Neighbourhood approaches to loneliness The tale of two cities Tracey Robbins JRF Angela Browne Qa Research

A mismatch of the relationships we have and those we want An internal trigger telling us to seek company as thirst tells us to drink and hunger tells us to eat Loneliness describes the pain of being alone as solitude describes the joy of being alone Isolation is often where there is no choice but to be alone Some people seek solitude, but few choose to be lonely, primarily because it isn’t good for us What exactly is loneliness?

Loneliness in the UK Almost half of adults in England say they experience feelings of loneliness

Increases risk of depression 64% increased risk of developing clinical dementia Increases the risk of high blood pressure Is an equivalent risk factor for early mortality to smoking 15 cigarettes a day, A greater impact than other risk factors such as physical inactivity and obesity Loneliness harms our physical and mental health

Loneliness harms our mental and physical health Lonely people: Are vulnerable to alcohol problems Eat less well – they are less likely to eat fruit and vegetables Are more likely to be smokers and more likely to be overweight Are less likely to engage in physical activity and exercise

Place based approach to loneliness Asset based approach to community development Working with people in their neighbourhood to explore what contributes to feelings of overwhelming/problematic loneliness Exploring factors like location, health and wellbeing, safety, independence, life transitions Developing and putting into practice local ideas and activities to reduce the effects of loneliness Making every contact and conversation count A neighbourhood approach

The neighbourhoods – York Carr Estate Young families Mixed tenure housing Debt problems Few natural meeting places Little community focus Curious Considerate New Earswick Ageing population High levels of unpaid carers Plentiful meeting spaces Rowntree model village Programme fatigue?

The neighbourhoods – Bradford Denholme Rural Older population Poor public transport Active town council Local meeting places Curious Considerate Bradford Moor Urban area Ethnically diverse Overcrowded housing Economically deprived High drug and unemployment rates

Recruited, trained and retained 32 community researchers in Participatory Learning and Action in all four neighbourhoods Community researchers gathered information, undertook outreach and all fieldwork and analysis and spoke to over 100 stakeholders Talking to over 2000 people gathering almost 7667 individual comments Local people leading the way

Action Research using PLA

Members of the neighbourhoods came up with over 1000 ideas to reduce loneliness An average of 65 ideas were prioritised in each neighbourhood and shared with community partners and local stakeholders Community researchers in the neighbourhoods have done planning, negotiation and project management training Each neighbourhood has reduced (not easy!) these ideas to 5 priorities which they are now putting into practice Community researchers are now activists – sharing the key messages From actions to ideas

What is now happening BRADFORD MOOR Community Market Confidence group CARR CONNECTORS Pop-up Café Working with local church NELLI Parents play group Community allotments Community activists contributing to further work: Local meetings Presentations Media ONE DENHOLME Walking group Film club App

Key messages from the programme Loneliness kills people and communities Regulation kills kindness and reduces action Lonely people are vulnerable, this is a safeguarding issue Building personal and community confidence builds community resilience Community researchers are now activists – sharing the key messages

The stepping stones to engagement and education need to be put back There is a real contradiction between society’s ideals and individual experience You can take the ideas out of the process. You cannot take the process away from the ideas Key messages from the programme

Evaluation methodology Qa Commissioned in Autumn 2011 – Worked alongside the programme – Critical friend when needed The aim of the evaluation was to – foster positive progress, capture wider lessons & assess overall programme effectiveness Methodology – Desk research – Case studies with Community Researchers – Community survey – pre & post – Community focus groups – Stakeholder depth interviews – Critical friend

Adaptations Several changes throughout the life of the programme & the evaluation – Dynamic / changing programme – Resulted in several methodological changes Increased case studies with community researchers Depth interviews JRF & JRHT staff Peer Research for the evaluation Some community focus groups

Introductions Causes of loneliness

Wider society: Transport Physical environment Community Housing Technology Crime Population changes Personal: Poor health Sensory loss Loss of mobility Less income Bereavement Being out of work Other change, e.g. becoming a carer A range of ‘risk factors’ increase our vulnerability to loneliness: What causes loneliness?

Washing line activity You have no additional funds What one thing could you or your organisation do to reduce loneliness Personal and professional

We will be sharing what we have discussed Leave your contact details or business card if you would like to receive: Short report from today’s session Link to resource pack Evaluation report when published

This resource pack brings together the lessons and experiences from the programme and includes: Living with loneliness? – a four-page summary of the causes of loneliness, with infographics; Living with loneliness? Let’s talk about loneliness – a four-page summary of ideas and actions to reduce loneliness, with infographics; Let’s talk about loneliness Neighbourhood approaches to loneliness: our stories – a collection of case studies from some of the people involved; Neighbourhood approaches to loneliness: our stories Working with your community to address loneliness – top tips from our external evaluators; Working with your community to address loneliness Can do – guidance and tips for negotiating community action; Can do How you can reduce loneliness in your neighbourhood (the process); How you can reduce loneliness in your neighbourhood Let’s talk about loneliness session plans – five one-hour group work sessions to get you thinking and talking about loneliness. Let’s talk about loneliness session plans Lets talk about loneliness - a short film featuring interviews with the communities involved in our research Lets talk about loneliness Free resources