Column: Our communities will be stronger if we can all stay connected​​​​​​​

​The research clearly tells us that social connections make us healthier, happier and live longer.

When people feel connected and like they belong, they experience less anxiety, depression, and stress.

Community centres can play an important role in building social connections, a place for people to play bingo, attend a knitting group, where people can start interest groups, meet, chat and even throw a child’s birthday party.

The decision to close the centres has left those who depend on them with nothing. It has particularly affected vulnerable people within our communities, like the elderly.

Loneliness and social isolation are big issues for our society. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) reports that 3.7 million adults in the UK feel lonely “often” or “always.”

That is a lot of lonely people and the number is increasing. Cuts to public services and the cost of living going up many, especially those with less money, are finding it harder to socialise and connect with others.

Sadly, the council never put out the welcome mat for these centres. Instead, they asked the public to sort out their own liability insurance, making it harder to book rooms.

Also, the council didn’t clearly communicate when the centres reopened after the pandemic.

So, no wonder attendance was low. Rather than promote these valuable community hubs, the council used the low numbers coming out of the pandemic to justify closure. Shameful!

ADC has a responsibility to reduce health inequality. The use of community centres is a relatively cheap and effective way of improving people’s overall wellbeing.

We need our local authorities to keep the community centres active and open, not close them.

Our communities will be stronger by being more connected.

After all, a community without social connections is like a tree without roots – vulnerable, isolated, and unable to thrive.