Looking back and ahead

Since 2023, I have managed the library element of the DCMS-funded Know Your Neighbourhood Programme – an initiative focused on reaching people at risk of or experiencing chronic loneliness and widening participation in volunteering. As the programme comes to an end, I find myself reflecting not just on what was delivered, but on what will endure.
 

A project about people and belonging

At its heart, this programme has always been about people. Across the programme, libraries delivered a wide range of activity designed to support connection: from regular social groups and creative sessions to volunteering opportunities and larger-scale community events.

This mixed approach enabled libraries to reach a broad and diverse audience, including people at risk of or experiencing chronic loneliness, as well as those new to volunteering. Many participants engaged regularly over time, while others accessed one-off activities as a first step into connection.

Through this, libraries created accessible, community-rooted opportunities that supported people to build new relationships, develop skills and confidence, and take part more actively in community life.

For a project centred on loneliness, it was especially powerful to witness connection in action – seeing individuals, organisations and communities come together. What began as funded activity has, in many cases, grown into lasting partnerships and even genuine friendships. That, in itself, feels like a profound achievement.

 

Witnessing connection at the Know Your Neighbourhood conference

A particularly striking moment came during the final KYN Conference on 4 March 2026 (a genuinely joyful event that I felt proud to be part of). Sitting in that space, it was impossible not to notice the strength of the networks that had formed. Connections were happening in real time: people discovering shared goals, exchanging ideas and building relationships that will continue well beyond the life of the programme.

It was also clear that funders were actively listening to on-the-ground experience and feedback, adapting their approaches accordingly and engaging in meaningful dialogue with delivery organisations to better understand and respond to their needs.

 

Bringing library services together and sharing knowledge

These connections took many forms, for example between delivery organisations, national sector bodies and funders, creating a rich and dynamic ecosystem. Both formal and informal networks have become a vital infrastructure in their own right.

There is now a much stronger sense of who is working in this space, who holds expertise and who others can connect with. This visibility enables those involved in delivery to move more fluidly across different themes, share learning and build on each other’s work.

A key part of this has been the role of Libraries Connected as a network in its own right. Through the programme, it has brought together library services in a structured way, creating space for shared learning and collaboration. Built-in knowledge sharing events have ensured that learning was not siloed but actively shared across the wider sector.

 

Turning learning into lasting change

What has been particularly powerful is the emerging potential for that learning to flow. Insights from delivery, evaluation, monitoring and case studies can be translated into practical tools, thematic insights and embedded within Libraries Connected’s strategic approach.

The ambition is for this learning to shape local service design, strengthen evaluation approaches and support more effective volunteer management, while also informing regional and national practice. In turn, this will help position libraries as essential infrastructure for social connection, wellbeing and place-based change.

 

Why libraries matter in tackling loneliness

The programme has also reinforced the unique role that public libraries play in reducing loneliness and building social cohesion. Libraries provide inclusive, trusted spaces where people can connect at their own pace, build confidence and develop a sense of belonging.

They support participation in ways that prioritise choice and agency, enabling people to engage in ways that feel comfortable and meaningful to them.

 

Fostering future partnerships

Working within the cultural strand of the programme, alongside the Association of Independent Museums and Creative Lives, has created valuable opportunities to connect with partners. Through this, we recognised how closely our work aligns: reaching similar communities, addressing shared challenges and working towards common outcomes.

These connections have opened up real potential for future partnership working.

 

Recognising and reinforcing impact

A particular highlight for me was the extension funding awarded to libraries. This was not just a continuation of investment but a recognition of impact.

The monitoring data for library-based delivery has been exceptional, clearly showing that many of the target libraries were not only meeting but exceeding their targets in reaching community members at risk of or experiencing chronic loneliness and recruiting volunteers.

It was incredibly rewarding to see this evidence translated into further support.
 

Looking forward with optimism

While it is with a heavy heart that the programme is coming to a close, there is also real optimism. We are already seeing how the opportunities it created are influencing ongoing programmes and shaping changes in service delivery.

The full evaluation, due to be published in the Spring, will provide further evidence of the outstanding work libraries deliver with their communities. It will strengthen the case for continued investment, demonstrating how initiatives like this reduce loneliness and increase social connectedness.

 

Building a lasting legacy

Ultimately, the legacy of the programme is not just in outputs or metrics but in relationships – in the networks that continue, the partnerships that endure and the shared commitment to addressing loneliness and strengthening social connection.