Mendip

Pledge an action

Everyone can get involved whether on an individual basis, as a business/organisation or as a community. We can all do our bit. We want to hear from you so you can inspire other people! Please contact Health Connections Mendip and we will add your action to the list below. (We will not include the names of individuals who pledge an action).

Here are actions that have already been pledged –

Your Health and Wellbeing – ‘We are going to raise awareness of the issue of loneliness with our GP colleagues and all staff within our practices in Mendip and promote this website’.

Health Connections Mendip – ‘We are going to set up a Retirement Gateway where people who are retired can meet people in a similar situation, find out about volunteering opportunities and make new friendships.’

Candle Light Care – ‘We are going to train our staff in Network Mapping and Network Enhancement where  staff are trained to have a more in depth discussion with clients to look at their personal support network e.g. family, neighbours and friends.’

SPARK – ‘We are going to promote the loneliness agenda and bring together individuals and groups who are tackling loneliness to ensure they are well informed and supported to achieve a real impact on people’s lives.’

Frome Medical Practice – ‘We are going to send information to the public on a weekly basis via Twitter to let people know about the support listed on this website for people who might be lonely’.

Mendip District Council – ‘We are going to promote the ending of loneliness as part of our Corporate Plan, building on the event we held last year to promote groups tackling loneliness to our parishes we are going to train our staff to understand the impacts of loneliness on mental health and what signposting they could provide to help residents access opportunities.’

Somerset Public Health –  ‘We pledge to actively consider the impact of social isolation and loneliness across activities and programmes commissioned in the county, whether these are group or 1-2-1 interventions, or in engagement with wider community networks to help address inequalities and build social capital.’

Gracewell of Frome, Care Home – ‘We pledge to hold a summer garden party with tea and afternoon cakes for anyone who would like to come and make friends and enjoy our sensory, sunny garden, by the river, and enjoy a wonderful afternoon out.’ Date TBC.

Somerset Partnership District Nurse and integrated Team East Mendip – ‘As part of the district nurses and integrated team home visits our staff will refer/make patients aware of this website and signpost to Health Connections Mendip when they identify a concern with loneliness.’

Frome Men’s Shed – ‘We are going to promote this campaign with all our Members, and also contact all those people who have expressed an interest in the Frome Shed to encourage them to visit the End Loneliness in Mendip Website to ask them to consider becoming a Community Connector, and to review the support that is listed on the website.’

Contact the Elderly – ‘We are going to continue to support existing and develop new tea party groups across Mendip. Bringing older guests, who would otherwise be alone, and wonderful volunteers together once a month on a Sunday afternoon’.

Community Catalysts – ‘We will raise the profile and develop a network of Community Micro-providers in Mendip. This will help make sure that people wherever they live in Mendip have a real choice of local, flexible, responsive support to live independently at home and be connected to their community. To encourage all Mendip Micro-providers to attend “Community Connector Training”’

Here are some other ideas –

  • Get to know a neighbour.
  • Ring their older relative more frequently.
  • Organisations can encourage employees to train as Community Connectors.
  • Organisations can encourage employees to use the Directory of Support on this site.
  • Talk to people more.
  • Volunteer for a local organisation that works with older people.
  • Smile at people more!

If you have an idea but you want to do it with other people, let us know and we will try to work with you (or link you to other organisations) to help make it a reality.