b:friend older neighbours shaping The Centre for Social Justice’s Lonely Nation Report
Loneliness report from The Centre for Social Justice (CSJ) shows that nearly six in 10 adults in Britain feel lonely at least some of the time.
The CSJ predict this is true for 5.8 million people over the age of 65. Their latest report shines a light on the causes and issues of loneliness in an aging Britain.
As a member of The Centre for Social Justice Alliance of outstanding grassroots charities, b:friend was recently invited to contribute to their report on loneliness, Lonely Nation – Part 2: Ending Loneliness Among Older People.
b:friend hosted Ben Robinson from the CSJ’s Yorkshire Office and Josh Nicholson, who leads the Community and Housing Policy Unit in the Westminster team, so they could learn from the work of the charity and better understand the experiences people have regarding loneliness and what can be done to address this.
The paper highlights the unique causes of loneliness among the older generation. The CSJ recommends 20 policy solutions for the government to adopt to tackle these challenges, including:
- Ensuring public transport delivers for older service users
- A new digital inclusion strategy and digital champions fund to support charities who work to get older people online
- Ensuring planning reform delivers for an ageing population and has social connection at the heart
- Helping families to live closer to one another
- Boosting opportunities for intergenerational contact
- A volunteer passport to support opportunities in retirement
Ben Robinson, CSJ Regional Manager for Yorkshire and the Humber, said: “Everything we do at the CSJ is written through conversations with outstanding grassroots organisations such as b:friend. They were kind enough to host us at one of their Social Clubs, which gave us an incredible insight into the work they’re doing to bring people together in communities and combat social isolation.
“Colette [Bunker, b:friend’s CEO] and the team also kindly helped with shaping our report, by sharing the great expertise they have on loneliness and sharing with us the experiences people b:friend support have, trends and changes they are seeing in society, what needs to change, and perhaps most importantly how it can be changed.
“We simply cannot write reports, and raise awareness of key issues such as social isolation, without the help of b:friend and other excellent small charities and social enterprises. Thank you so much for sharing the brilliant work you do with us.”
Sara Kopecsni, b:friend’s Senior Communications Officer, said: “We are delighted to be able to contribute to this report and are grateful to Ben, Josh and the CSJ for giving our older neighbours a voice, so they can influence policy change. With this report, our people can help make a difference for those who need it the most, not just in their immediate community but on a national level.”
We’d like to say thank you to the CSJ for involving b:friend, and acknowledge our fellow Alliance members and organisations, who also contributed to the report.
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