2011-2023: About The Cares Family
For 12 years, from 2011 to 2023, The Cares Family helped people find community and connection in a disconnected age.
Our work was inspired by one friendship in one place, launched spontaneously amid rioting, and then grew from city to city before spurring a movement of people building connection across the UK and around the world.
We were a family of six charities that brought people together across different generations, backgrounds and experiences to build community and connection, belonging and trust in lonely, polarising times.
Working at first the local and then the national and international levels, we built and supported socially connected communities in which people felt less lonely, more united and that they belong.
Building connection in London, Liverpool and Manchester
There were five local Cares charities: North London Cares (founded 2011), South London Cares (2014), Manchester Cares (2017), Liverpool Cares (2018) and East London Cares (2019).
Each local charity delivered four core programmes which brought older and younger neighbours together: Social Clubs, Love Your Neighbour, Outreach and Community Fundraising. These activities enabled younger and older people to share time, laughter, new experiences, solidarity, friendship and trust in some of our fastest-changing cities. Between 2011 and 2023, these programmes brought together some 30,000 older and younger people.
Building connection across the UK
From 2018, our national charity, The Cares Family, worked as an umbrella for our five local charities – providing leadership and operational support, as well as a Development team working to raise the funds we needed to keep bringing people together.
Through The Multiplier and Ripple Effect programmes, we supported people and organisations in 50 additional UK communities to build social connection. We also campaigned for community and connection to sit at the heart of policymaking, culminating in our guidance of the creation of the world's first-ever government-level loneliness strategy which was launched by the UK Prime Minister at a Cares Family event.
Find out how The Multiplier supports local community change-makers
Read our key asks for the UK government on loneliness and community
A crisis of social disconnection
We did this vital work because the evidence shows that our society is in a crisis of social disconnection.
- Too many people are experiencing loneliness and isolation which increases the likelihood of serious health conditions placing massive pressure on the NHS.
- Many of us don’t feel like we belong in the places in which we live, meaning that we don’t know our neighbours or communities.
- We share fewer experiences with people from different walks of life, making our communities less integrated and more divided.
Why building social connection matters
We’ve rarely been more isolated, separated or divided. However, at The Cares Family, we knew that this is a crisis that can be overcome. Building social connection helps communities become happier, healthier and more resilient.
- Meaningful social connection with other people is vital for improving our mental and emotional well-being which reduces feeling of loneliness and isolation.
- Numerous medical studies have found that improved social connection helps decrease the likelihood of developing and worsening chronic health conditions like heart disease, dementia and diabetes.
- Communities that are better connected are stronger in times of crisis and hardship, and more empowered to shape the places around them for the better.
Our Strategy, Values and Legacy
That's why our strategy was all about spurring a ripple of community and connection everywhere and it's why our work was always underpinned by our founding values that prioritised people, place and proactivity.
Find out more about our five core values
In November 2023, the trustees of The Cares Family made the decision to close all six Cares Family charities due to difficulty fundraising. However, our work lives on in the inspiration of The Multipliers, Ripplers, and organisations that adopted our model directly like B:Friend and York Cares and which continue to operate.
From 2024, this website and our local websites were re-launched as places to highlight the stories of impact and reports about The Cares Family's work and model, and to inspire policymakers and individuals to focus on what many have described as 'one of the most important challenges of our time.'