Aroundtown Magazine July/August 2022

OUT & ABOUT
Coming together
to reduce loneliness
Community is critical to our overall wellbeing.
But many of us are seeing a decline in
connectedness and kinship as our friendship
circle becomes more distant or diminished.
Friendships evolve as life does,
hampered by commitments and
diaries that don’t align. But a lack
of social interaction has led to a
quarter of adults in the UK feeling
lonely which can be damaging to
our physical and mental health,
wellbeing, relationships and
employment.
How do you make friends or
social connections as an adult? It’s
not as easy as when you’re a child in
the playground, asking other kids to
play with you without nerves or fear
of rejection.
In a bid to rekindle a community
where social connections can thrive,
a group in Rawmarsh are looking
at various ways loneliness and
social isolation can be identified
and reduced.
S62 Community Together
Rotherham launched last year to give
residents a sense of belonging to
their community.
The group is the brainchild of old
acquaintances and busy parents,
Luke Brailsford, Sarah Farnsworth
Rodgers and Nikki Cartlidge, who
wanted to start a group to resurrect
the feeling of community and
connectedness in the area.
Since launching last September,
they have become a constituted
group with a committee of six
volunteers from the Rawmarsh area
with varying backgrounds – from
working in education, public services
or banking.
Their aim is to provide a safe
and inclusive space for community
engagement and they hold weekly
and monthly sessions at the Drop-In
Centre on Harding Avenue. While
based in Rawmarsh, you don’t need
to have an S62 postcode to join – the
sessions are open to anyone living in
Rotherham borough.
All sessions are free to access,
reducing financial barriers that only
isolates people further. This is thanks
in part to community fundraising
and the group having been awarded
£4,850 in lottery funding which
will pay for venue hire and service
provision for the next year.
‘‘Whether you want to make new friends,
feel less isolated, or improve your mental
health, S62 Community Together Rotherham
has a group for you’’
Whether you want to make new
friends, feel less isolated, or improve
your mental health, S62 Community
Together Rotherham has a group
for you.
Each Monday they hold a men’s
mental health group at 7.30pm where
current members range in age from
16-year-old school leavers right up to
men in their 80s. The weekly session
gives men who might be struggling
with their mental health the chance
to talk to others going through similar
storms and feel like they aren’t alone.
The men’s group has also
recently set up a recreational football
session on the first Saturday of the
month for a friendly kick about down
at Parkgate Astro, funded by the
team at MINDfest in the Community.
Compared to men, women are
generally much better at talking
about their feelings. But one thing
they aren’t as good at is making time
for themselves. Each Thursday at
7.30pm there is a women supporting
women group where ladies can try
new crafts, have a chance to chat,
and have some time away from
commitments at home. The group
has flourished into a support network
of middle-aged women, but they
would like to attract more ladies in
their 20s and 30s who may be in
need of a bit of self-care.
There is also a monthly coffee
morning on the third Saturday of the
month from 10am till 12pm where
families and individuals can come
along and build on those social
connections.
They have also recently started a
walking group around Greasbrough
which is every Tuesday afternoon
starting at 12pm.
Demand for their services is high,
with referrals from GPs and primary
care networks coming through
regularly. Funding allowing, they
have plans to launch a youth club
and parent and baby club later in
the year.
Long-term, the group would like
to become a community interest
company (CIC) to enable volunteers
to become paid employees to
dedicate more time. In turn, they
hope to open their own premises to
run everything from, allowing them to
offer more services in the daytime.
All sessions are free to attend
and are held at the Drop-In
Centre, Harding Avenue,
Rawmarsh S62 7ED.
You can find more details
about the sessions at
www.drop-in-centre.com
or email s62ctr@gmail.com
34 aroundtownmagazine.co.uk