ACS is encouraging retailers to get involved with the Great Get Together, taking place this year on the weekend of 22nd-24th June.
The Great Get Together celebrates people and businesses taking part in community activities together. This could include hosting coffee mornings, being part of a village fete, putting on a barbecue or any other local community activity. Those who took part in events last year told campaign organisers that made a real difference - 59% of people said that until that weekend they didn’t know their neighbours, and 83% who took part met someone new.
Welcoming the campaign, ACS chief executive James Lowman said: “The Great Get Together is an important reminder of the community role that local shops play, especially for their vulnerable and otherwise isolated customers. Loneliness and isolation is a problem that can affect all kinds of people across the UK, and local shops are often the only time when those affected can speak to someone face to face. We encourage convenience store owners to take part in the Great Get Together, and to use the momentum to take part in even more community events throughout the rest of the year.”
Figures from the ACS Local Shop Report show that over the last year, 79% of independent retailers engaged in some form of community activity, with one in five providing funding or support for a local community event.
To sign up as a partner, please click here. The Great Get Together will send you ideas for how you can get involved as well as updates on events happening around the country. You can also download a toolkit with posters, logos and leaflets to help spread the word about your event. If you’re thinking about organising an event there’s lots of information on how to do this here as well as a downloadable pack of resources and social media materials, and to take a look at the map to see what’s already going on click here.
If you’re planning to take part in the Great Get Together, you can also share your pictures and videos online using the hashtag #greatgettogether
The Government is currently developing a strategy to combat loneliness, after the appointment of Tracey Crouch MP as Loneliness Minister in January this year. ACS took part in a roundtable discussion earlier this month with the Minister, highlighting the importance of local shops to vulnerable and isolated communities.
