Neil O’Brien, MP for Harborough, Oadby and Wigston, hosted a loneliness summit in Market Harborough on Friday 26th January, which was attended by 100 individuals from across the area.
Attendees included a range of local and national organisations, all working on issues surrounding loneliness and the impact this has on people across society. Attendees included Voluntary Action South Leicestershire (VASL), Harborough District and Leicestershire County Councils and Age UK.
Neil O’Brien said: “Loneliness is something that can affect anyone. From the elderly to the disabled and young mothers at home; this is a growing concern and something we need to work together on to tackle.
I was delighted with the attendance on the day, where representatives of so many excellent charities and projects across the constituency and beyond, came together to share their experiences and stories. The strong sense of community was clear for all to see, and it was encouraging to see so much fantastic work already underway.
We will now be exploring next steps such as how to raise awareness of the support already available, looking at where gaps may exist and how we can encourage more people to get involved”
Maureen O’Malley, Charity Manager at VASL said: “VASL were very pleased to attend the loneliness summit organised by Neil O’Brien MP. It was great to see so many organisations with positive stories around how they are tackling loneliness in the community. We look forward to working with Neil on this important issue going forward.”