Now & Then
- History
COI emerged from the old Ministry of Information in 1946.
Its remit was to produce films designed to inform the public on a huge range of issues such as health, welfare, education and citizen's rights. Originally shown in cinemas, they soon found an audience on TV screens in our front rooms.
Throughout the 60s and 70s Fillers became a regular feature on TV and many of the films are still fondly remembered, with characters such as Charley the Cat, Tufty, the Green Cross Code Man and Jo and Petunia becoming cult figures.
To this day, COI Fillers continue to inform the public, influence behaviour and provide important health, safety and welfare information to citizens all over the UK.
Now & Then is a new feature where we will be comparing current COI Filler campaigns with those from the past.
- Bandage
In the first of the series, we travel back to the 70s with Bandage, a time when sparklers posed a big threat to the welfare of small children and head scarves were a compulsory accessory for ladies of a certain age.
- Bright Sparks
Fast forwarding to the 21st century we have Sam Sparks, an animated hard boiled sleuth who reckons that the kids may have learned to stay safe with sparklers after all these years.
May Priorities
To help your schedule planning, this is a list of our current Filler priorities.Here we are, already in May ! Armed Forces Day, on 30th June 2012, is the annual celebration when the nation can show its support to the Armed Forces. The Filler UNIFORMS put the date in the calendar, with the lively RAY WINSTONE doing the voice-over. The Filler is available as both a 60" and a 30" and we hope to give it full exposure during this build up in May and June.
We are also promoting 2 foodie Filler themes in May, the first being the ever popular 5 A Day healthy eating. The Filler STALLHOLDER is a fun look at eating fresh fruit and veg, featuring a cheeky young cockney lad keen to offer a girl a "date". STALLHOLDER is available as both a 50" and a 40".
On another foodie theme we have the Filler HIT FOR SIX , which teaches us to be more careful with remembering the hidden germs in the kitchen, as we approach Britain's Food Safety Week from 6th June. We see the innocent preparation of a simple chicken sandwich going wrong with the recipient suffering with food poisoning. HIT FOR SIX is educational but a fun Filler and is available as both a 60" and a 40".
Our final two Priorities this May are our Fire Kills campaign, always remember to check your smoke alarm. You will remember we Prioritised this in April, and we are doing so again because of this important message. Watch out for our Filler POST MORTEM.
Our final message for May is we urgently need more Blood stock ! More so than usual (30% more), due to the summer influx of people coming to the Queen Jubilee and to the Olympics. Not many of us actually volunteer, so help us get the message across, and schedule our Blood Fillers BLOOD CLUB & CHAIN.