Conference will examine how city can reduce social isolation

The Unloneliness conference will examine what is already being done to help combat loneliness, and address how links across different generations could make people less isolated.

Leeds currently has 246,000 older residents, with 14,500 of them aged over 85. An estimated 37,000 of those can be described as lonely or socially isolated.

However, the conference will not solely focus on older people. It will look at how loneliness can affect anyone from children, to expectant parents and refugees - anyone who might, for some reason, lose a social connection.

Coun Lisa Mulherin, chair of Leeds Health and Wellbeing Board, who is hosting the event at Leeds Civic Hall, said: “Social isolation and loneliness can really make a difference to people’s health. People in our city who are socially isolated are as much as five times more likely to die early. That is one clear reason why tackling loneliness is a priority for us.

“We want people interested in loneliness and what we can do to prevent it to have a chance to hear from experts about good ways to improve things, and to inform how we help reduce isolation in Leeds.”

The aim of the event is to share ideas, best practice and different approaches to tackling the issue.

Leeds Council has prioritised tackling the issue, and supported Leeds Older People’s Forum in their successful bid for £6m of lottery funding for projects aimed at helping lonely people last year.

Speakers at the event include community researcher Stacy Bostock, who worked with the Joseph Rowntree Foundation on a project in York, and representatives from the University of Leeds, who have been working an index to map social isolation.

The Yorkshire Post has been campaigning to raise awareness of the issue of loneliness and the serious health effects it can have since February 2014. Lindsay Pantry, the lead reporter of the campaign, will also speak the event.

More than 100 people have already signed up to take part in the conference, which has been six months in the planning.