My name’s Sharon and I’m a Community Inclusion Coordinator at the Canal & River Trust and I’ve been running a project called ‘From Isolation to Inclusion’ about using these waterways as a way of bringing people out into the outdoors to reduce loneliness and isolation.
The ‘From Isolation to Inclusion’ project is made up of 12 different partners in seven different countries, and it’s partly funded by the Interreg North Sea Region. It’s all about working together with the partners, finding innovative ways to reduce the social isolation in the communities and make communities much more connected and happier.
It gives people a reason to come out and experience nature right on their doorstep. And in doing so, the projects that we’ve put on have given people a real social sense, a chance to talk to one another, find like-minded people and make connections into other groups out in the community.
So, the green spaces and blue spaces can offer people a sense of community. I think there’s a sense of community, I think there’s a sense of positivity, I think there’s a sense of culmination and coming together, empowerment, and just overall happiness.
Just the act of being here and walking along the path and over the bridge and into the centre and then maybe having a little walk around this beautiful garden and enjoying it, we’ve actually seen people’s mobility improve.
People get the opportunity to connect with the outdoors. We think it’s really good for their wellbeing, their mental health.
It’s also helped people to come out into an environment where it can offer a distraction. So they’re surrounded by nature and what that can offer.
In the house, sitting alone, just thinking about the past gave me very much trouble so I’m thankful to this group, this gives me very much comfort and calmness and I meet the people of different types, different communities.
The best thing about doing the arts and crafts is meeting new people. So, we all get on together. Brilliant.
We took them out to Newark to do a riverboat trip and there was such fantastic feedback from those days and the difference that that made.
The boat trip is absolutely fantastic.
It was marvellous to be there for three hours, sailing in the water and enjoying the food and chatting and taking photographs.
I just think that these have been really positive experiences, that they’ve really enjoyed, just getting to learn new skills, just being together as a group, just having conversations with each other, and doing things, learned something new, as a group.
Together as a group feels like it’s little communities forming, friendships, and everyone just seems to be buzzing.
This group now is an inclusive group of friends who come together to enjoy themselves.
