Lonely this Christmas? Not at the Northern Ireland pub whose £700 ad went viral

Charlie's Bar in Fermanagh has become a symbol of action against isolation. And on Christmas Day, as every year, it will open its doors

The two-minute video is an unashamed tear-jerker: an elderly man walks from his house to a cemetery where he lays a bouquet on a grave, his face a picture of loss. He makes his way into town, raising his cap to passersby who blank him.

He shuffles into a pub and sits alone by a fire. A young couple's dog wanders over and jumps onto his bench, giving some company. Then, to the soaring soundtrack of Birdy's People Help the People, the couple join the man at his table, shake hands, clink glasses and do that thing that makes us human - they chat.