All about The Wolfpack Project

– the new Nottingham-based charity that’s fighting loneliness, one buddy at a time

You may have read my recent post about how hard I find it to make friends as an adult. I was absolutely terrified to write it and admit it to myself, let alone share it with you guys. But I had the most incredible response – I’m not alone. In fact, far from it.  

And it turns out that there’s an ambitious new charity, established to combat the loneliness epidemic, right on my own doorstep. The Wolfpack Project is the brainchild of Damien Reynolds who, after experiencing adult loneliness for himself, used his corporate know-how and sheer determination to start making real changes.  

The project is new, founded only this year, but is already making great strides, having already secured business partnerships, a meeting with local MP Vernon Coaker and plenty of media interest.

And is it really any surprise? The loneliness stats speak for themselves.

So as you can imagine, I was thrilled to have a chat with founder Damien and find out more about this pioneering charity.

What is The Wolfpack Project?

The Wolfpack Project is a registered charity (no. 1184390) that helps younger people & adults across Nottingham who experience loneliness or are isolated. 

Why did you begin The Wolfpack Project?

For some time, I’ve increasingly felt isolated and alone. I’ve ceased to make as many new friendships and found, for a number of reasons, older friendships have fallen by the wayside in the process.

I socialise less, grumble (more than usual) and feel a greater sense of dissatisfaction than ever before.

I, like 9 million people in the UK, are experiencing loneliness and a sense of feeling less connected to the people around. Loneliness is the greatest epidemic of our time and this is particularly true in younger people, however there are very few charities across the UK that recognise and tackle that issue (as predominantly services focus solely on loneliness in older people). As more 16-24 year olds experience loneliness than older generations, I felt like I was responding to a growing need – and one which I understand and have lived-experience of myself.

How can The Wolfpack Project help?

We help people who experience loneliness to ‘Buddy up’ with a volunteer who has similar interests, and with whom can join in activities/hobbies; such as going for coffee or a walk, visiting the cinema or even attending a football match or concert, for example. Volunteers have experienced loneliness themselves so they’re able to connect on the same level with people who get in touch with the Wolfpack Project.

The 1-2-1 support of our Buddy Scheme is always on hand; meaning we can help reduce the risk of isolation, help our people to access services & activities, and offer a friendly chat (that will always be in complete confidence)!

What types of people have signed up so far, both as buddies and those in need of buddies?

The vast majority of the people who have reached out to the Wolfpack Project are 18-35, both male and female. Many are students – possibly reaching out due to our work with Nottingham Trent University – as well as other individuals, who simply want someone to talk to! 

What support have you received from the community?

We’re incredibly proud to be Nottingham Trent Student Unions’ Charity of the Year and to have a corporate partnership with WOLF Italian Street Food. We are still very much reaching out to multiple communities across Nottingham, and we feel that those partnerships will help us in that further!

What can we do to support you?

There are so many ways people can help us! From volunteering to be a Buddy, helping us to fundraise, liking/sharing our social media channels and letting friends & family know about us.

We are always on the lookout for talented individuals who can also help us with our marketing, design, social media and admin too!

What does the future look like for The Wolfpack Project?

We’re incredibly ambitious so watch this space!

We will be continuing to roll out our Buddy Scheme and we hope to reach at least 250 individuals by 2021, whilst also developing ‘Wolfpack’ social groups next year. We are also working on an exciting joint project with the YMCA.

Why do you think there’s an increase in loneliness and isolation?  

There are many complex reasons as to why this is the case. Younger generations are more fluid in terms of their careers and where they live – we move house and jobs far more than older generations did, which means we can often not make the meaningful, lasting relationships we need in our day to day life (42% of people do not have a single friend at work).

Social media also poses a challenge in that we are interacting more than ever digitally, yet our rate of loneliness and isolation is skyrocketing, due to that fact we meet up less with people. Social media is a platform where people predominantly show the great parts of their lives, which can make individuals who are lonely feel even more isolated and as though their lives are not as interesting or fulfilled.

Mental illness stats are also massively on the rise – do you think there’s a link between the two?

Absolutely, feelings of loneliness are linked to low self-confidence, depression and anxiety. 1 in 4 younger people experience mental health problems, and this sits alongside the fact that 16-24 year olds are 3x more likely to experience loneliness than those over 65. Lonely people are also more likely to suffer from dementia, heart disease and depression.

Why is The Wolfpack Project needed – are cuts in funding and strained resources responsible?

There are quite simply no organisations like the Wolfpack Project in Nottingham that really tackle the issue of loneliness amongst younger people. Often, it’s easy to point to cuts in funding (and there could always be more funding available!), however the real issue here is social prescribing and ensuring we’re able to link in with the NHS and other charities. Loneliness and social isolation is by nature a hidden problem, and one which sadly holds a stigma to it. Resources are strained, but available – the challenge for us is finding the best way to reach out to people and encouraging them to access our service.

What’s your background?

My background is very much corporate and within business development. A world that you can easily get lost in and find little enjoyment from! My day job is Head of Partnerships for a lottery management company that works in partnership with 100’s of charities across the UK, helping them to raise funds via their own charity lottery.

Has launching The Wolfpack project changed any of your previous beliefs?

The scale of the problem does not surprise me, however the extent to which people hide themselves away and struggle to open themselves up to making new friendships, does.

What have you learned from launching The Wolfpack Project?

It’s easy to underestimate the scale of work involved in setting up a charity like the Wolfpack Project. What I’ve learned is that you can never have enough policies & procedures, and that fundraising is a never-ending job!

Our work with the Wolfpack Project is incredibly rewarding though and I wouldn’t change this for the world.

Pretty amazing huh? I’m sure you’ll agree, this is a truly important cause – please go and have a look at The Wolfpack Project’s website, and follow them on Facebook, Twitter and instagram to keep up to date and find out more about how you can get involved.  

Loneliness is a huge problem – but we’re all in it together.

© Photo and logo copyright The Wolfpack Project