Who We Are
BAB is a partnership of individuals and organisations working together to reduce isolation and loneliness among older people in Bristol.
This page presents our library of learning and evaluation resources regarding services and activities to address loneliness and social isolation.
We have grouped it into the following sections:
Social prescribing
Mental health and wellbeing
Community development
Community grants and micro-funding
Food and nutrition
Intergenerational activities
Group activities
Adapting to Covid-19
Click on the headings below to read the reports.
Over October 2020, we ran a series of webinars sharing learning from the last 5 years of the BAB programme. These events were filmed and are available to watch on YouTube. Please click on the links below.
Addressing loneliness and isolation amongst older people in Bristol
Older People As Active Citizens: Changing The Way Bristol Works
Age-Friendly Places: Building Upon and Nurturing Community Assets
Collective learning from social prescribing services in Bristol
In order to help inform future commissioning and service delivery in the city, BAB has captured the collective learning and recommendations from seven existing providers of social prescribing services.
UWE’s final evaluation of the BAB Community Navigators social prescribing service
Key findings and recommendations from the evaluation of BAB Community Navigators social prescribing service, evaluated by UWE Bristol and BAB Community Researchers.
BAB Community Navigators evaluation summary
This document provides a summary of the evaluation findings relating to the BAB Community Navigators social prescribing service
The final evaluation of the Community Webs project, funded by Bristol Ageing Better and Better Care Bristol. Community Webs supports, enables and equips GP patients to access social activities and non-medical support services available in their local community.
Our key learning and recommendations about mental health and wellbeing. These insights are drawn from BAB’s specific mental health services (5 pilot projects and 3 larger services) as well as wider learning from other BAB-funded projects that work in the community.
Learning specific to BME wellbeing:
Oasis Talk Elders Pilot Project.
Research was undertaken by Oasis Talk during their BAB pilot project, identifying some of the barriers to accessing mental health services faced by BME adults aged 50+.
BAB wellbeing pilot projects:
Key learning from all five wellbeing service pilot projects
Carers Support Centre
Happy City
Oasis Talk
Second Step
Wellspring Healthy Living Centre
UWE’s final evaluation of BAB Community Development projects
Key findings and recommendations from BAB’s ‘test and learn’ community development projects, evaluated by UWE Bristol and the BAB Community Researchers. Published in October 2020.
UWE's final evaluation of BAB Community Development Projects
A summary of the above full-length report
Interim findings from UWE’s evaluation of BAB Community Development projects
A ‘live document’ of initial findings and observations from the evaluation of BAB Community Development projects, undertaken by UWE Bristol and Community Researchers.
Community development in care homes (learning from Alive)
Learning from Alive Activities, as presented in March 2019. Working in four care homes, the project focused on developing connections between residents and with the local community, enabling residents to have more of a voice-over what they want to do.
Community development in St Pauls and Old Market (learning from Livewest)
Learning from BAB’s community development projects based in St Pauls and Old Market, delivered by Livewest (formerly Knightstone).
Community development in Greater Bedminster (learning from St Monica Trust)
Learning from BAB’s community development projects based in Greater Bedminster, delivered by St Monica Trust.
Supporting community groups to be sustainable
Reflections from some of the BAB community development projects about what sustainability might look like for a community group and how community development workers can support this.
UWE’s final evaluation of the BAB Community Kick-Start Fund
Summary of UWE’s final evaluation of the BAB Community Kick-Start Fund
UWE evaluation report on successful Community Kick-Start applicants
An evaluation of BAB’s Community Kickstart Scheme. UWE and a team of Community Researchers used interviews with funded groups to assess the strengths and limitations of the scheme, identifying areas for further improvement.
Community Kick-Start Fund: What have we learnt so far?
In November 2017 BAB facilitated a shared learning event with the Ageing Better programmes working in Birmingham, Thanet, Hackney and Cheshire. All were at different stages of delivering initiatives similar to BAB’s Community Kick-Start fund. This report outlines the learning from this event.
The New & Improved Kick-Start Fund: Changes we’ve made in 2018
At the beginning of 2018, BAB made some changes to the way in which the fund was administered. This learning report reviews the challenges and successes of the fund to date, and the changes implemented to allow it to reach even more isolated older people.
Food and Loneliness: Learning Event September 2019
The presentation shared at a BAB learning event about food and loneliness in September 2019. It includes UWE’s initial findings from the evaluation of Bristol Meets The World and Talking Tables, along with the key learning and recommendations from all three BAB food and nutrition projects.
Key findings and recommendations from two of BAB’s food projects, evaluated by UWE Bristol. Published in October 2020.
UWE's final evaluation findings of BAB's food projects
A summary of the above report
BAB intergenerational pilot projects (Learning for Life Together):
Key learning from all three intergenerational pilot projects
Volunteering Matters
Windmill Hill City Farm
Wyldwood Arts Project
Collective learning and recommendations from seven organisations about group activities that take place online or via the telephone instead of face-to-face.
Learning report - Online and telephone activities.
Learning event - Online and telephone activities (recorded below).
Friends Ageing Better (FAB) final project report: An overview of the Friends Ageing Better (FAB) project including key learning, recommendations and adaptations to Covid-19.
BAB group activities pilot projects (Group Work Peer Support):
Key learning from all group activity pilot projects
Alive
Bristol and Avon Chinese Women's Group
Bristol Drugs Project
Carers Support Centre
Cruse Bereavement Care
Growing Support Pilot 1
Growing Support Pilot 2
Happy City
Life Cycle UK
NCBI and Bristol Black Carers
RNIB
The Harbour
The Reader
University of Bath
Five organisations in the BAB partnership shared their learning about adapting their activities during Covid-19.
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