Neil O’Brien, MP for Harborough, Oadby and Wigston, hosted a loneliness summit in Oadby on Friday 2nd June, which was attended by 70 individuals from across Oadby and Wigston, and the wider Leicestershire Area. The session was hosted by the Trinity Methodist Church in conjunction with Zeph’s Café in Oadby.

The event was attended by local charities, voluntary and community groups to look at how organisations could work together to tackle loneliness and the impact this has across society. Attendees included Oadby & Wigston Council, Helping Hands and Voluntary Action Leicestershire.

Neil O’Brien said: “We held a session like this earlier in the year in Market Harborough and I was keen to have one for Oadby and Wigston also to understand the different issues, obstacles and barriers that people face.

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.

We were joined by some excellent charities and community groups on the day who contributed a range of brilliant ideas. The Government has also recently announced a new £20 million fund to look at how ideas to tackle loneliness can be supported, so I very much hope some local bids will be submitted to ensure we secure some of this funding.

A list of all local groups in attendance will soon be added to my website, to ensure people are more easily able to access the support and help they need.”