Loneliness roadshow arrives in Doncaster, to mark the new ADASS presidency of Phil Holmes

A loneliness ‘roadshow’ event is taking place at the EcoPower Stadium at Doncaster Rovers Football Ground, on Thursday 11 June. 

Adult social care leaders, charities, academics and civil servants from across the country will join with Doncaster residents to take part in an interactive day designed to tackle loneliness including debates, workshops and talks – including from a social care companion robot.  

The event is being run by the Campaign to End Loneliness – hosted by Sheffield Hallam University – and the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (ADASS). Alongside addressing loneliness, the event will mark the start of Phil Holmes’ year-long stint as President of ADASS after being elected to the top role by his peers.   

Mr Holmes, who is the Executive Director of Adults, Wellbeing and Culture at the City of Doncaster Council, said: “I’m delighted that a national conversation about adult social care and tackling loneliness is happening in Doncaster. 

“Adult social care is about helping everyone to live the best life possible and you can’t do that if you aren’t feeling connected to the people and the activities that are important to you. We can’t tackle loneliness without giving adult social care the resources it needs to help people thrive.”  

Through a series of talks and debates, the team from the Campaign to End Loneliness will be drawing out ideas for how we best tackle loneliness and feeding these into a new All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG). The Group, which will see MPs meeting regularly with interested parties to discuss the issue and work for change, is launching an inquiry later in June as part of loneliness awareness week.   

The campaign is led by Professor Andrea Wigfield who is the Director of the Centre for Loneliness Studies at Sheffield Hallam University. She said: “Our loneliness roadshows are a great way of bringing information, research and debate to different corners of the UK and we can’t wait to visit Doncaster.  

“By engaging local communities, including the very people who draw on care and support, we get a rich tapestry of ideas and information to feed into our research. Tackling loneliness is more important than ever. It affects all of us at some time in our lives and, if not addressed, can lead to chronic loneliness which can be as damaging as smoking 15 cigarettes a day” 

The day will also explore how Technology Enabled Care can support people who may be living alone, and is sponsored by Kingfisher Phoenix who will bring along and demonstrate their social care robot named ElliQ.   

Sarah McClinton, Chief Social Worker for Adults in England, will host a session on connecting people in adult social care, while Grandma’s Soup, an intergenerational project, will host lunch.   

The afternoon will feature a panel session and Q&A looking at the role of adult social care in the experiences of loneliness. President’s Day will conclude setting out actions to address the issues and challenges surrounding loneliness ahead of the APPG.