How Yorkshire can use satellite technology to tackle loneliness - Amanda Solloway

Despite this heartening display of our great British spirit, it fills me with immense sadness that many people have never felt more apart. Whether you live alone and miss the normal social contact of everyday life, or you long to hug your loved ones again – it’s completely understandable to feel isolated.

With over around 6 per cent of adults in England being always or often lonely in the UK, and amid the impact of the necessary restrictions to control this terrible virus, it has never been more important to spot the signs of loneliness, tackle the stigma and empower volunteers to help our most vulnerable.

Although the prospect of our lives returning to normal through the vaccine rollout is a reason to be positive, I know the next few dark wintry months will be a worry for many people who have felt particularly isolated during the pandemic.

It is essential that all parts of society work together and make use of all the tools at our disposal to help those most in need. New technologies will have a vital role to play in helping communities and businesses to address this challenge.

I am delighted to announce a new innovative satellite-powered app, CareView, backed by government, that can identify loneliness hotspots, through our partnership with Leeds City Council.

This has been developed by Yorkshire’s own Urban Sustainable Development Lab, which uses satellite technology to connect support services with those who need them most.

The app will provide a digital tool to help volunteers identify vulnerable people in need of help. Our heroic front-line workers including posties, social workers, charities, and police officers will all be able to register on the app and ‘tap’ when they see signs of people experiencing social isolation – from post piling up or curtains that always remain shut.

That simple ‘tap’ will use satellite services to create a heat spot on a map of the city. Once multiple heat spots are registered in the same place it alerts volunteers where to best focus their outreach efforts.

Connecting people with support services at an early stage is vital in overcoming the issue and avoids the need for more costly interventions. This simple and straightforward app could be one of our key tools in solving the UK’s loneliness crisis.

Next month will mark seven years since The Yorkshire Post launched its campaign, Loneliness: The Hidden Epidemic, calling for greater recognition of loneliness and encouraging local people to volunteer for support services.

Since then, it’s been incredible to see the spirit of the region, and indeed the legacy of the late Jo Cox feed in to the Government’s efforts in tackling this issue – from the appointment of our first Minister for Loneliness, Tracey Crouch in 2017, to the extra £7.5m funding package announced just last month to help tackle loneliness over the winter period.

The pandemic has been tough on us all. But there is now light at the end of the tunnel, and the roll out of vaccines over the next few months gives us the best chance to ease restrictions and build back better from coronavirus.

In the meantime, combined with practical solutions like CareView, let’s ensure kindness can keep us connected and empower our communities to reach out to our neighbours.