ARCHIVE: Alonely

In an ideal world it would feel alright to be alone.

In an ideal world there’d always be someone there.

In an ideal world loneliness would not envelop me.

In an ideal world

Suppose in an ideal world…

Busy streets, laughter, the sound of children playing – but what lies behind closed doors in our communities, especially for those in later life, living alone? Over the last year, as part of the Productive Margins: Regulating for Engagement research programme, a group of community researchers have been working with the University of Bristol and the Southville Community Development Association exploring the loneliness of older people in the local community.

Alonely is a collection of stories based on our research; we want to make the experiences of older people more visible as a way of encouraging dialogue between communities, professionals, academics and artists. It is hoped this will provide space for considering alternative, utopian futures where issues around social isolation and loneliness have been tackled.

Written by:

Adam Peck in collaboration with Steve Franks, Carol Jubb, Judith Moore, Alexandra Pickford, Chris Priestman, Chloe Scholefield and Catherine Wescott

With thanks to all of those who participated in and supported with this research.

The project is part of the Productive Margins research project and is supported by the University of Bristol and Southville Community Development Association.