A community centre based in the Charles Dickens Ward of Portsmouth has developed several initiatives to tackle loneliness across the local area.
The Landport Community Centre on Charles Street has ran as a hub for residents of the area since opening in 2008, however has in recent years established new projects in order to reduce isolation across Portsmouth.
Alan Jenkins, Centre Manager at the LCC, said that the Landport Larder programme, which started in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic, has helped to form bonds across the ward since being extended as a result of the cost of living crisis.
“It created its own little community within a community; people were coming and queuing for food, and forging new friendships,” Mr Jenkins said.
“Those friendships have continued to develop — what we find is that there are lovely little groups of people that come and meet each other every Tuesday when the larder is open. They all know each other and they all get on with each other.”
Concerns have been raised across the UK over the effects of loneliness, particularly on older generations.
Research by Age UK indicates that two million people over 50 in the UK are expected to suffer from the effects of isolation by 2025.
In addition to the Landport Larder scheme, the centre houses an affordable café, as well as running several classes throughout the week, such as a dance group and ‘job club’ to assist those suffering from unemployment.
“When you’re living in one of the ten most deprived wards in the UK, that financial crisis really hits people hard,” Mr Jenkins said.
“What people then tend to do is shut themselves away. What a welcoming space does is that it gives them an opportunity to come out.”
