Tear-jerking Arthur Christmas advert for DIY shop in Wales that only cost £100 to make – The Sun

A DIY shop in Wales is giving the big retailers a run for their money with it's tear-jerking Christmas advert that cost just £100 to make.

Haford Hardware in Rhayader, Wales, has won over hearts across the internet with the commercial that is centred around toddler Arthur Jones.

The two-minute clip is set to a cover of Alphaville's 1984 hit "Forever Young", performed by American singer-songwriter Andrea von Kampen.

It begins with Arthur climbing out of bed in the morning to get ready for work at the family-run business.

After eating breakfast, the tot arrives at work to open up the store before starting on his chores.

From sweeping the floors to polishing the counters, replenishing stock to serving customers, Arthur takes on the lot without complaining.


The advert finishes with a heart-warming twist as Arthur locks up the shop at the end of the day.

He bends down to pick up a Christmas tree that he's taking home and as he stands up, Arthur is a man.

"Be a kid this Christmas", a slogan reads across the screen, as the adult Arthur walks home, giving a thumbs up a neighbour who's waving at him across the road.

The festive advert features four generations of the family, which has owned the business since 1895.

The budget commercial was filmed in a day by Arthur's dad, Tom Jones – who also plays older Arthur – and his film-maker friend Josh Holdaway.

It cost a fraction of the price of cash invested by John Lewis in their Edgar the dragon film, which is estimated to be around the £7million mark.




Tom, 30, said that watching the advert featuring his son makes him "well up with pride".

"Making this video with my son has been an experience I will cherish for a lifetime. They say never work with animals or children but he was a joy," he said.

“He's such a bright boy and I would be lying if I said it was difficult to get him to perform on screen."

It's received over 100,000 views on Facebook since it was uploaded three days ago.

It's the third year in a row that the small-town business has released a Christmas advert.

The previous commercials have been viewed hundreds of thousands of times to huge acclaim and Tom is again hoping to once again put a smile on people's faces.

He added: "All the time, people are coming into the shop and asking us about our Christmas adverts. Even strangers pop in to say they've seen them.

“The locals love them. It's nice to think we can put a lot of smiles on people's faces in the community. It's always nice to do something for the town.

“But there is an underlying message. We are just a small independent shop in Mid Wales trying to compete with the big boys like John Lewis and M&S.

"We've shown that it can be done on a very small budget."

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