Following the Jay report into historical child sexual exploitation, Rotherham was targeted for protests and marches by far-right groups, with 14 taking place between September 2014 and November 2015.
These marches stirred up community tensions, impacted upon local businesses and generally damaged the town's morale. Immigration and "ethnic segregation" were seen as major issues in Views from Rotherham, with many people expressing strong negative feelings about immigration generally. On the other hand, the need to improve integration was also a recurring theme. Some people sought solutions such as more English language classes and events to bring people from different communities together.
Attendees from BME (black and minority ethnic) communities outlined a wide range of problems they and their families faced, including bullying at school and feeling scared and isolated.
Of course this is not just about ethnicity. A fundamental element of bringing communities together is tackling loneliness and isolation.
Though not an exclusively age-related issue, older people are especially vulnerable to feelings of isolation as a result of the loss of friends and family or limited mobility or income that comes with age.
Social isolation and loneliness are associated with mental health problems and can result in increased use of emergency healthcare and earlier admission to residential care.
In Rotherham, over 10,000 people aged over 75 live alone, half of all people in this age group. Based on the results of a national survey, loneliness is likely to affect around 4,000 older people in the borough every day.
See theme two