and North Yorkshire back in September, the campaign has already been featured on regional ITV and BBC news broadcasts in the north of England as well as Global Radio and the online publication Farmers Guardian, which has over 300,000 followers across their social media channels.

Brian Davies, fundraising manager at UKST which is the chosen charity of the Sutton Coldfield Chamber of Commerce, said: “We are absolutely delighted to have reached the final of the prestigious Charity Film Awards for our campaign video that raises awareness of sepsis in the farming community.

“The farming community are particularly susceptible to sepsis for several reasons, due to the nature of their work; their resilience and can-do attitude; their often rural, isolated setting; and a reluctance to have time off and/or seek medical attention when not feeling well.

“We were thrilled with the video that Ark Media produced for us and have already received several donations and a large grant to further our work in this area. It is unlikely that we would have received these funds without such a compelling video to support our awareness work within the community.

Philip Arkinstall, chief executive of Ark Media and president of the Sutton Chamber, said: “As a supporter of The UK Sepsis Trust for several years, we were delighted to help them with this important video for their new campaign.

“The more that sepsis is discussed, the more you understand just how many people it affects each year. Raising awareness will save lives, and we are thrilled to have played our part in that process.”

Cast your vote now – the closing date is Friday 10 March.

The winner will be announced at a red-carpet event at The Odeon Cinema in Leicester Square on Tuesday 21 March, with UKST up against 15 other charities in the £1m to £2m turnover category.

Both Brian and Phil will be attending along with several members of Hannah Brown’s family.