Webinar: Loneliness, Lockdown and the Role of Faith Communities

Increasing numbers of people from all age groups living in the UK report they feel lonely a significant amount of the time, exacerbated by the restrictions imposed by the COVID pandemic. How are faith groups responding to this need in their communities? How could their role be increased?

For this webinar run by the National Spirituality and Mental Health Forum, our own Jeremy Simmons will share about the work of FaithAction, together with the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Faith and Society, on the role of faith communities in responding to the issue of loneliness, drawing on recent studies, and highlighting the role of faith communities in social prescribing. Jeremy will touch on how the COVID pandemic has increased isolation, impacted on mental health, and how faith groups have responded.

FaithAction has been a strategic partner to the Department of Health and Social Care for over nine years, helping represent the voice of faith communities within health and care policymaking. Jeremy is our Policy and Programme Officer and was one of the authors of our publication, Right Up Your Street: How faith-based organisations are tackling loneliness. He has also recently coordinated a UK-wide discussion forum on young people and loneliness.