Pauline Latham OBE MP hosted a Loneliness event at Ecclesbourne School, Duffield on Friday 25th January 2019.
January can be cold and dark and a miserable time of year, particularly if you are alone. The Jo Cox Foundation and the Silver Sunday campaign are two separate campaigns both aimed at combating loneliness in the local community.
Sixth form pupils from Ecclesbourne helped organise the event as part of their Duke of Edinburgh award and Citizenship programme. There were a number of short presentations by myself, James McNamara, the Headteacher at Ecclesbourne, and Simon Ferrigno, from the Co-op who very kindly sponsored the refreshments at the event. There were also short talks by the Practice Manager from the Appletree Medical Centre, and representatives from the Duffield Good Neighbours Project and Ecclesbourne Valley Railway. Guests then enjoyed a cup of tea and cake whilst they were entertained by pupils who played instruments, sang and read poetry. It was a lovely morning, and it gave older members of the community, the opportunity to have a chat with other guests and pupils.
