Our online conference is the largest international conference dedicated to tackling loneliness. It brings together delegates from civil society, business, academia, and politics to celebrate the people and organisations from across the world who are making a difference.
In 2018, the UK Government appointed the world’s first minister for loneliness and launched its first loneliness strategy. Five years on, there has been concerted action by government and all parts of society, as well as a global pandemic that led almost all of us to live in physical isolation and to reflect on the meaning of our relationships.
Under the overarching theme of Loneliness: The next five years, we have designed the conference to explore key issues identified by the loneliness community that will be crucial in developing our understanding of what works in tackling loneliness.
As we look ahead to the next five years, we must, as a community of people who are passionate about addressing loneliness, continue to move this global issue forwards.
Thank you to our speakers, attendees, sponsor Sky, and to you all for making the day a success. We invite you to share your thoughts about the conference and the work of the Campaign to End Loneliness more generally as we now work on securing our legacy.
Watch Back
TIme
Session
Title
10:00am
Welcome
Welcome from Paul Cann OBE (Campaign to End Loneliness) and Kim Leadbeater MP (Co-chair of the APPG on Tackling Loneliness and Connected Communities)
Download Zoom chat for the conference (txt)
10:30am
Panel Session
Loneliness inequalities: How organisations are responding
This discussion will explore the experiences of loneliness amongst marginalised people from the perspective of organisations that are responding to the issue.
Speakers:
Richard Kramer (Sense)
Sam Higgins (Re-engage)
Tom Cotton (British Red Cross)
Andrew Wileman (The Salvation Army)
11:30am
Morning
Break
Building Trusted Relationships, a short film from Cyrenians
Time to Care - Sam's story, a short film from Sky's Time to Care programme
11:40am
Parallel
Session 1 of 2
Parallel Session: Young people and loneliness: What are the drivers of youth loneliness and how can we address it?
This session will explore the key drivers for youth loneliness; effective solutions for addressing youth loneliness according to different contexts; and who is responsible for implementing these changes.
Speakers:
Shaun Friel (Childline)
Ed Moloney (University of Salford Students' Union)
Molly Taylor (Alone No More)
Kayleigh Wainwright (UK Youth)
Dr. Lily Verity (University of Manchester)
11:40am
Parallel
Session 2 of 2
Parallel Session: Tackling loneliness through the built environment: How can we create a spread of inclusive, accessible places that foster social connection?
This session will explore the need to bring about change via the commitment of built environment policy makers and practitioners and how both the public and private sector have a role to play. We will also think about the need for environmental sustainability and human centred design.
Speakers:
Julia Thrift (Town and Country Planning Association)
Jennie Savage (London Borough of Tower Hamlets)
Danna Walker (Built By Us)
Dr. Lorna Wang (University of Surrey)
12:30pm
Lunchtime
Break
Project UnLonely showcase, celebrating the power of storytelling in film that give voice to loneliness and represent the many lived experiences.
1:00pm
Poster
Presentations
Hear from the winners of the conference poster competition who were selected for presenting innovative loneliness projects or research, and communicating this work in an engaging and accessible way. Chaired by Dr. Helen MacIntyre (Campaign to End Loneliness)
Speakers:
Vanessa Wenig (Charité - Universitaetsmedizin Berlin)
Georgina Everett (Re-engage)
Dr. Mary Quinton (University of Birmingham)
David Barclay (The Warm Welcome Campaign)
Thank you to everyone who took part in this year's competition. Browse all entries in the Exhibition Area.
2:30pm
Panel
Discussion
Tech and togetherness: How can digital tools help to build online and offline connections?
This session will explore how organisations are successfully using digital tools as part of their loneliness interventions, and applying human centred design practice to develop new digital tools for the communities they serve.
Speakers:
Lauren Bowes Byatt (Nesta)
Dr. Lucy Osler (Cardiff University)
Karen Harris (StoriBoard)
Daniela Uzoho (Sky Up)
3:20pm
Afternoon
Break
Why music and connecting across generations is crucial for our wellbeing, a short film from IMM and Intergenerational England
If They Grow, They Grow, a short film by Thick & Tight (Daniel Hay-Gordon & Eleanor Perry with Carl Harrison) together with members of the 'Meet Me' Group from The Albany. The following is a collection of the group's own words and self-choreographed movement based on what nature means to each person.
Parallel
Session 1 of 2
3:30pm
Parallel Session: The role of arts and creativity in addressing loneliness
This session will explore what works well in using arts and creativity as a means of addressing loneliness and the role of artists, and how this learning can be applied to other sectors and strands of work for improved community connection.
Speakers:
Professor Helen Chatterjee (UCL)
Leonardo Bravo (MoMA)
Jane Rich (Cambridge Community Arts)
Charlotte Miller (IMM and Intergenerational England)
3:30pm
Parallel Session: Networks and places: Creating a system-wide approach to tackling loneliness
This session will explore how different approaches to addressing loneliness work together in a community to create an effective response to individuals’ experience of loneliness.
Speakers:
Su Moore (Jo Cox Foundation)
Mathias Lasgaard (University of Southern Denmark)
Ben Brown (East Sussex County Council)
Dr. Bogdan Chiva Giurca (The National Academy for Social Prescribing)
Parallel
Session 2 of 2
Closing Panel Session
4:20pm
Lonely narratives: Authors reflect on loneliness
This session will bring together a small group of authors who have written about their own experiences of loneliness and whose books provide practical support and advice for people around the world to foster connection and belonging.
Speakers:
Nancy Hey (What Works Centre for Wellbeing)
Dr. Rhada Modgil (Author of Know Your Own Power)
Kim Samuel (Author of On Belonging: Finding connection in an age of isolation)