'I saw the extent of isolation as mum's carer'
BBCTackling loneliness and isolation are the main drivers for a new community hub hoping to connect people living in rural areas, the friends behind the project have said.
Communitea in Wigton, Cumbria, will be offering free Christmas Eve lunch and Christmas Day breakfast to elderly people who might be alone at this time of year.
The idea is the brainchild of Polly Harris and Lisa Myatt who have first hand experience of trying to keep connected when living in a rural county.
"When I became a full-time carer it became quite apparent there weren't these kind of services where you could take your elderly mother to go and do activities and get out of the house," said Ms Myatt.
She left her job as a pharmacist to look after her mum, Paula, and said the closure of Age UK in west Cumbria earlier this year left a "massive gap" in provision of day centres and home help, which Communitea is now hoping to plug.
"We have carers and they will do what we need, but it's more the services of socialisation.
"Just getting her out, getting her to speak with new people and even activities, seeing people her own age and interacting.
"It makes the world of difference to her mental health."
Ms Harris, who used to work for Age UK, said the initial idea was to focus on the elderly, however once they started setting up the hub they realised loneliness affected people of all ages.
She said: "Living in Wigton we can see that there are gaps and knowing that there are smaller villages like Mawbray, Port Carlisle, Silloth even, it's hard to get to so it's having somewhere that people can come to."
The hub, which opened in the former Glasshouse, is home to a cafe and thrift shop and the pair are hoping to start offering activities such as children's craft sessions and cinema nights in the new year.
Anthony McGonigle, 59, from Wigton is also a volunteer at Communitea and said the hub is already making a difference to him.
He helps with all the maintenance, woodwork, painting and odd jobs.
"It's a job for them to get me back home," he joked.
"I suffer from mental health and anxiety, just getting out and getting stuff done, putting a little bit back in the community helps me a great deal."
Ms Myatt said she was looking forward to opening the hub up for the elderly on Christmas Eve.
"I'm excited, nervous, but it's a warm fuzzy feeling as well.
"Someone who might have been alone last year might not have to be this year."
In the meantime, she and Ms Harris have enlisted the help of their daughters to volunteer for their free Christmas events.
Ms Myatt's 13-year-old daughter Imani said: "No one wants to be by themselves at Christmas, it doesn't feel right."
Ms Harris's daughter Tallia, 17, said she was looking forward to talking to people and hearing their stories.
"It's going to be lovely to see everyone on Christmas and be with people who don't have anyone else to be there with."
Follow BBC Cumbria on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected].