Turbo-charging the county’s response to tackling loneliness

man walking along on the beach
Elderly woman looking out of the window
The Loneliness Campaign North Yorkshire was created to help support and inspire more local action on the subject of tackling loneliness across the county.

It was funded by the National Lottery Community Fund’s Building Connections Fund and was also backed by North Yorkshire Council with in-kind support from the Public Health and Stronger Communities teams, as well as funding through the Stronger Communities Fund.

The aim of the Loneliness Campaign North Yorkshire was to raise awareness of the many activities provided by voluntary and community organisations across the region. We wanted to encourage people, communities, public bodies and employers to think about, talk about and act on loneliness.

Throughout the project, we worked with a steering group of voluntary and community sector organisations, public sector partners and private businesses to develop a North Yorkshire wide, all ages, strategy for tackling loneliness (Be Social, Be Well) and supporting action plan.

Before coming to a close in March 2021, the project also produced a series of campaigns and resources to help raise awareness and enable people to take simple actions to tackle loneliness in their communities.

These are still available to access and share below.

Be Social, Be Well.

Be Social, Be Well is the strategy developed by the project which aims to tackle loneliness and social isolation in North Yorkshire.

Be Social Be Well

Be Social, Be Well was created from existing literature and research. It included a number of personal stories that demonstrate the impact loneliness can have on individuals.

The practical element of Be Social, Be Well focuses on some of the many services available across North Yorkshire which can reduce or prevent loneliness and isolation. It seeks to inspire everyone to tackle loneliness encouraging early intervention and a preventative approach.

This framework is based on five strategic ambitions:

  • Eliminate stigma.
  • Make connection easier.
  • Kindness in communities.
  • Foster meaningful relationships.
  • Build enlightened services.

These 5 aims form the basis of an action plan, to which a number of partners across the county are committed and which can be used as a checklist for any organisation looking to reduce loneliness amongst their communities and/or client base.

Click here to read the full strategy
Or download a summary here