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Mytime Active helps decrease loneliness in the London Borough of Bromley by more than two thirds
05 Jun 2026
To mark Loneliness Awareness Week (15-21 June) Mytime Active has released figures from its community outreach projects, showing its initiatives increase contact with other people and decrease both isolation and loneliness in its local communities by 69%.
Research by the Marmalade Trust, which spearheads Loneliness Awareness Week, shows that half a million older people (over 65) go at least five days a week without seeing or speaking to anyone at all. The number of over-50s experiencing loneliness is set to reach two million by the end of this year, with two-fifths of all older people (about 3.9m) saying the television is their main company. In younger age groups, the issue is just as prevalent; 16 to 29-year-olds are reported as twice as likely as those over 70 to experience loneliness.
Faced by such alarming statistics, Mytime Active has been working to improve social connection for its local residents, with significant results.
It’s Primetime Community and Outreach Project, aimed at older people, has seen the charity visiting wellbeing and memory cafés, community events and church groups, delivering talks and exercise taster classes, as well as weekly community group exercise sessions.
Originally funded by Bromley Council’s Innovation Fund, the project has so far touched more than 200 people. Almost 70% say it increased their contact with other people and helped them feel less isolated and lonely, while 59% felt they met new people and socialised more.
“We offered older people new to Primetime a free eight-week membership, which allowed them to attend not only the community exercise classes but the full Primetime programme at any of our leisure centres,” says Primetime Manager, Ann Wilbourn. “The fact that 93% of people who took part felt they benefited and 97% are going to continue to exercise is a great feeling.”
Local resident Danie, 76, says: “I have made so many friends through the Primetime line dancing group. This really came home to me when my husband Richard died. To be honest, I don’t know how I would have coped without my Primetime friends. Our children and grandchildren live in France, so I was completely alone. The care and love given to me by my new line dancing friends made such a difference. Now that I’m living alone, my Primetime routine is crucial to keep busy and to keep moving.”
“The Primetime programme makes a lasting difference for the adults who take part, supporting physical and mental wellbeing while strengthening social connections – a vital element of healthy living,” says Helayna Jenkins MBE, Community Partnerships Lead at Bromley Council. “It received funding from the Innovation Fund, which plays a crucial role in meeting community needs by enabling exciting, innovative programmes to be delivered by the voluntary and charitable sector across Bromley.”
For younger people, Mytime Active delivers ArtsTrain, a creative music programme funded by the Arts Council England’s National Portfolio Organisation. Of the 188 young people who took part in ArtsTrain between August 2024 and 2025, 79% agreed their social skills had increased, while 77% felt more confident.
Participants described ArtsTrain sessions as “providing an escape from other stresses, decreasing feelings of isolation, and helping increase their self-esteem and belief in themselves.”
“As a local charity focused on helping our local communities live healthier happier lives, we were shocked to discover that across England almost half (45%) of adults say they feel lonely,” says Steve May, CEO at Mytime Active. “Long-term loneliness is linked to health risks and even a 26% increased risk of death, so it’s great to see from these results that the work we’re doing is having a really positive impact locally.”
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