Hosted by Marmalade Trust, this annual campaign 13 -17 June 2022 raises awareness of loneliness and gets people talking about it.
Marmalade
Trust is the UK’s leading loneliness charity for all ages and the only charity
in the world specifically dedicated to raising awareness of loneliness.
Its aim is
simple: to reduce the stigma of loneliness and encourage people to talk more
openly about it.
Long-term
loneliness can impact our mental and physical health – which has implications
not just for individuals but also for society at large.
The Office
of National Statistics reveals in its latest period 27 April to 8 May 2022,
based on adults in Great Britain around 1 in 20 (6%) adults reported feeling
lonely always or often compared with 5% previously.
Loneliness
risk factors
- Long lasting loneliness can
affect our mental health
- Widowed, single, living alone,
unemployed and having a long-term health condition
- Pandemic has heightened
disadvantage among groups that were already at an increased risk of
loneliness.
The UK
Government has published Tackling Loneliness annual report February 2022: the
third year. Over the past year, it has worked across government
and society more widely to tackle loneliness and support a connected recovery
from COVID-19. Part of its plan is to reduce the stigma of loneliness so people
can talk about this taboo subject more openly.
We all need
help and support and the NHS provides tips you can try to help prevent feeling
lonely:
• Talking
to professionals such as the Samaritans
• Joining a shared interest group