Tackling loneliness through a Living Lab

Loneliness is one of the greatest public health challenges of our time. Research shows that loneliness is associated with a greater risk of inactivity, smoking, increased risk of coronary heart disease and stroke, increased risk of depression, low self-esteem, reported sleep problems and increased stress response.

The government, having identified the scale of the problem, launched the first cross-government strategy to tackle it. The strategy refers to mobilising everyday services and organisations that people engage with, and extending social prescribing.

Partners

Lead community partner -Iain Chambers, The Bevy Community Pub
Researcher - Dr Theo Fotis, University of Brighton

Two people around a table, one writing

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Background

There are a large range of preventative initiatives in Brighton and Hove, but these are not universally available or necessarily easy to access for all who need them.

This partnership is built on the experience of two partners. The Bevy is the first community-run pub on a housing estate in the UK. Located in Moulsecoomb in East Brighton, the pub acts as a community space for local people and groups and the team know first-hand just how important it is to tackle loneliness. The University of Brighton has experience of working with partners to establish a Digital Health Living Lab in a residential retirement block in the city; it is a space where health and wellbeing issues are explored along with the potential for technology to help solve them. A definition of a Living Lab is that it is a 'user-centred, open innovation ecosystems based on systematic user co-creation approach, integrating research and innovation processes in real life communities and settings' (European Network of Living Labs).

The Ignite partnership brought the Living Lab into a community pub to explore loneliness locally and held meetings with ‘Community Connectors’ – volunteers who are vital to running a range of activities locally. As a result of the Lab, the partnership has been in discussion with a company about trialling a telecommunication device to engage isolated citizens. Additionally, the partnership enabled the piloting of a new yoga group to be based at the pub to add to existing activities for local people.

Key activities, outputs, outcomes and impacts

  • In the past, it took the researcher 12 months to establish a Living Lab. Working with a community partner, it has taken only 12 weeks as part of the Ignite programme.
  • This, as far as we know, is the first Living Lab to be established in a community pub.
  • Ran sessions to explore loneliness locally including identifying key volunteers – the ‘Community Connectors’.
  • Trialled a new community group.
  • Working on a protocol for trialling a telecommunication device to engage isolated citizens that will help sustain the project and partnership.