
COMMUNITY Family Care, based in Staunton, has been awarded a £10,000 grant to help tackle the problem of loneliness in parents in Gloucestershire.
The team will run craft groups in Bishop’s Cleeve, Tewkesbury, Brockworth and Matson primarily for parents who become isolated, often when their children go to school.
“We all recognise loneliness as a factor of old age, but there are huge numbers of parents who face the same problem,” said Sasha Brown, family care manager at CFC.
“A lot of parents only have interaction with professionals like their GP, who might be the only person they speak to for days. They find it difficult to make contact with others and don’t necessarily have support from their families. Isolation and depression become huge factors.”
The groups, which begin in September, aim to give parents a sense of purpose and to help them form their own network of friends.
“Our work is about empowerment and building self-esteem,” said Sasha. “Ultimately, it reduces the pressure on social workers and the NHS.”
The grant comes from the county council-funded Healthy Together initiative.
The team will run craft groups in Bishop’s Cleeve, Tewkesbury, Brockworth and Matson primarily for parents who become isolated, often when their children go to school.
“We all recognise loneliness as a factor of old age, but there are huge numbers of parents who face the same problem,” said Sasha Brown, family care manager at CFC.
“A lot of parents only have interaction with professionals like their GP, who might be the only person they speak to for days. They find it difficult to make contact with others and don’t necessarily have support from their families. Isolation and depression become huge factors.”
The groups, which begin in September, aim to give parents a sense of purpose and to help them form their own network of friends.
“Our work is about empowerment and building self-esteem,” said Sasha. “Ultimately, it reduces the pressure on social workers and the NHS.”
The grant comes from the county council-funded Healthy Together initiative.