Loneliness Awareness Week

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