A Plymouth politician has made it his mission to end loneliness across the City.
Gareth Streeter, Conservative Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for Plymouth Sutton & Devonport has launched a new campaign to help Plymouthians stay better connected.
By reaching out to voluntary and community groups across the City, Gareth will seek to compile and publish a directory of all groups, services and activities that help bring people together and eradicate isolation. This could include everything from professional council services and support groups to informal book clubs and litter picks.
Recent years have exposed the damage that loneliness can inflict on people from all walks of life. Though it is often associated with the elderly, loneliness and isolation can impact people of all ages and circumstances.
Research shows that some 47% of adults in England experience loneliness “occasionally or more often”. A report by the New Economics Foundation estimated that loneliness costs UK employers up to £3.7 billion each year. Lonely people are also more likely to visit their GP and studies have established a link between loneliness and higher risks of dementia and early death.
Gareth says:
“It's only been a few weeks since many of us enjoyed a fantastic Christmas filled with friends and family. But for some, the festive season can serve as a painful reminder of just how isolated they feel.
“Human beings were not created to be alone. We are a social species and when situations or circumstances cause us to be isolated, it creates real risks to our physical and mental health.
“As a former youth and community worker – and more recently as a politician – I’ve encountered an abundance of people and groups that are trying to bring people together. This campaign isn’t about reinventing the wheel. It will help draw attention to this existing work and promote activities that help people take that first step to reaching out.”
The Plymouth Against Loneliness (or ‘Pal’) campaign will initially consist of:
- A facebook group – where people and groups can share information about activities across Plymouth that bring people together
- An “anti-loneliness audit” – a call for everyone to come forward with details about any groups, activities or services that help tackle the issue
- A community directory – Gareth will compile all details of anti-loneliness activities and publish them on his website. This can then be shared widely
Gareth continues,
“Some might say that politicians have no business in getting involved with issues like this, but the reality is that loneliness risks becoming a major public-health issue. None of us in politics know how long the electorate intend to keep us around. But we can use the profile we have, while we have it, to draw attention to fantastic community work and to help bring people together.
“I hope that politicians, particularly councillors, across the City, get behind this campaign so that we can use our combined knowledge and influence for a good cause. There’s nothing about this that needs to be party political. In fact, we’re going to ban party political chat on the facebook group.”
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