Happy New Year – dates for your diary …

Happy New Year to you all, here’s to a healthy and prosperous 2016. Just a reminder that the next Partnership meeting is on January 22nd 10:00 at the Jubilee Centre in Bradley Stoke. Also there are still some spaces left at the South Gloucestershire Equalities Conference “Understanding loneliness and isolation” (9.00 a.m. to 1 p.m.) on 2nd February at Chipping Sodbury Town Hall. Book a place here www.southglos.gov.uk/equalitiesconference or call 01454 863868.

Equalities conference 2016

The equalities conference 2016 will:

• help organisations understand the impact of loneliness and isolation

• explain how loneliness and isolation can affect members of equality communities

• identify different approaches to helping people overcome isolation and loneliness

• enable people to identify those at risk of isolation and give them tools to assist.

The conference will cover:

• BME groups who lack contact with other people from their cultural background

• partners of migrant workers who find it hard to build social networks

• LGBT individuals who sense or fear hostility in their local area

• carers who spend most of their time caring and have lost their social networks

• people who belong to a minority faith and struggle to find fellow believers in the area

• disabled individuals who have difficulty getting out of the house and making friends.

You should attend the conference if you are:

• a voluntary organisation which provides a service to vulnerable people

• an employer which brings in staff from overseas and/or is aware of staff who have caring responsibilities

• a provider of statutory services to the public

• a social housing provider

• a district, town or parish councilor

• representing a local church

You can register to attend this free conference online at: www.southglos.gov.uk/equalitiesconference or by calling 01454 863868.

Conference itinerary

9.30am Welcome from Chair Dr Mark Pietroni Director of Public Health and Wellbeing at South Gloucestershire Council

Keynote Address Speaker from AgeUK

The voice of experience A selection of individuals to speak about how they became isolated and what they’ve done to overcome this

Examples of Good Practice Presentations by projects illustrating different approaches targeting a range of forms of isolation

Workshops Practical discussion groups looking at various approaches to tackling isolation

Market place In the mid-morning break there will be a chance to meet a range of organisations supporting people at risk of isolation and loneliness

1.00pm Conference Close Followed by a sandwich lunch