Why is Human Connection important and what is Archway doing about it?
We think human connection is really, really important.
From a health perspective, human connection is one of the strongest predictors for longevity that researchers have identified. A landmark meta-analysis in 2010 covering 148 studies, with 30,000 participants found that people with stronger social relationships had a 50% greater likelihood of survival compared with those with weaker ties. This is linked to better stress regulation, lower rates of depression and anxiety, greater resilience, stronger immune and cardiovascular So together with exercise, good sleep and avoiding smoking, it's really important on an individual level.
Important to note quality over quantity of relationships...it's not just about whether you live alone or not, or how many friends you have. It's the depth of that relationship that's key.
Indeed, social connection is linked to higher educational attainment and productivity. It matters!
Increasingly, thought leaders and researchers are viewing social connection as not a nice to have wellbeing issues though but a fundamental part of the resilience of our communities. The argument is that connected communities are better able to withstand economic pressures, misinformation, demographic changes, political disagreements and crises without descending into conflict.
For instance, communities with higher trust, stronger neighbourhood relationships, active voluntary organisations have less crime.
Archway is a local grassroots charity that has been going for 43 years now. We provide befriending, newsletters, groups and events for people in Oxfordshire which provide simple human connection to alleviate the hurt of chronic loneliness and social isolation. We also put on awareness raising events to highlight the importance of human connection to the general public.
Our volunteers provide our beneficiaries with regular contact such as fortnightly visits often lasting years to individuals isolated or living on their own, for example to those with mobility needs. Our groups help people affected by chronic loneliness support each other. Every year we put on a Christmas celebration, so that our beneficiaries have something to look forward to at that time of year. Later this year, we will be harnessing the therapeutic power of music ourselves through our new Archway Singing Group. This will provide mutual support and will help highlight the issue of loneliness to others.
Our 90 volunteers and 8 staff change the lives of 160 people every year. There are an estimated 50,000 people affected by significant loneliness in Oxfordshire. We consciously target our support to those disadvantaged groups most affected by loneliness, including those with complex or multiple needs. We run groups in Abingdon, Oxford and Banbury.
Our work is patient, it's non-judgmental and it's accepting. You may perhaps hear the impact of this work in a couple of quotes from our beneficiaries, whom we call Friends, "I generally feel ugly and different when I'm in other groups. At Archway, I feel accepted and ok for who I am"; " it's like a family when you have no family".
We believe in the power of simple human connection. Join us in helping make that a reality for the benefit of all of us
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Thank you for reading.
