The Most Important Things in Life Are The Connections You Make With Others.
Call time on social isolation with
‘Join Inn – Last Orders for Loneliness’
Building on its community services work, in 2019 Pub is The Hub conceived its ‘Join Inn – Last Orders for Loneliness’ campaign. ‘Join Inn’, specifically looks to support publicans and their communities to become better connected, helping local people feel less isolated and, in the process helping to alleviate loneliness.
Watch the Last Orders for Loneliness Poem
Creating connections within communities
‘Join Inn – Last Orders for Loneliness’ aims to build on the increasing trend towards “social prescribing”, in which health practitioners recommend community activities as an alternative to drugs, to improve health and wellbeing. This approach also highlights the importance and sustainable benefits realised when individuals develop a sense of belonging within their local community, building stronger and more meaningful relationships with others.
It is so hard for people to admit they are lonely as there is a real stigma to it. I think everyone has or will experience loneliness at some point in their lives. If a pub isn’t there to help with loneliness I can’t think what it is there for.
Loneliness has no mercy. It takes who it takes.
Social Value of Pubs
Our campaign is guided by the belief that pubs, through the publican, can and often do have a social value beyond the pure economic value of their business.
What many publicans need is help and support to realise this community value.
Why publicans are well positioned to help reduce loneliness in their local areas?
- Pubs are at the heart of many communities, creating places for sociability and companionship.
- Publicans offer support and access to activities, events and community groups which are known to have a lasting positive impact on wellbeing and help address feelings of loneliness.
- They are naturally well connected within their local area and able therefore, with help, to get others to come together to develop community-led solutions around loneliness.
Publican guide offers simple ways to help
Pub is The Hub has produced a helpful guide to help publicans understand loneliness and its impact on people and offer ideas on simple actions and small changes that can make a difference.
Research in Heineken’s ‘The Open Arms Report’ by Loughborough University (Feb 21) reveals 64% felt their pub was one of the main places that people living in the local area can socialise
Campaign aims and call to action
Pubs, and the people who run them, have always been at the heart of communities, both urban and rural, creating places for sociability and companionship. However, we recognise there are still many lonely people in the UK, lacking the connections in life that matter to us all as human beings, so ‘Join Inn’ aims to:
Raise awareness
Raise awareness of increasing societal loneliness within the UK, and the role publicans and their pubs can play in improving quality-of-life within their communities.
Build sustainable partnerships
Build sustainable partnerships with others engaged in the loneliness debate, enabling more publicans to ‘Join Inn’.
Recognise the value of publicans
Recognise the social value of publicans already making a difference and help others become ‘Join Inn Community Connectors’ with practical help and support to address local needs with local solutions.
Ultimately, our aim is to make a difference to someone’s day through small acts of kindness that help reduce loneliness within the communities pubs serve.
Meet our Ambassador for Loneliness
Pub is The Hub has its own Ambassador for Loneliness, who works with our regional advisors, to help us achieve our campaign aims and help you to help others.
Get involved with the 'Join Inn' campaign
If you are a publican who would like to share what you are doing to combat loneliness in your local area to help inspire other publicans, or would like to talk to one of Pub is The Hub’s expert regional advisors about simple ways you can ‘Join Inn’ at your pub to help fight loneliness then get in touch by emailing enquiries@pubisthehub.org.uk