The first year of Bromley Council’s tackling loneliness strategy 2022-2026 has seen numerous successes and great strides made in helping people experiencing loneliness within the borough
Staff training, a new directory of activities, along with groups and initiatives created in collaboration with partners across the borough, have seen Bromley Council leading the way in the fight against loneliness. This was recognised when Bromley was the only UK local authority to be featured during the Campaign to End Loneliness international conference poster exhibit area in February 2023.
Speaking about the work the council is doing, Cllr Mike Botting, the council’s Member Loneliness Champion, said: “As the Loneliness Champion for the London Borough of Bromley, I hope to be able to help people who are experiencing loneliness, which can affect people of any age, any stage of life and any background.
“Loneliness is considered by many to be one of the largest health concerns facing the UK, with effects both on mental and physical health. Bromley Council has been taking it seriously since 2019 and I am proud to say we are leading the way for local authorities. The first year of our tackling loneliness strategy 2022-2026 has been a great start, but I am looking forward to achieving even more in the years to come.”
The initiatives put in place during the first year of the tackling loneliness strategy 2022-2026 have included:
- Hiring a dedicated Principal Loneliness Champion, Helayna Jenkins, to lead the implementation of the strategy.
- Funding an online directory of more than 1,000 activities and groups to help residents and front-line professionals find events and clubs to aid social interaction.
- Delivering a training programme to enable staff to recognise those at risk of experiencing loneliness and empowering them to help.
- Supporting a lottery-funded MyTime Active programme offering older people access to primetime classes that led to 78 percent of participants maintaining or increasing social contact.
- Creating a guide to accessible transport to support residents travelling easily and safely.
- Leading a Christmas card scheme that saw 900 cards created by Bromley’s young people that were shared with those who might have been lonely at that time.
- Working with Bromley libraries to help bring people together for groups and activities.
- Funding initiatives to help combat loneliness through Friends of Parks groups as part of the Bromley Platinum Jubilee Parks fund.
Bromley Council’s loneliness work continues in 2023 with a Tackling Loneliness Summit to be held on Friday 16 June, at the Bromley Civic Centre. This will bring together experts in the field from across the UK to further explore and understand ways to support those experiencing loneliness. Robin Hewings, CEO at the Campaign to End Loneliness, will give a national outlook on loneliness, while speakers from organisations such as Orpington Primary Care Network, Bromley Football Club and Bromley Well will give a local update. Delegates will also be able to peruse our dedicated market place, promoting many local offerings to help people connect.
More information about Bromley Council’s work in this area, along with resources for those experiencing loneliness or those wishing to learn more can be found at www.bromley.gov.uk/loneliness.
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For media enquiries, please contact Andrew Rogers, Head of Public Affairs, on 020 8461 7670 or email andrew.rogers@bromley.gov.uk