Whilst much of Rural Action Yorkshire’s work on community
buildings concerns village halls many of the lessons learnt are applicable to
church buildings. Church buildings are
the original community building and now as in the past can be centres for: worship
and celebration,
local services and other activities.
Hambleton, Richmondshire and Whitby Clinical Commissioning
Group, are funding the “Community Friendly Buildings” project, to support
people who are responsible for community buildings; so that the community buildings,
whether a village hall or church, can become
a local hub for tackling loneliness and social isolation.
The project will do this by showcasing the work Rural Action
Yorkshire has already done with community buildings across Yorkshire as part of
their Community Hubs project.
Rural Action Yorkshire will also share the benefits of
community buildings such as village halls and churches becoming hubs for local
services and activities, as well as helping representatives of the community
buildings to share ideas and experiences with one another about what works best
to help tackle isolation and loneliness.
Loneliness and social isolation are increasingly seen as major
concerns for healthcare providers. Loneliness and isolation can be a direct
cause of health problems, or make existing health problems worse. Physical and
mental health problems in turn are often causes of increasing loneliness or
isolation. For many people, improving health can only be achieved at the same
time as reducing their social isolation or sense of loneliness. This is why the
Clinical Commissioning Group is funding this work on reducing loneliness and
isolation as an investment in improving people's health, and so reducing future
healthcare costs.
If you would like to know more about how to get involved in
the project, please give Rural Action Yorkshire’s Community Information Officer, James Russell, a call on 01904 704177 or get in touch via email. info@ruralyorkshire.org.uk
