Rotherham suffering from loneliness epidemic

December 8, 2016 Mark Bradley 1308 Views British Red Cross, Health, loneliness, lonely, mental health, Red Cross, rotherham, Sheffield, south yorkshire, The Co-op

Over 9 million people in the UK report they are always or often lonely. A new study by the British Red Cross has uncovered wide-spread isolation through out the UK.

The paper banished the myth that it is primarily older people who suffer and highlights the fact that people may feel lonely at different stages of life.

The charity says life transitions, such as becoming a new mum, divorce, bereavement, and long term-health problems, can trigger loneliness.

One fifth of the population

The Red Cross say those who identify as lonely on the regular, around one fifth of the population, do not know where to turn. Many of these people feel there is a stigma around loneliness which in turn, makes it harder for them to reach out for help.

Working with The Co-op, they are looking to give personal support to over 12,000 people and are launching a new service in Rotherham to help.

Mike Adamson, Chief Executive of British Red Cross UK said: “This is a crisis we cannot ignore, but if we come together it’s also a problem we can solve.

“Our research shows that life transitions are key triggers for loneliness. We need to focus on these moments and work together to prevent loneliness from taking hold in the first place, by responding quickly and helping people to recover once they’ve hit crisis point.”