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I've always been connected with my near neighbours and as neighbourhood watch coordinator I regularly contact a wider number of neighbours, but the current lock-down has raised awareness of supporting one another. I was grateful to a neighbour I hardly knew who got me some milk while I was self isolating and I've finally had conversations with one set of neighbours while outside clapping that I'd never really spoken to despite living near them for over 16 years! I hope after this crisis is over we'll all become better neighbours and more caring in general.

Very important

My husband is 82 & our youngest grandchild is 4 months old. It is great how the 3 generations get along so well.

A community is just that. A miscellaneous group of people each bringing their own strengths, each helping and giving in their own way and making a whole balanced entity. It takes all sorts, ages and abilities to make a thriving community.

its really important for a persons mental health because daily contact with people helps us feel included ,i care for disabled and vulnerable people and if they didnt have contact with others they would feel very isolated and at risk from abuse

Its very important to feel part of something and not alone, depression can take over quickly if you feel you have no one, covid 19 is bringing people together again...its the only plus we can take out of this awlful virus

Absolutely. They have so much to offer to each other,

Being isolated can have such a detrimental effect on your mental health that can manifest as physical ailments. Staying connected heps you feel you have a place in society

How important? It is vital. A community is like an extended family; it may be your only family. Age is irrelevant, just as it is in a nuclear family.

It is very important that everyone feels part of their community whatever their age because we all respond well to a sense of belonging especially when times are strange and uncertain! Knowing that some things are still as they were and that we can look out of the window and see someone we recognise is a real comfort!

The happiest times of my life have been when I have been in a strong community.
Early on in life it's so easy, with natural communities such as education, then work and sometimes parenthood .
But sometimes life experiences may disrupt one's life. Then if there is no community, you feel it.
I don't always look backwards, but the days of open doors are highly appealing.
Maybe out of evil comes forth goodness, ( a Samson misquote?), in these strange times.
Long live the new communities, personal and viral !!

It is very important. Too often elderly people, now on their own, are reduced to watching television, sometimes just for the comfort of hearing another voice.

But they can be useful to younger folk, especially now, as usually have a store of tips for how to make homemade cleaning products, how to cook economically and make food stretch out longer, recipes for economically made chutneys etc and reminiscences of interesting past events. They love to pass on this knowledge, which makes them feel needed - so visit them and and learn from them.

It's important especially with the lockdown, gives comfort & company to all, as well as keeping us fully up to date with happenings all over the world!

It's important for our both our mental and physical health, it can give the older generation a sense of purpose and strengthen friendships

It is very important to keep in touch, even more so during this pandemic. Loneliness is a terrible thing, and without communities staying connected , the isolation of being alone can be much worse.

Although essential it is far from easy to do sometimes. Speaking from experience, when moving to a new home, meeting the neightbours is not particularly easy when most people are working, or the other extreme in todays situation on lock down. If you are ill in any way it is not physically so easy to go and chat to the neighbours.This leads to isolation and in some cases depression. However I feel that it is not only in our own neighbourhood where we can meet people, lots of people belong to specific activity groups for this reason. At the moment this can be

I think it’s very important, I hate seeing the old and young collide because of being born in different generations, it’s great to see everyone pulling together with the current crisis, our street are all pulling together to make sure everyone is cared for

I think that it is very important for people of all ages to feel part of the community. Humans are social creatures, we thrive when we are part of a group and feel that 'we belong'. The younger generations can learn a lot from the older generation and vice versa. The pandemic that we are all experiencing now has brought out the best in most people and we are, once again, feeling like a community. We are looking out for each other, this is probably the first 'crisis' that whole communities have experienced together and it is heartwarming and living proof that community spirit still exists.

It's good to be part of a community but that doesn't necessarily mean the immediate neighbours. You can belong to a community through an interest or hobby. A variety of ages keeps the older members youthful and the older ones can help the younger.

It's very important to keep community together, we can all learn from and teach each other new skills, social interaction, history etc. Without community youngsters won't know history etc and the older generation may struggle with modern technology.

Vitally

As an introvert, it’s taken a lot to draw me out of my shell. We need to love and nourish good connections to live our best lives. Beth O’Leary’s message is light-touch and COVID-19’s is a terrible sledgehammer.

I hope I’ve learned my lesson at last!

Elderly people are kept youthful by interacting with youngsters. The young can benefit by the experience of the elderly.

It's vital. One of the biggest things missing in most innercities is a sense of community. Many teenagers are as isolated as the elderly and the mental health crisis we are in demonstrates this even before the pandemic hit. The silver lining that has come out of the current situation is people are engaging more within their neighbourhoods, however it is still not enough. My worry is when we come out of this situation people will be consumed once again (and many by necessity) with the material world. I believe the older generation must lead the way in community interaction wherever possible they have so much life experience to offer. Councils and other funding agencies need to prioritise grass roots efforts targeting everybody instead of stupid little clubs that target a minority (based on age, sex, class, race etc). Community libraries, allotments, coffee/lunch clubs, excercise groups where everybody is welcome need to become the norm.

Community spirit is what keeps us all going, especially in times of crisis. It brings everybody together whatever their circumstances. It would be a very lonely world to live in with no-one to just pass the time of day & check on the well being of someone whether young or old. A ‘hi how are you’ is all it takes. Bring back closed all day Sundays & restore communication