Rural isolation immediately limits engagement with support services.

To access many services, an individual may need to make a 30 mile round trip which costs £7.90, preventing them from accessing the support they need.

Oxfordshire is the most rural county in south east England and figures of loneliness are higher than other similar counties.*

*Oxon Health & Wellbeing Strategy 2024-30

In creating The Branch at the heart of the town we empower other services to work alongside us and bring support to people’s doorstep.

This year in Connect Café we have been able to pilot the drop-in service that we will launch from The Branch, enabling anyone from the community to come in, chat and be signposted to further support – whether that is language lessons, filing in a form or getting an appointment.