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

It is very important. We are fortunate in living with good neighbours and excellent community support, some centred on our Parish Church which has been providing amazing help.

It's so important to stay connected to others in your community because we are sociable creatures who aren't meant to be alone. It doesn't matter what your age is, we are each an integral part of other's lives.

It’s so so important! People of all ages get lonely and need human contact whether that be in person, message or video call. It may seem like an effort / hard work for one person but for those on the receiving end it can mean so much and make their day!

Generally, very, but it depends on the individual and the community they're in.

It’s vitally important to stay connected to your local community because people get depressed without social contact. My elderly father lives in a very small cul de sac and nearly everyone in the avenue has made an effort to keep him involved in their everyday lives. They will stop and have a chat to him in the garden (socially distanced) and invited him to the recent VE Day celebrations (again all socially distanced). They have offered to pay his paper bill for him and do his shopping which is really great and takes the pressure of myself who visits regularly and has a chat at a distance too

It is extremely important especially for those isolated with no close connections. It's a support network for all.

I think we can learn a lot from the past remembering the times when we knew our neighbours, checked on our families regularly, helped people out and just enjoyed being part of the local community. Phones, computers and TV have played a huge part in keeping us in touch but in some ways it has had a damaging effect when just a chat over the fence is so much nicer than a text.

It’s so important. Even more so during this scary time. It’s makes the elderly very vulnerable and lonely. We need to come together as a community to support one another.

It's hugely important. It helps people with their mental health and physical well-being.

Perhaps recent events have brought the seeming paradox of connection into sharp relief for us all - without a connection we are safe from lethal viruses, physical hurt by others, mental anguish caused by others and so on....but then of course we also then miss out on all the amazing positives - love, support, acts of kindness, fascination and wonder at our differences, and (perhaps the most important one) meaning to life.

It’s very important as if you don’t connect with your community you start to turn in on yourself and go into a downward spiral.

Very important. I think the local pub helps with keeping the community together - sadly most of them are closing due to high taxes and being unable to make a profit.

It's definitely so important. I think it's also important that people of different ages communicate, learn and build friendships with each other. It can help the younger generations learn and build empathy with older people, and allow older people to learn about what's important to younger people - especially technology!

Very important, as it's all part of the human instinct of needing to belong to a group. Life feels empty without this "belonging" feeling.

We all have a human need to feel part of things. Local communities offer an extremely wide opportunity to be involved with neighbours of different ages, cultures & experiences. In modern days the ‘old’ community has been lost resulting in breakdown of local structure. Feeling part of a local community means you can actually see & feel the improvement in the local area & people are now beginning to recognise & know their neighbours so they’re moving on to become friends

Well it’s simply not a community if people are not connecting! It is more important than ever to be reaching out and looking after one another, and don’t be fooled - for every selfish story we read in the news about selfish acts people have done, there must be many many acts of kindness carried out where people are looking out for one another!

Every Human Being is Different, so the answer is it is a personal thing about being a member of the community. I am not involved with my community but others feel it is important and at this time some people are giving their lives for that reason.

Community is the heart of each town/village/city. Every citizen makes a difference to how this is built , regardless of age. It vitally important to communicate together, support one another, and to give a sense of belonging somewhere.

I think it very much depends on the individual. Hubby and I have lived in our village for nearly 50 years but don't get very involved with community events. We are not social animals and prefer our own company. However we have gone out of our way to forge good relationships with our neighbours and are quite supportive of each other.

It is extremely important for people of all ages to feel connected, and to look out for each other and be kind to each other. Loneliness is a real scourge of modern society, and we need to do far more to mitigate it.

It's very important so none feels excluded and that people know that everyone is there to help

We need to be connected to our neighbours to offer friendship where needed and kindness. By caring and considering our community we build better lives for everyone and set a good example to the youngsters.

It's important but people move so often that it's easily lost.

Community is the sum of all parts. Every person, family, service, shop, trade, landmark and space contributes to a collective personality that we can treasure. It also has a quality that builds, the more you give to your community the more it rewards with a sense of belonging, purpose and friendship.

Nothing worse than being isolated and lonely, the interesting thing about the lockdown is that, I think, it has actually brought people together more. I've helped neighbours I never even knew before and others have helped me, for example dropping off a prescription at the doctor and saving me a very long walk.