Intergenerational England launches a ten-year national programme to address loneliness, challenge ageism and strengthen the relationships that hold our communities together.

 

Britain is home to many generations, but too often our lives are organised in ways that keep us apart. We learn in age groups, live in neighbourhoods divided by life stage and access services that rarely create opportunities to connect across generations.  

 

Today, Intergenerational England launches The Age of Solidarity: a ten-year national programme to re-build the social infrastructure between generations by putting relationships at the heart of how we design our neighbourhoods, workplaces and public services.

 

Building on our flagship report, A Divided Kingdom, the programme brings together community delivery, research and policy change. Its ambition is to make meaningful relationships across generations an ordinary, sustained part of everyday life.

 

The launch comes as the Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, calls for ‘a country of solidarity not separation’. Speaking at the Labour Party Conference on 29 September, he described a Britain where it has been ‘getting harder to grow up and harder to grow old’. Those words speak directly to the challenge this programme addresses and the future we are working to build.

 

Every generation has something to contribute. We need places and institutions that make those contributions easier to share.

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Connection needs the right conditions

Loneliness can affect us at any age. Leaving education, entering work, becoming a parent, caring for someone or experiencing bereavement can change our relationships and sense of belonging. ONS figures for January 2026 show that 23% of adults in Great Britain felt lonely at least some of the time, with higher levels among younger adults.

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These experiences draw attention to an essential dimension of our wellbeing: social health. This encompasses the quality of our relationships, the support networks we can rely on and our sense of belonging. Strengthening social health means creating opportunities for people to build and sustain meaningful relationships throughout their lives.

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Those opportunities are shaped by the places, services and attitudes around us. Public debate often presents younger and older people as competitors for homes, resources and opportunities, obscuring the challenges we share. Ageism can reinforce that separation, limiting whose voices are heard, whose abilities are recognised and who feels welcome.

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Research published by UK Youth and KFC in 2024 found that 93% of young people surveyed had experienced negative treatment at work because of their age. The Centre for Ageing Better reported in January 2024 that half of adults over 50 in England had experienced age discrimination during the previous year.

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The Age of Solidarity brings these challenges together through a focus on social health. The programme will explore how meaningful connection can challenge stereotypes, strengthen belonging and help prevent loneliness across the life course.

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The public already recognises the potential. YouGov research for Intergenerational England found that 86% of UK adults believe mixing across generations can generate mutual respect, while 83% believe it can reduce age-based stereotypes.

 

A programme connecting people, places and systems

The programme will work through three interconnected strands. Local delivery will generate evidence; that evidence will inform wider practice, public understanding and policy.

 

Place-based delivery through Access All Ages

Access All Ages hubs will bring the programme to life through in-person connection, training, creativity and partnership. Shaped with local people, they will build on existing spaces, services and networks, strengthening what each community already offers.

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Rooted in neighbourhoods, housing estates, community spaces and care settings, hubs will create regular opportunities for generations to share skills, build trust and contribute together.

Residents, volunteers, staff and community leaders will train as Intergenerational Activators, building the local capacity to sustain this work as our hub network grows across the UK.

 

Research and evidence

We will examine what works, for whom and under what conditions, looking at relationships, wellbeing, belonging and civic participation alongside access, local inequalities and organisational practice.  

 

The programme will develop and test an Intergenerational Maturity Model to help organisations assess their approach and identify practical improvements. Shared Solidarity Signals will help track changes in belonging and participation, alongside people’s accounts of their experiences.

 

This evidence will guide delivery and give partners a clearer understanding of what enables connection to last.

 

Policy and systems change

Learning from communities will inform recommendations for housing, health commissioning, employment and community investment. We will work with partners to explore how intergenerational principles can become part of existing plans, funding decisions and everyday practice.

 

Through Talking Generations and the wider Age of Solidarity campaigns, community voices will help challenge assumptions about age and bring lived experience into public and policy conversations.

 

Help shape the next decade

The Age of Solidarity brings together partners across sectors, including Fusion21 Foundation, Homes England, Sovereign Network Group and UK Community Foundations.

 

This launch is the start of a shared endeavour one that begins with a clear ambition: a Britain where growing up and growing older mean remaining connected, having a voice and being valued for what we can contribute.

 

Achieving that ambition will take sustained investment and a shared commitment across communities, public services, businesses and government. We invite partners and funders to join us in turning it into everyday reality.

 

Together, we can build a Britain rooted in solidarity, where generations support one another and shape the future we share.
 

To discuss partnership, investment or collaboration, contact info@intergenerationalengland.org