Action on loneliness
You can join us to help put a stop to loneliness
The British Red Cross, works with the government, other organisations and the public to help tackle loneliness.
Anyone can feel lonely
Our research shows that before the coronavirus pandemic, one in five people in the UK often or always feel lonely.
This figure is now bound to rise. Over the past few months many more people have started to feel lonely – we know that stress, change and isolation, can all trigger loneliness.
We are committed to helping people affected by loneliness through our services, our advice on loneliness, and our policy and advocacy work.
During the Covid-19 outbreak, our coronavirus support line offers help to people feeling lonely because of social isolation. Our online resources for adults and young people will help you gain practical skills to cope with loneliness.
We also offer ideas on what what people can do about loneliness, and tips if you are feeling lonely during the pandemic.
The Red Cross also works with other charities, businesses and the government to help ensure we continue to prioritise loneliness policy and practice.
Find out more about our work on loneliness:
What is the Loneliness Action Group, and who can join?
The Loneliness Action Group, led by the British Red Cross and Co-op partnership, was tasked by the Jo Cox Commission on Loneliness partners to secure a lasting legacy for the Commission’s work.
The Loneliness Action Group has a particular focus on making sure the Commission’s call to action to tackle loneliness is heard.
To do this, it brings together government and hundreds of charities, businesses and public sector leaders working nationally on loneliness. Together we develop solutions and secure meaningful commitments from decision makers across the UK.
To join or find out more, email: LonelinessAction@redcross.org.uk.
About the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Loneliness
The British Red Cross and Co-op provide the secretariat for the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Loneliness.
Building on the work of the Jo Cox Commission on Loneliness, the group seeks to influence legislation and policy making to reduce loneliness across the UK. It is chaired by Neil O'Brien OBE MP and made up of cross-party MPs and peers.
To find out more, visit the APPG page.
If you have specific queries regarding the APPG, please email hudaali@redcross.org.uk.
What research has the Red Cross done about loneliness?
We have been researching loneliness, UK loneliness statistics and related issues in the UK since 2016. Our published reports provide unique insight into the current situation, with recommendations on how to improve it.
- Our report from the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Loneliness, A connected recovery: Findings from the APPG on Loneliness Inquiry explores problems and identifies solutions within four crucial policy areas.
- Our 2020 report, Lonely and left behind: Tackling loneliness at a time of crisis looks at how some of the people most affected by the pandemic have coped with it makes the case for more action to tackle loneliness. .
- Also in 2020, our report Life after lockdown: Tackling loneliness among those left behind shows that although social distancing and lockdown measures will continue to be eased, loneliness will remain, especially for certain groups.
- Read our Trapped in a Bubble research (PDF), which revealed the prevalence of loneliness and social isolation in the UK, with over 9 million people (almost one-fifth of the population) reporting they are always or often lonely.
- Our report, Barriers to Belonging, explores the causes of loneliness and obstacles to seeking help for people from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) backgrounds.
- In our report Fulfilling the Promise: How Social Prescribing Can Best Treat Loneliness (PDF), we explore how non-clinical interventions and community activities can support people feeling lonely.
- In May 2017 the Co-op and British Red Cross launched our Connecting Communities service. Tackling Loneliness and Isolation: Findings from the evaluation of our Connecting Communities service (PDF) explores its effectiveness.
- The All Party Parliamentary Group on Loneliness published Building on social connections and tackling loneliness (PDF) to explain their role and share ideas for how MPs can help.
- An independent report by the Loneliness Action Group, A Connected Society: Tackling Loneliness and Social Isolation looks at the first year of progress made against the government’s Loneliness Strategy, which was launched in October 2018.
- To begin our work in loneliness, we worked with our partners Co-op to published Isolation and loneliness: an overview of the literature.
- After two years of running loneliness services, we shared our experiences in Tackling Loneliness Together: British Red Cross and Co-op end of partnership report.
- Information on what we learned in our first year of running loneliness services is shared in our Connecting communities to tackle loneliness and social isolation: Learning report.
