Lucy Allan MP pledges to tackle loneliness amongst older people at the Jo Cox Loneliness Commission’s older people event in Parliament.
Lucy Allan MP for Telford attended the Jo Cox Commission on Loneliness Older People Spotlight launch on Wednesday 22nd March in the House of Commons. The event was an opportunity for MPs to pledge their support for the commission and find out practical steps they can take to tackle loneliness amongst older people in their constituency.
Passionate about tackling loneliness, Jo Cox set up the Commission before her murder in June 2016. In her memory the cross-party Commission is being taken forward by MPs Rachel Reeves (Labour) and Seema Kennedy (Conservative), supported by Jo’s family.
As part of the Commission’s spotlight on older people, nine organisations – Age UK, Alzheimer’s Society, British Red Cross, Campaign to End Loneliness, Eden Project Communities, Gransnet, Independent Age, Royal Voluntary Service and The Silver Line – are working collaboratively to raise public awareness of loneliness and encourage everyone to act to tackle it. With Age UK research showing that 1.2 million older people are chronically lonely, and half a million people over 60 usually spend every day alone, there is clearly an urgent need for action.
Lucy Allan MP said:
“It is heart-breaking that 1.2 million older people in the UK are chronically lonely. Elderly people often don’t know where to turn if they’re experiencing loneliness.
The Commission aims not to simply highlight the issue of loneliness, but more importantly act as a call to action. Under the slogan ‘start a conversation’, its goal is to mobilise us all to help our neighbours, family and friends – whether it be talking to a neighbour, visiting an old friend, or just making time for the people you meet.
How we care and act for those around us could mean the difference between an older person just coping, to them loving and enjoying later life. We have many fantastic organisations, both charities and churches that do wonderful work in this area in Telford and I have pledged to support them in this work.”
Notes to editor
Anyone who wants to find out more about the Commission or how they can get involved in tackling loneliness in their community can visit www.jocoxloneliness.org for further information.