CAMRA is launching a major campaign aimed at highlighting the important role that pubs and clubs play in ending loneliness and social isolation. Readers might be surprised to learn how widespread the problem is and that it crosses the generations. A recent survey by YouGov revealed that 18% of those aged over 55 haven\u2019t made a new friend in the past six years while 70% of them experience loneliness to some extent, a feeling shared by 88% (yes, 88%) of those aged between 18 and 24. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Nik Antona, CAMRA\u2019s National Chairman said in his Christmas\nmessage, \u201cAccording to the Campaign\nto End Loneliness, social isolation is as bad for your health as smoking\nfifteen cigarettes a day. I know that pubs are at the forefront of helping\nfight social isolation, and often this hard work by licensees isn\u2019t recognised.\nAt this time of year, when we spend time with our friends and family, it\u2019s easy\nto forget that not everyone has someone to go down the pub with. These\nestablishments provide wonderful places to meet new people and renew old\nacquaintances. I would therefore like to ask you all to help address the issue\nof loneliness by taking someone new to your local over the holidays or into\nJanuary. As well as possibly addressing the problem of loneliness, you will also\nbe helping support the Great British Pub. If you are out enjoying the delights\nof a pint and you spot someone sitting alone, why not go over and have a chat.\nYou never know, you might just make a new friend and potentially recruit a new\nmember<\/em>.\u201d This, of course, does\nnot just apply to the holiday period. It is something that we can do all year\naround. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The campaign also gives you the opportunity to share your stories\nabout how the local pub has helped build your social network. You can share\nyour story using the hashtag #mypubstory <\/em>or\ncontact fightingloneliness@camra.org.uk<\/em>. Joining up with your local CAMRA branch can also be a way to\nlink up with like-minded people in your community. Details of their socials,\nactivities and events can be found in the branch diaries at the front of the\nmagazine. <\/p>\n\n\n\n As mentioned on page 33, community pubs in rural areas are\nparticularly important in this respect, especially for older, vulnerable and\nmore isolated residents. It helps them access local services and feel part of\ntheir communities. Many pubs operate initiatives such as \u2018Meet up Mondays\u2019,\nbringing people together for a chat. John Longden, the Chief Executive of Pub is the Hub<\/em>, said\nthat it was positive to see the Government recognise the social role of pubs\nand their staff in supporting communities, \u201cPubs run by good licensees are part of our national identity and\ncan strengthen the fabric of all communities, particularly in rural areas where\nthey support issues such as loneliness or social isolation<\/em>.\u201d Heineken UK\nhas donated \u00a3100,000 to Pub is\nThe Hub <\/em>to fund a two-year pilot\nprogramme called Join Inn \u2013 Last Orders for\nLoneliness<\/em>, inspired by the Jo Cox\nCommission on Loneliness campaign. The aim is to help pub owners, operators,\nlocal authorities and rural community bodies review the role pubs play in\nproviding social spaces and fund a part-time advisory ambassador for loneliness\nto identify good practice from individual pubs and cascade it across different\nregions and communities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n One group particularly affected are former pub and bar workers.\nThe Licensed Trade Charity has set up a network of volunteer telephone\nbefrienders to help them. For more information contact the LTC\u2019s Helpline on\n0808 801 0550. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Finally, I\u2019m not claiming that there is a natural link between loneliness and mental health but I thought that this was worth reporting. The football fans among you will recall that the 3rd round games in the FA Cup (4\/5 January) all started a minute late to draw attention to the Heads Up <\/em>campaign being run by the Football Association in association with Heads Together<\/em>, the mental health initiative created by The Royal Foundation of The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and The Duke and Duchess of Sussex. The aim is to tackle the stigma and \u2018change the conversation\u2019 on mental health. Heads Up <\/em>particularly wants to demonstrate that mental fitness is just as important as physical fitness. I heard a retired player interviewed on BBC Radio 5 who said that in his day players with mental health problems dared not admit it. They \u2018self-medicated\u2019 with alcohol or drugs. He believed that the situation had not significantly improved. It is not my place to preach, let alone offer medical advice but, if you think that you have a problem, please don\u2019t sit at home \u2013 or even in the pub \u2013 pouring alcohol down your throat hoping that it will go away. Get help, please. CAMRA is launching a major campaign aimed at highlighting the important role that pubs and clubs play in ending loneliness and social isolation. Readers might be surprised to learn how… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":752,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-751","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/londondrinker.camra.org.uk\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/751","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/londondrinker.camra.org.uk\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/londondrinker.camra.org.uk\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/londondrinker.camra.org.uk\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/londondrinker.camra.org.uk\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=751"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/londondrinker.camra.org.uk\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/751\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":753,"href":"https:\/\/londondrinker.camra.org.uk\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/751\/revisions\/753"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/londondrinker.camra.org.uk\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/752"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/londondrinker.camra.org.uk\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=751"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/londondrinker.camra.org.uk\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=751"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/londondrinker.camra.org.uk\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=751"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Compiled by Tony Hedger from various sources<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"