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Win a £150 Waterstones voucher and a copy of The Switch *NOW CLOSED*

(817 Posts)
NatashaGransnet (GNHQ) Fri 17-Apr-20 10:30:29

To celebrate the release of The Switch by Beth O'Leary we're giving one lucky gransnetter the chance to win a £150 Waterstones voucher, along with a copy of the book. We're also giving two runners-up £50 worth of Waterstones vouchers each as well as a copy of the book.

More details on the prize can be found HERE and T&Cs HERE. We will pick a winner after 11am on 23rd May.

To enter simply tell us... How important is it for people of all ages to feel connected to their community?

You must be a registered Gransnet user to enter. Sign up to Gransnet HERE if you haven't done so already.

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Kaggi60 Tue 12-May-20 11:33:40

It's very important to at these difficult times to keep in touch with family and friends. Sometimes asked if I can help people and I will try my very best to do it.

candyfloss79 Tue 12-May-20 13:34:51

I feel it's important to be connected to A community, but I don't think that has to be your local community. You can belong to a community of book-lovers, spread throughout the world, but connected digitally.

Rachel123 Tue 12-May-20 13:36:45

Community is very important especially when times are hard. It’s lovely to have friends and family but the wider community is also important. My mum who’s 80 lives over 100 miles from me and due to the lockdown I can’t go to see her. She lives in a small rural community which has stuck together, the village shop delivers free with just a phone call needed, the local business make free Sunday dinners, the community association deliver free food packages and she gets so many calls and messages asking does she need anything . Community spirit is priceless especially to the elderly or vulnerable ! I am so happy she lives in such a thoughtful community

annacoops Tue 12-May-20 14:09:55

It is essential to feel part of the community they live in and feel accepted. Your local community should be a place of safety and comfort.

Glimble Tue 12-May-20 14:20:21

It is essential to feel connected to your community. Apart from the practical benefits of having a support system on hand in case of emergencies, it is very good for our mental wellbeing to know that there people out there who want to be friends.

Echame Tue 12-May-20 17:53:18

So important I believe that we all feel connected, particularly at this unprecedented and surreal time..I feel all the generations can learn an enormous amount from one another and come together as a unified whole to create a very different and sustainable future world that respects nature at all levels.

dmcd13 Tue 12-May-20 18:10:04

Its very important to feel connected to your community. You never know when you need help or when your neighbour needs help.

GrannieAnnie54 Tue 12-May-20 18:34:10

A community can be found in many forms and many different places.What is important is that feeling of belonging,being accepted for who you are and giving and taking equally (at least.)

lilmax0182 Tue 12-May-20 19:46:32

It is very important, especially in times of crisis like now. It makes you feel like you are not alone and that support is there for you through difficult times. We need it for our mental health.

susieqt Tue 12-May-20 20:42:31

I'm not sure there is a community unless there are people of all ages connected to it - it would be a clique!

Adri66 Tue 12-May-20 22:38:59

Someone said 'Nobody is an island' true, and 'All you need is love',
only connected with others we feel happy, simply we were born to do as spiders do, tess webs of relationships.

buckleycat Wed 13-May-20 00:22:18

One of the benefits of the current crisis is the way in which it has bought so many of our communities together.
To see so many offers of help is really heart-warming & all these lovely people working together to ensure everyone has access to food, medicine & other essentials.
This help is needed by all ages - not just the over 70s - but also those with health conditions which place them at higher risk, pregnant women & anyone displaying symptoms.
Feeling able to say hello to neighbours, to reach our for help or advice, to feel connected can help in so many ways - but most importantly to remind us we are not alone - & that feeling of being alone (even when we're not) can creep up on anyone, any time & at any age. The good news is that feeling of connection challenges this & reminds us that someone cares!

cuppatea Wed 13-May-20 09:43:10

the current situation has show how well everyone can be involved in the comunity and I hope this connection will continue afterwards.

christinawadeley Wed 13-May-20 10:33:00

I believe it is vitally important to maintain good communication between all ages. Communication helps to establish and nourish all relationships, whether it is within a friendship, marriage or the bond between children and their parents. It keeps us connected which is necessary for our own mental health and sanity

mandincardiff Wed 13-May-20 10:40:44

It is so important that everyone has a chance to be part of their community. Before the lockdown I loved going to baby sing and story time and seeing the mix of babies, parents and grandparents all enjoying the sessions together.

Demum24 Wed 13-May-20 11:07:17

I think it's quite important it helps give a sense of involvement and can also help loneliness

wattsavage Wed 13-May-20 12:42:55

It good to have contact with neighbours and others in community to keep us focused on what’s going on around us. But not to be to busy with everything going on.

hkswain Wed 13-May-20 12:57:54

Very important - people need to be allowed to be in secure units of their peers.

linksofsausage Wed 13-May-20 13:37:44

I think its really important for all ages too feel apart of the community. I am disabled and have always felt sort of on the sidelines I recently started taking part with disability sports this has made me feel more part of the wider community and no longer less than.

cromwellshead Wed 13-May-20 14:45:07

very. but my poor old mum who's in her 80s has never used the internet in her life, so it's not the be all and end all.....

Rabbit Wed 13-May-20 16:15:21

In these unsettling and worrying times, when many people of all ages are either staying at home or shielding it is important to keep in touch with family, neighbours, friends and community groups through modern technology and by keeping an eye on each other. Loneliness and isolation can be alleviated by a phone call, a chat over a garden wall, a wave across the street and by doing shopping for vulnerable people. I hope that a feeling of goodwill and active kindness will stay with us long after Covid-19 is defeated.

Lorraine1602 Wed 13-May-20 17:19:29

Very important. All schools should automatically link up with older people in the community, perhaps for afternoon teas at the school, or concerts.

smiffy1062 Wed 13-May-20 17:33:38

Very important not just for their benefit but also for the benefit of younger members who learn from their experience and knowledge and also gain a great life skill by interacting with all age groups.

Agnapoop Wed 13-May-20 23:42:36

No matter what age, its vitally important for peoples mental health to stay connected and feel appreciated. It can be a lonely world on your own

Nezumi65 Thu 14-May-20 03:08:48

I think coronavirus shows us the importance. I know when my son was diagnosed as disabled I didn’t realise that a benefit of that would be discovering that community. It has become an important part of my life & is a community I didn’t know existed.

I always think I would like to be religious for the community that brings (just can’t believe though).