HARIBO UK and The Together Project Partnership Helps to Tackle Loneliness Across West Yorkshire
Songs & Smiles sessions are bringing intergenerational friendship and joy to West Yorkshire.
Following the announcement of our partnership with The Together Project earlier this year, the first Songs & Smiles sessions are already helping to tackle loneliness across West Yorkshire, our home region.
Songs & Smiles is a weekly intergenerational music group held in local care homes, where singing and playing together helps forge friendships between older people, parents and guardians, and their little ones. Following a successful pilot over summer, the autumn programme has now kicked off in six care homes across the region, and this week a special Halloween-themed session took place at HC-One’s Colton Lodges Care Home in Leeds. This care home was nominated by a HARIBO colleague whose grandma is a resident at the home and recognised the need for this session to combat loneliness and encourage companionship.
Loneliness is on the rise in the UK, in West Yorkshire specifically 8.3% of adults often or always feel lonely, higher than the national average of 7%. One way to tackle this isolation is through social programmes like Songs & Smiles which helps to build meaningful connections across generations. Research has shown that these social programmes not only help combat loneliness, but they improve cognitive health among older adults.
Photos of the sessions released today show that the partnership is already having an impact. Friendships have been forged across generations, and childlike happiness is front and centre. Older people, parents, guardians and their little ones are uniting in their enjoyment of music, whether playing with colourful scarves or blowing bubbles.
This week’s session was just one small step in the larger journey to combat loneliness in West Yorkshire. Songs & Smiles will be running in six care homes across the region between now and summer 2026. The remaining sessions for 2025 are nearly all booked up, highlighting the demand and popularity of these sessions. There are still a few spaces available so book your space now to help bring communities together and reduce social isolation.
Following the session, Jon Hughes, Managing Director of HARIBO UK & Ireland shared: “The Songs & Smiles session that I had the privilege of attending this week was full of happiness and intergenerational friendship, made even more special by the fact that it took place in West Yorkshire, which has been our home for the past 50 years. At HARIBO UK, we’ve always believed that whether you’re young or young at heart, everyone should be able to enjoy moments of childlike happiness and that is exactly what the Songs & Smiles sessions are all about. We’re so proud to be bringing this programme to West Yorkshire.”
Alexa Sutheran, Interim CEO of The Together Project echoed this sentiment, “At a time when loneliness feels harder than ever to tackle, Songs & Smiles reminds us how powerful human connection can be. Through music, play and shared laughter, we’re bringing generations together and we’re thrilled to be partnering with HARIBO to spark joy and friendship across West Yorkshire.”
Danielle Longthorn, Home Manager at HC-One’s Colton Lodges Care Home, “Today’s Songs & Smiles session showed us that childlike joy and nostalgia are a powerful tool for building friendship. It was fantastic to see our residents so engaged, reconnecting with their inner child alongside the little ones.”
