20 Community PEOPLE across Ceredigion are


being encouraged to get to know their neighbours better and get more involved in community activities, after a new study has found that social isolation and disconnected communities are costing the Welsh economy £2.6 billion every year. The research has been commissioned


by Eden Project initiative The Big Lunch and funded by the Big Lottery to examine the impact of community-led initiatives on societal welfare and on the economy in each area of the UK. The Big Lunch is an annual event


held in June encouraging people to have lunch with their neighbours in a simple act of community, friendship and fun. In Ceredigion, over 5,800 people


have taken part in The Big Lunch initiative since it started in 2009 but organisers are keen to see that number grow, not only to build stronger and better connected communities and improve the lives of the individuals involved but also to ease the demands on public services and deliver productivity gains to employers. The research reveals the annual cost


to public services in Wales of social isolation and disconnected communities, including: • Demand on health services: £427 million


• Demand on policing: £10 million


• The cost of stress and low self- esteem: £8 million


Disconnected communities are


linked to a loss of productivity, with a net cost to the Welsh economy of over £1 billion every year. According to the research, which


was carried out by leading economics consultancy the Centre of Economics and Business Research (Cebr), neighbourliness already delivers substantial economic benefits to Welsh society, representing an annual saving of £2.13 billion in total. The saving comes from sharing


between neighbours, an increase in social connection and reductions in the demands on public services such as healthcare, social care, welfare and the environment. It also includes the productivity


Path improvements completed in Tre Taliesin A PUBLIC footpath in Tre Taliesin


has recently seen the completion of work that provides an all-weather route for the local community and visitors to the area. The Tre Taliesin path runs along


Pwll Du and is also accessible from the neighbouring communities of Borth and Talybont as it forms part of the Wales Coast path that runs 870 miles from Chepstow in the south to Queensferry in the north. The work aimed to provide an all-


weather, surfaced path with an easy gradient that would encourage year- round use for a greater number of people. Previously, the path surface had deteriorated and was in a poor condition, often wet with mud throughout the year from livestock encroaching, which was deterring use of the path. The works were collaboration


between Ceredigion Rights of Way volunteers, who removed the old fence and vegetation, and local contractors who were tasked with clearing overhanging branches, removing rotten boardwalks, installing two large


benefits associated with a happier and healthier workforce: a net gain to the Welsh economy of £601 million. The study shows that an increase in


neighbourliness - where members of the community share their time, interests, ideas and resources with each other - helps to ease demand on public services by providing locally-run alternatives, such as neighbourhood watch schemes and local litter picks. In Wales, the saving to public services currently equates to £264 million. It also reveals that neighbourliness


has a huge welfare value, with £1.26bn saved each year in Wales through neighbours sharing resources and services such as childcare, pet sitting, DIY and transport, and borrowing tools and household equipment. Becoming more connected with


the community has also been shown to have a positive influence on people’s health and the report estimates that social cohesion currently saves £254m in reduced demand on health services in Wales – and could potentially grow to £681m if everyone in Wales got to know their neighbours and became more involved in community activities. Samantha Evans, the Eden Project’s


Tre Taliesin: ‘The work is wonderful’


culverts, and improving the path‘s surface. The path was fenced out to prevent


damage by livestock and to provide safe free passage to users. A local resident reportedL: “The work is wonderful; I have lived in the village for 40 years and would not use the route as it was so muddy and the horses were intimidating, I am now walking it twice a day.” Further improvements are also


being planned, which will hopefully include identifying suitable parking provision in order to make it more accessible to less-abled users. Cllr Gareth Lloyd, the Cabinet


member responsible for Economic and Community Development Services, said: “Maintaining our rights of way is vital to ensure people continue to use them; I hope that many people will now make good use of this public footpath.” The works would not have been


possible without the generosity and cooperation of the landowner Mr Michael Chapman; the hard work of Ceredigion County Council‘s Rights of Way and Countryside Ranger, Ms Sarah Pinnell; and funding from Natural Resources Wales under the Wales Coast Path development and improvement program.


Community Network Developer in Wales, said: “We wanted to understand the impact of community-led initiatives like The Big Lunch, outlining the benefits to individuals’ health and well-being, and the economic impact too. Existing research suggests that people feel happier, safer and more content when they live in connected communities and know their neighbours. “The Big Lunch study reveals that


the financial benefits to individuals and wider society are enormous, highlighting more reasons than ever for communities


THE HERALD FRIDAY JANUARY 20 2017


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Residents urged to love their neighbours


to come together. Getting to know your neighbours through an initiative like The Big Lunch will bring you joy and happiness, and will also help you, Wales and the UK as a whole to save money.” The report is a combination of


qualitative research and quantitative data – the latter garnered via a survey carried out by Cebr for the purposes of the study. The survey found that, on average,


97% of people in the UK believe that community projects have a positive impact on society as a whole, and 96% believe that the cost of running key community services is higher if the community is not connected and if people are lonely or socially isolated. Cebr director Oliver Hogan said:


“With our report, we have established the cost to society of disconnected communities. Our starting point is that community involvement can act to reduce loneliness and isolation and encourage positive change within communities. There is a lot of existing research on loneliness, so this study was shaped to provide a perspective on the costs imposed on society by disconnected communities. “We found that by increasing social


capital, reducing isolation, and enhancing social inclusion, community activities and events lead to improvements in health, educational performance and socioeconomic circumstance. As such, they can help redress the balance between the need for and provision of public services and reduce the demands on those services. However, an element of the overall improvement in societal welfare also translates into productivity gains, both to the Welsh and to the UK economy through a happier and healthier workforce.”


Penglais School appoint new headteacher


Mrs Hughes: With pupils at Hampton Academy last year YSGOL PENGLAIS and


Ceredigion County Council are pleased to announce that Mrs Mair Hughes has been appointed as their new headteacher. Mrs Hughes is currently the


Principal of the Hampton Academy in London and will commence with her new post in September. The school failed to recruit a


new headteacher in the spring of 2016, following previous headteacher Matthew Brown being appointed the Head of Learning Services at the County Council. Deputy headteacher Hayley Griffiths stepped in as acting head after


Mr Brown’s departure in September. The appointment of Mrs Hughes


is seen as a great achievement for Penglais School, who are still under Estyn monitoring, the second stage of an escalating Estyn follow-up process which can lead to the school being placed in special measures. A Ceredigion County Council spokesperson said: “We are pleased to announce the appointment of Mrs Mair Hughes as the new headteacher of Ysgol Penglais. “Mrs Hughes is currently the


principal at the Hampton Academy in London. She will commence her new post in September 2017.”


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