Cooper Seeley, a mentor to young lifeguards at Knox Leisureworks, shares his powerful journey from loneliness to community connection in a feature by The Australian. 

Cooper is not alone in his experience; 41% of 18 to 24-year-olds report feeling long-term loneliness. The next most affected age group is 45 to 54-year-olds, with 32% experiencing similar feelings, while 10% of those aged 75 and older report the same. 

As a gold sponsor for the 2024 Loneliness Awareness Week campaign, Belgravia Foundation has partnered with Ending Loneliness Together to support our mission of fostering meaningful connections and providing support within the communities at our Belgravia Leisure managed venues. We aim to ensure that others, like Cooper, can overcome persistent loneliness and find a sense of belonging.

Cooper said his role training and mentoring young lifeguards gave him a chance to talk about his experience with loneliness. “Working with these people, talking about it, has actually been the way I have built connections and dealt with my own feelings.”

Cooper’s story highlights the critical issue of loneliness and showcases how supportive environments and community-focused initiatives can have on individuals experiencing loneliness.

We aim to provide inclusive and welcoming spaces where individuals can connect and participate in health and wellbeing activities regardless of physical ability, financial capacity, cultural background or stage of life.

You can join us in supporting Loneliness Awareness Week 2024 by visiting participating Belgravia Leisure managed venues that will be delivering a range of important activities – some free, some casual entry and some part of membership, creating a culture of connection in community leisure, sport and recreation venues by offering people opportunities to reduce feelings of loneliness.

In addition to these community events, Belgravia Foundation and Belgravia Leisure alongside Ending Loneliness Together will be sharing more stories of real people who have experienced loneliness and how connection to activities offered by leisure centres have helped them manage. You can watch these stories here.

Together, we can make a difference. Let’s ensure that no one has to face loneliness alone. For more information on our efforts and how you can get involved, click here.

Read the full article via The Australian here.

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