Charity drive to bring North West communities together over covid rules

New research shows that more than half of the people living in the North West believe those who disagree on rules around covid 19 are a threat to the country’s future.  

The charity Engage Britain is launching a national drive to help bring communities back together. It comes after the poll asked people in the North West about how issues like the vaccine and lockdown rules are impacting their lives.

Boris Johnson has laid out his road map out of lockdown, but the survey found that community spirit is still fading after battling the pandemic for almost a year. 22% of residents said they’ve become more suspicious of people in their community with a different approach to the rules.

It seems disagreements are directly fuelling mental and emotional problems for most North West residents. 58% agreed their mental health had been affected due to other people’s compliance with the rules and restrictions. Some of these problems included increased anxiety and trouble sleeping.

But despite fractures and strains, 26% believe the pandemic has made them realise the importance of community.  

The charity is launching a national drive to bring people together. The first issue being tackled is health and care.  The biggest issues are getting the right access to health and care services and funding them properly.  

 It will kick off with 100 online community conversations about health and care up and down the country, including discussions in the North West planned for Bolton and Penrith. Then a panel will make decisions about priorities and engage with professionals like doctors, carers and nurses, to make plans for change. The end goal will be to get the public’s plans put into practice so everyone can get the health and care they need. 

Anyone can make their voice heard on how to build better health and care in Britain by taking part in an open conversation at engagebritain.org