Katie Bradbeer, an MA Journalism Student with the University of the West of England, visited Open Door on July 30 to speak with guests about the impact that groups, like the Thursday Chat Café, make in alleviating loneliness.
Katie is preparing her final portfolio for her degree, in which she is looking at loneliness in older adults particularly in rural communities; the causes of loneliness as well as community responses to try and stop isolation.
On the day of Katie’s visit there was a reduced audience owing to a temporary problem with access to the building. However, many of the guests were determined not to let that interfere with their enjoyment and happily shared their stories with Katie.
Katie was grateful for everyone’s enthusiasm and offered to share her findings with Open Door when she has completed her work, which will be really useful for us when presenting grant applications to funder
