New funding has been awarded for research into groups combatting loneliness in London.
Over the past three years there has been a rise in groups designed to help people facing loneliness and isolation.
The Great Friendship Project was established in 2021 by David Gradon with the aim of combatting loneliness and helping Londoners in their 20s and 30s make friends.
Gradon said he established the group after coming out of the Covid-19 lockdowns without a friend network.
Since then, the group has had over 36,000 people attend their events, which range from picnics to fitness classes to pub quizzes.
Professor Jennifer Lau, co-director of the Youth Resilience Unit at Queen Mary University of London, has recently been awarded UK Research and Innovation funding to research how effective these groups are at tackling loneliness.
Over a year-long study, volunteers will attend Great Friendship Project events and be questioned on how they found the experience.
The research is expected to begin this autumn, with Professor Lau recruiting volunteers in the coming months.
David Gradon and Professor Lau spoke to North West Londoner about their work in the video below.
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