New Greene King Initative only does half the job

It’s great news that Greene King is recognising social isolation and is encouraging more people to pop into its pubs. But it’s a difficult task to launch this in the early winter; especially when the cold and dark season is about to get worse. It just provides an excuse not to attend. The trouble with hosting group events is that if you’ve missed the first meeting then you’ll already feel a bit behind. This can put anyone off from being included in an existing group. To be truly effective, you really need to seek volunteers who are willing and able to recognise and tolerate the problems associated with social isolation, and be able to counsel those affected to come out and play. Their Friday night policy may just make things worse as it’s the busiest time for a pub and they may not enjoy mingling with the crowds. Otherwise you’re just inviting singletons to put money into your coffers.