'Many would feel lost without our Good Neighbours group'

"We live in an isolated world now and consequently we don't always know our neighbours - some people really can suffer with loneliness," Hazel Chatwin says.

The 93-year-old still lives independently, in the North Yorkshire village of Embsay.

As a child, she was diagnosed as deaf, and calls it a "silent disability that people aren't aware of [but] you can live a lonely life unless you make an extreme effort to go out and be you".

Since Hazel stopped driving last year, she could have felt stranded, she points out, if it wasn't for her involvement in Embsay and Eastby Good Neighbours (EEGN), which seeks to tackle isolation in the community.

"I think it's important to the village, and lots of people would be lost without it," she adds.

A report by Age UK predicted that by 2026, two million people in England aged over 50 would "often" feel lonely, without intervention.

It is not just older people who have reported increased isolation - data published by the Office for National Statistics showed that the highest age brackets reporting loneliness were 16 to 29 and over-70s.

The charitable incorporated organisation (CIO), was founded in 2016, inspired, in part, by an article highlighting loneliness amongst older residents in the region.

The vicar at the time Louise Taylor-Kenyon, and Shelagh Marshall, former councillor for older people at North Yorkshire Council, were instrumental in EEGN formation, trustee and chairman David Allison explains.

Run entirely by volunteers, EEGN supports a weekly coffee morning in the village, as well as offering regular social events.

With a population between 1,800 and 2000, according to the 2024 census, Embsay and Eastby is comparatively small compared to nearby Skipton or Harrogate.

Although its size and location encourages a close-knit community, David says, it also means that people have to travel to access certain services.

The closest GP surgery is in Skipton, 3.2km (two miles) away, and while the village is connected via a bus route, the service does not operate in the evening.

"In the village, people are good neighbours without being part of a group or charity, but a lot of people have got family living away, or no family at all," David explains.

"It's very difficult to say 'I feel lonely', people don't usually come out with something like that. We thought maybe this will help plug some of the gaps."

EEGN supports people in a number of ways, including the befriending scheme, in which a volunteer visits someone in the community, to keep them company.

The group also offers transportation to medical appointments, and assistance with simple DIY or household tasks.

For David, volunteering has offered him surprising benefits too.

"My wife and I met lots of people over the years as well, who we didn't know in the village, just by being volunteers," he adds.

"Sometimes you realise you're getting as much out of it as the people you're trying to help, which is great."

Joan McFadyen, 68, was connected with EEGN five years ago, and is now a regular at the monthly get-together, as well as being a part of the befriending scheme.

She says she enjoys "the company, the laughter [and] joining in with everyone."

"It's getting us out and doing things, meeting people and being happy.

"Any problems, they'll try and sort something out - it's a good system."

Hazel joined as a volunteer, but now attends the social events, which has given her an additional appreciation for the group and its "tremendous benefits", she says.

"I think in every village it would be good to have [a group], particularly in this day and age, because it's a focus and very much an anchor for the village," she says.

The organisation celebrated its 10th anniversary last month, bringing together volunteers, trustees and service users over tea and cake.

Looking to the future, Hazel says she'd like the group to be able to reach "a whole spectrum" of other people, not just from the older generation.

"Regardless of where you are on the spectrum, you can still be very lonely, particularly if you're leaving school and you can't get a job," she adds.

"Although we do have a following with older people, I do think there's a need for it to embrace all ages."

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