Preparing for June's Loneliness Awareness Week

debbiethrower0
6 hours ago
2 min read

(Photo credit: Centre for Ageing Better)

Loneliness Awareness Week falls on 15-21 June this year and for many churches, this offers a wonderful opportunity or ‘hook’ to consider how individuals and groups might connect further with isolated older people in their neighbourhoods.

The Marmalade Trust lead on this campaign: for resources and inspiration their website is here. Their aim - to give loneliness a voice.

https://www.lonelinessawarenessweek.org/

Anna Chaplaincy is part of Christians Together against Loneliness Forum (CTAL): 12 or more Christian charities across the UK take part in the forum, with a primary or related interest in combatting social isolation amongst all age groups and communities.

https://www.ctal.uk/

Linking Lives UK

Part of CTAL is the charity Linking Lives UK . They are offering a free webinar on 'Rediscovering the Power of Friendship'. Joining it will be Sheridan Voysey of Radio 2's Pause for Thought. It's on Tuesday June 16 from 10am to 11am and promises to be an inspirational and practical time together during Loneliness Awareness Week. Click here to book your FREE place.

Salvation Army

Meanwhile, our friends at the Salvation Army take a lead in this whole area, with Andrew Wileman (Director of Older Peoples’ Services) being the only faith representative on many forums and government initiatives. Here’s a taster of what the Salvation Army are involved in:

‘No One Alone’ is the dedicated website outlining a Salvation Army response to Loneliness and Isolation (L&I) https://www.salvationist.org.uk/resources/community-engagement/no-one-alone

The Salvation Army is staging a Loneliness Awareness Week event at Blackpool Citadel on Thursday, June 18, from 9:30am-4pm. All are welcome.

In collaboration with the Campaign to End Loneliness the Salvation Amy is hosting this ‘roadshow’ event, one of a series of roadshow events, travelling around the UK, which are designed to bring policy makers, practitioners, researchers and people with lived experience together to tackle loneliness. The event offers a mixture of informative talks, interactive workshops, and panel discussions to help us understand loneliness, how it can be tackled, and how we can create more connected communities. Sign-Up Here - https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/campaign-to-end-loneliness-roadshow-blackpool-tickets-1986312240381

Andrew Wileman has been involved in the World Health Organisation, WHO, Commission on Social Connection (2024–2026), to see the issue of Loneliness recognised and resourced as a global public health priority. The Commission published its flagship report in 2026.The report is more here https://www.who.int/groups/commission-on-social-connection

The report has three key messages.

1) Social disconnection and Loneliness is widespread, in all regions and all age groups.

2) It’s consequences are severe and underrecognized, impacting mortality, physical and mental health, well-being, education, the economy and wider society. Its widespread occurrence and its severe consequences make it a serious global public health issue.

3) But, there is hope. Effective strategies to foster social connection exist and should be scaled up.

Andrew says:

‘What this report doesn’t touch on is the long-standing and essential role of the local Church is addressing Loneliness and the need for social connection. This has been one of our mandates for centuries, and yet, largely it still fails to register in national and international reporting. That’s why the work of CTAL and the importance of raising awareness of loneliness across the UK church is an important ministry for ‘such a time as this’.’