Social Eating is for Social Meeting

Sharing mealtimes

Those over the age of 55 are most likely to eat alone – and that’s something that RBH, HMR Circle, and other local organisations are working to change.

Although some people prefer their own company, many more miss the social interaction of sharing mealtimes with family, friends and work colleagues.  And it is now an established fact that loneliness and isolation have very negative impacts on well being.

Working with Ambition for Ageing – a Greater Manchester programme to create more age-friendly places – RBH is getting behind the social eating project to increase opportunities for people to get together.

RBH is working with HMR Circle and housing providers Southway Trust and Bolton at Home along with Talk, Listen, Change, and Groundwork (Oldham and Rochdale) to increase the opportunities for learning about what works to prevent isolation.

Anna Charlton, Head of Business Development - Health and Wellbeing at RBH, said: “RBH already create opportunities for people to come together in communities and the social eating project gives us the chance to develop new ideas with older people and test how well they work.”

By better understanding what is needed to encourage isolated older people to leave their homes and join others to eat together RBH and partners can help prevent isolation more effectively.

All the ideas for social eating will be designed and delivered with older people. We might be seeing variations on Come Dine with Us, pies and pints and shared food buying in the near future.

RBH and HMR Circle will be working to co-design with people over the coming weeks with the actual social eating programme rolling out across the Rochdale area in the autumn.