Reclaiming kith: Weaving belongingness into community

This chapter draws on the data and analysis from a small inclusive research project with a group of co-researchers living in a rural area in the United Kingdom. It discusses four interconnected areas, specifically: the development of kith as a relationship category; the troubled and contested meanings of friendship for people with learning difficulties; the impact of family presence on belonging; and finally, the way these relationships, along with other proximal relationships, interconnect with each other to create forms of interdependent geographic communities. The chapter argues that, for people with learning difficulties, having the opportunity to live among one's kith, in the sense of being around people who know one and one's family and history well, as well as the geographical sense of physical childhood location proposed by Griffiths, can help support feelings of connection and belongingness with their wider communities, thus increasing overall wellbeing.