A NEW project has been set up to help reduce loneliness for young families and their elderly neighbours.

Great Oaks and Little Acorns is a scheme which connects under-fives with isolated older people surrounded by Mother Nature.

The collaboration comes from forest kindergarten Bee In The Woods in Portslade and the Time To Talk Befriending charity (TTTB) in Hove.

The youngsters and their new older friends will be invited into the woods to relax and explore.

The group meets once a month in Portslade, which encourages bonds to form between those attending

Emily Kenward, founder of TTTB said: “This wonderful collaboration has been two years in the making and is in response to our scheme members telling us that they wanted to connect with the younger generation, each other and in the great outdoors.

“Thanks to a successful pilot in 2018 we have witnessed first-hand just how life

giving this combination can be.”

Time To Talk Befriending works with older people aged 65 and over who experience chronic loneliness caused by social isolation.

It matches them with a volunteer befriender who spends time with them every week.

Bee In The Woods is a forest kindergarten and community forest school for children aged between three and six years.