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Loneliness Epidemic: 50% of Brits feel lonely

The UK is facing a loneliness epidemic. According to a survey by the Campaign to End Loneliness, nearly 50% of British adults feel lonely occasionally, sometimes, or all the time. And the issue isn’t limited to a specific age group. Age UK has indicated that “nearly a million older people in the UK are often lonely”. Similarly, the Mental Health Foundation has found that the same is true for nearly a quarter of British 18–24-year-olds.

The implications of this loneliness epidemic extend beyond what you might think. Loneliness can lead to poor mental health, reduced sleep quality, and higher blood pressure. Moreover, it can also heighten your risk of early mortality by over 25%. Other studies have indicated that severe loneliness costs those who suffer from it nearly £10,000 per year. This is due to its impacts on work productivity and overall health.

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Percentage of British 18-to-24-year olds who 'often' feel lonely

How can we solve the loneliness epidemic?

It’s easy to feel hopeless in the face of these statistics but remember that there are things we can do to help! For instance, many of City Harvest’s community partners provide free communal meals for those that need them. Many of these people suffer from loneliness. FoodCycle’s work is a great example. 72% of their guests cited loneliness as a reason for attending FoodCycle’s communal meals. And these meals make a big difference. 85% stated that they made friends there. What is more, 88% reported that FoodCycle meals make them feel part of a community.

Relieving the acute financial pressure faced by so many people can also contribute to reducing loneliness. Age UK has found that ‘money worries’ contribute to loneliness by making it harder for people to socialise. After all, meeting up with friends often involves spending money. Thankfully, the food banks we work with provide support to those individuals likely to face this kind of extreme financial strain. This help might just enable them to scrape together the tube fare to go and see a friend.

Volunteering at City Harvest

Volunteering for City Harvest or one of our community partners can help relieve loneliness. The words of our volunteers speak for themselves:

“You are very much part of a team. It’s a team place with every range of age and ethnicity and it works so well. It’s for everyone”.

“I love getting to meet new people and also seeing familiar smiley faces every week”

So there is hope. Together we can tackle the loneliness epidemic.

Read Our Latest People Report

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