Monday 15 June 2020 marks the beginning of Loneliness Awareness Week in the UK.
Loneliness Minister Baroness Barran MBE, has encouraged people to write letters to people isolating at home at this time, following research from Royal Mail which shows that nearly three quarters of people (74%) feel that writing letters has positive mental health benefits. A government partnership with the Post Office and Royal Mail will see a “Let’s Talk Loneliness” postmark stamped on most letters delivered during Loneliness Awareness Week (15-19 June).
Today, the Government has also announced the organisations who will receive a share of £5 million to reduce loneliness, which was pledged as part of the Chancellor’s £750 million support package for charities. The successful organisations can be found here.
The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport are also encouraging people to play interactive video games and engage with others online, in an effort to combat loneliness. You can find out about advice on other ways to connect with others at http://LetsTalkLoneliness.co.uk.