Loneliness Awareness Week
It’s Loneliness Awareness Week, and a great chance to talk more openly about something we all feel from time to time. The campaign is run by the Marmalade Trust with the aim of raising awareness and encouraging people to challenge the stigma that exists about feeling lonely. We’d also like to highlight the work we do at Wellspring Settlement to bring people together and alleviate any loneliness or isolation they might be feeling.
Loneliness is a normal feeling, and just means that you’re not getting your social needs met. When loneliness goes on for a long time, it can start to affect our mental health and wellbeing, but it’s normal to feel lonely every now and again. When we notice ourselves starting to feel lonely, what can we do? Many of us are lucky enough to have friends, family and neighbours we can call on for a chat, but perhaps we don’t have this network. Maybe we’re new to the area and don’t know many people, or we’ve had a change in circumstances like losing a job or becoming a parent.
Community venues like Wellspring Settlement can play an important role in forging new connections and friendship, lifting our loneliness and helping us become more resistant in future. Virtually all the activities we run are free, so the cost of living crisis won’t affect your ability to join in. So, what’s on at Wellspring Settlement that can help?
Eat together
- Community conversation lunches bring people together who might not usually have the chance to connect. There’s free food, good company, and an opportunity to meet new people. Settlement Site, last Friday of each month, 2.00pm to 4.30pm
- The Eatwell Café also brings lots of people together who wouldn’t usually have conversations. Pop in to the coffee morning on Tuesdays from 10.30 to 12.30 for a hot drink and slice of cake, or the full café session on Thursdays from 11.00 to 1.30pm for home-cooked hot food. All food and drinks are pay-what-you-feel, and you can talk to our community engagement team about the other services we run. Settlement Site
- Our Food Club not only lets you buy a box of delicious food every week for a low-cost, but also gives members the chance to cook and eat together, attend cookery courses, and access our kitchen equipment library. Wednesdays, 00pm to 3.00pm, Settlement Site
- Food Cycle offer a free community meal every Saturday. No referral is needed so just turn up for a free, hot meal and great company. Settlement Site, Saturdays, 1.30pm to 2.30pm
Groups for Women
- If making some noise is more your thing, we’ll be hosting a women’s singing group run by Singing Mamas from June 23rd to July 21st. This free and friendly group is open to all women. Fridays, 1.00pm to 2.00pm, Settlement Site
Groups for Men
- We also run a group for men to meet up where you can chat, cook, garden, play table tennis or fix up our Settlement Site, whatever you fancy! Fridays, 10.00am to 12.00pm, Settlement Site
Groups to get you moving
- Whatever your fitness level, we’ve got plenty of physical activity and exercise sessions for you to choose from! There are friendly groups including yoga for chronic pain, Stretch and Strengthen, and a range of other activities you can be referred to.
- If you’d rather get your hands dirty, the Alive gardening group meet every week to grow fruit and veg, as well as seasonal flowers. Adults of all ages and abilities are welcome to join this free group. Thursdays, 1.30pm to 3.30pm, Settlement Site
Groups based on a shared interest or hobby
- Our Knit and Natter group runs alongside the Tea and Tech sessions, and offers a screen-free session for people to share a hobby they enjoy! Mondays, 10.30am to 12.30pm, Settlement Site
- We run a range of Art groups for people of all abilities, from art and wellbeing groups to research into experiences of health expressed through art. These welcoming groups give you the chance to try something new and make some new friends.
Groups for older people
- Our friendly Tea and Tech sessions for people over 55 take place on Mondays from 10.30 to 12.30. The group itself is a great way to meet new people, and supports people to get to grips with smartphones and tablets which are a fantastic way of staying connected to people who live far away.
Groups for younger people
- Fresh Air Thursday sessions are run by the Birch Collective for 16 to 25 year olds and are based at our Community Garden on Strawberry Lane. Pop along to try your hand at nature-based craft, growing veg, outside cookery and nature-based mindfulness.
Groups for parents
- Take a look through our family hub calendar for stay and play sessions, parenting programmes, and ways to meet other parents and get support from our team.
If you don’t see anything you fancy there and you’ve got an idea for a different activity, the community engagement team might be able to help! They’re here to support local people to start their own groups, so just pop in to have a chat, pop them an email or call on 0117 955 9671.
There are plenty more activities going on at Wellspring Settlement, as well as events, open days and volunteering opportunities. To find out more, take a look at our website activities calendar, give us a call on 0117 304 1400 / 0117 955 6971, or just pop in to have a chat to one of the team.
