Peterborough residents urged to help combat loneliness this Christmas

Waving at a neighbour in the street or having a socially distanced chat with an older person are just some of the ways you can help to tackle the problem over the festive period.

In 2018 the #50000reasons campaign was launched by Cambridgeshire County Council, Peterborough City Council and the Campaign to End Loneliness to encourage people to make contact with an older neighbour at Christmas and this year’s pandemic has made it even more important to act on loneliness as many have suffered more with the restrictions imposed because of the virus.

Statistics suggest that as many as 50,000 older people who live alone across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough may be at risk of experiencing loneliness - that’s 50,000 reasons for you to act to tackle isolation this festive season.

Christmas can be a difficult and isolating time for people who live alone or have family living far away and with the restrictions in place because of Covid it is likely to be even more lonely for many this year. It can be a time when people reflect on what they have lost in life, increasing feelings of loneliness.

While people of any age can feel lonely, as we get older factors such as living alone, bereavement, poor health and reduced mobility can lead to isolation, loneliness and put us all at risk of further ill health. The good news is that loneliness is preventable if we all work together and it’s the small and simple things that can work best this Christmas to reduce social isolation.

A spokesperson for Care Network, said: “Jack will be spending Christmas alone, he would usually spend it with his sister and her family, but that’s not possible this year. Jack was feeling sad about this and saying that he might not bother with Christmas at all. We talked about all the things that he could do, and we decided that maybe it was not helpful to keep thinking about what he could not do. Jack decided to make the best of things and the next time I spoke to him he had made a shopping list of what he was going to eat and drink over Christmas, decided to by his favourite Christmas films on DVD and a small tree. By talking to someone, Jack has come to terms with being on his own this year and is now looking forward to a “quiet day without all the fuss.”

Public Health Consultant for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, Kathy Hartley said: “Loneliness can have serious impacts on people’s health but the good news is that there is something we can all do to help tackle loneliness in our local communities. Your small gestures this Christmas can make a big difference to someone experiencing loneliness at this time of year. Our top tips are really simple things that anyone can do and in line with social distancing guidance.”

Top tips for good deeds this December to help #endloneliness include:

Say hello (at a social distance) or wave at an older neighbour

Start a conversation with an older neighbour, following social distancing guidance

Send a Christmas card to older neighbours living alone in your street

Phone older relatives and friends who you might not see this Christmas

Check on an older neighbour, telephone if possible and follow social distancing guidelines, if you haven’t seen them for a few days and make sure they are in good health

Write a letter to an older person who has made a difference to you

Encourage the kids to say hello or wave when they see an older neighbour, socially distanced.

Care Network, which offers support locally, shared a recent example of how loneliness can make people feel.