Tackling loneliness and encouraging a sense of community

Our work helps combat loneliness, connect people and generate community spirit and belonging.

Patient-led social groups

Over 60 people attended the patientled social groups set up by our Ways to Wellbeing team. The ‘cuppa and craft’ group and the living well with pain ‘pain sailing’ groups bring people with similar interests or experiences together to socialise.

A voluntary response to social isolation

From March – December 2022, we ran a community welfare calls befriending service  to provide a supplementary service to our Social Prescribing work. We recruited 13 volunteers who supported 36 people and spent 214 hours having conversations on 476 individual calls. 70% of those receiving calls, said the calls gave them more confidence and 77% said the calls made them feel less lonely.

This service was made possible thanks to our team of volunteers and support from Humber and North Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership.

Mental Health Awareness Week 2022

We held an online event as part of Mental Health Awareness Week 2022 where four York Ending Stigma (YES) Champions shared their lived experience of mental health and loneliness to break down myths and to end stigma. We also hosted an audience question and answer session, an employer-specific event, and produced a 7-day video poetry project by Champion Sarah.

Watch / listen to York Ending Stigma’s 7-day poetry project by Champion Sarah.