Together, not alone: A new initiative launched by Out of the Square, the Newcastle Herald and Greater Bank

Three words that bring comfort in unsettling times, and the official name of a new initiative developed by Newcastle creative media agency Out of The Square (OOTS), launched in partnership with the Newcastle Herald and supported by Greater Bank.

Together, Not Alone aims to deliver a level of positivity to the region in this time of crisis and uncertainty.

It leads with a two-minute anthem-style video which showcases the beauty of Newcastle, its resilience in the past and the "new" ways we are living and sharing.

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The video is the foundation for a series of stories that will come online over the coming weeks that explore kindness, innovation, creativity, celebration and mindfulness among businesses and the community.

The Herald's editor, Heath Harrison, said the OOTS initiative "married well" with other initiatives that were on the table to support local businesses.

"As the Voice of the Hunter, the Newcastle Herald has been telling the region's stories for more than 140 years. We shine a light on local issues, we celebrate the local wins, we commiserate the local losses and we champion local causes, particularly in tough times," he said. "In this tough time, we're pleased to be part of this campaign to help our community. Side by side, we can get through this together."

The Greater Bank's head of marketing and customer experience, Matthew Hingston, said the bank was committed to supporting the communities that supported it.

"At Greater Bank we are committed to supporting the communities that support us. We are proud to support this project highlighting those in the community that are adapting to these uncertain times by bringing their innovation and ingenuity to the fore to help the region," Mr Hingston said.

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OOTS managing director Marty Adnum said he came up with Together, Not Alone after creating the online platform HelpHunter, which offers free support guides from businesses to help those affected by the coronavirus pandemic.

"It's not like the next months will be easy, but if we rally 'together' we may be able to support each other through it," he said.

"I think it's important people know, even though they are at home, they are not alone. The lyrics came to me reasonably easily (after a few days of isolation and nights of red). But it was the amazing support of the creative community that really brought this to life, kicking off with Marty Worall penning the melody"

Mr Adnum wrote the song lyrics, Marty Worrall penned the melody and sang with Rachelle Schmidt Adnum, and Allon Silove of Studio B arranged and produced the track.

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