A SCHEME which uses the power of the theatre to help combat loneliness in older people has joined forces with a similar initiative supporting young people.
Reality Theatre have banded together with Youth Cymru to bridge the age gap and bring people of all ages together.
This collaboration has come as the Welsh Government sets out its new strategy to tackle loneliness.
The launch event was held at the new community hub in Bryn Gaer Place in Gaer, Newport, attended by deputy health minister Julie Morgan.
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"We tend to think of loneliness as something which only affects older people but this is not the case," she said.
"We'd like to help to enable more groups to come together and also to tackle the stigma."
Jules Benson of Reality Theatre said that the community hub on Bryn Gaer Place would become a flagship project and hoped that others would spring up in future developments throughout the city.
"We've been working with Pobl," she said.
"We've been tackling loneliness since 2017.
"It was so successful that we got funding and then Youth Cymru reached out and came on board.
"We want to expand this to cover the whole of the city."
Members of Reality Theatre have been getting lessons in acting with the aim of putting on shows.
So far the group have performed in shows such as pantomimes, murder mysteries and more.
For more information about Reality Theatre, visit www.facebook.com/realitytheatre/
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