Libraries in Hackney have joined the Reading Friends initiative to tackle loneliness and isolation through reading.
They will be running weekly Poetry, Writing and Reading Groups online throughout this month, as well as a special event with Ben Aaronovitch, author and former Doctor Who writer, on 17 March.
The Reading Friends programme, launched by The Reading Agency in 2017, aims to start conversations and connect people socially by providing local libraries with the funds to host events for their community. It is run across the UK.
Minister of State for Digital and Culture Caroline Dinenage MP told Hackney Post: “The Reading Well and Reading Friends programmes are a fantastic example of how libraries are working to tackle loneliness and support mental health and wellbeing. I am pleased that Hackney libraries are joining this fantastic initiative and look forward to seeing the positive impact it brings about in the local area.”
In December 2020, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport awarded 47% (£3.5 million) of their loneliness fund to The Reading Agency. It was this grant that allowed libraries in Hackney to join the initiative.
The impact of lockdowns on loneliness has been closely monitored by the Office for National Statistics. Recent estimates from last month suggest that around 27% of people over 16 in Great Britain reported feeling lonely often/always/some of the time. This is an increase of 4% since April 2020.
London had the highest rates of reported loneliness in South England, with 29% of people admitting they were in need of company. This amounts to 2.5 million people.
Lead image is “hackney homerton library” by quite peculiar licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.
