The COVID-19 pandemic has had a major impact on everyone and meant many people aged over 70 or with underlying health conditions have had to stay at home, shielding and social distancing. This has left many people isolated and cut off from social contact, services and support – particularly for the digitally excluded and those without friends, family and friendly neighbours. However, at the same time as restricting many older people’s valuable contributions, we have seen citizens responding to the challenges with huge numbers of volunteers coming forward to help in their communities.
In this webinar we explored how civil society led Neighbourhood Networks in Leeds and Birmingham have responded; what opportunities and challenges they have faced; and consider how they will move forward in the ‘new normal’ context of COVID-19. Leeds Neighbourhood Networks have developed over the last thirty years with core funding from Leeds City Council, while Birmingham Neighbourhood Networks were established just two years ago, with funding through the Better Care Fund.
In this webinar, part of our ‘Road to Recovery’ series exploring learning from COVID-19, our panel considered the importance of community organisations to making and maintaining social connections, support and opportunities to participate in our communities as we age.
