West Yorkshire and Harrogate reality TV launches as part of ‘looking out for our neighbours’
Looking out for our neighbours is an award-winning social movement that aims to prevent loneliness and its associated health risks throughout West Yorkshire and Harrogate. It succeeds by encouraging people to do simple things to help out their neighbours.
Prior to the pandemic, West Yorkshire and Harrogate Health and Care Partnership and local partners, including the Trust, encouraged over 49,000 people to get involved in the campaign to make positive differences to their neighbours lives through acts of kindness.
From Monday 16 November, the winter 2020 campaign will launch with a bunch of ‘neighbourly folk’ (possibly someone you may even know!), taking part in a short docu-series to show how neighbourly kindness is making a difference to people’s lives during the pandemic.
Over twenty people from diverse backgrounds will be the stars of the series. Ranging from their early 20s to late 60s, the docu-series stars are from Bradford district and Craven, Calderdale, Harrogate, Kirklees, Wakefield and Leeds.
As we enter one of the most challenging winters we have faced, there has never been a better time to inspire neighbourly spirit and simple acts of kindness through social media, letters and texts. The campaign will also cover seasonal topics and hope and goodwill – as we head into the festive period.
Rob Webster, chief executive at the Trust and CEO lead for West Yorkshire and Harrogate Health and Care Partnership, said: “We’re really pleased to be connecting a group of neighbours from across West Yorkshire and Harrogate and hearing them discuss a series of topics about life during the pandemic. We hope to show that physically distanced doesn’t mean we have to be socially apart – it’s the smallest of things that will help us through these difficult times, and sharing the positives can really boost someone’s feelings of wellbeing and bring areas of positivity to our lives. We continue to work together with local communities and hundreds of VCSE organisations to support this important work”.
Matthew McLoughlin, from Huddersfield and who is also taking part in the series said: “Being part of ‘Looking out for our neighbours’ has been a joyous experience that has restored my faith in humanity. It was a coming together of the hearts of different communities which are all beating as one.”
Lisa Holmes, from Birstall took part and said: “I felt a little bit out of my comfort zone doing something like this but really enjoyed the experience. I really learnt a lot listening to other people and how they are coping throughout the whole Covid-19 situation – some interesting views and some which I had not considered.”
The campaign will also be linking to local help available within different communities across West Yorkshire and Harrogate. All information will be on hosted at ourneighbours.co.uk.
You can watch an introduction to the series at: rb.gy/8t3ad4
