As part of the ongoing campaign to prevent or identify people who suffer from loneliness, the Halt On Loneliness campaign with Halton Borough Council as a main partner has been busy making contacts with local businesses and organisation to secure their support.

The local Job Centre Plus has donated Easter eggs which will be given as prizes to local people who can attend a Get Together event in April run by Sure Start to Later life.

This is one of many ways we hope to make connections within communities and to show that people do care and are thinking how to make a difference in the lives of lonely people.

Two Get Together events will be run on Monday April 8  at Grangeway Community Centre, Runcorn, 1pm-4pm, and Tuesday April 16 at Upton Community Centre, Widnes, 1pm-4pm.  It’s a great opportunity for people to make friends and socialise with other people in their community.

Loneliness and social Isolation is harmful to your health. There are nine million lonely people in the UK and four million of those are older people. Loneliness is one of the biggest public health challenges of our time, associated with higher risks of mortality and morbidity.

The good news is that people can ‘recover’ from loneliness. Community life, social connections and active citizenship are all key factors that can enhance a person’s wellbeing and reduce the feeling of loneliness.