Loneliness can kill at Christmas

No-one wants to be lonely this Christmas, but to find out that it could be a killer will come as a shock to many.

According to a new report, more than nine million adults suffer from isolation and its effects can raise the risk of premature death by a third!

The findings reveal that loneliness is as bad for your health as smoking 15 cigarettes as day.

That’s a real eye-opener, particularly for a community like ours that prides itself on caring for the most vulnerable in society.

At Christmas, the health risks of loneliness and isolation are things we usually associate with the elderly in our community.

But the report, produced by the Jo Cox Commission, set up by the late MP before her murder last year, says the ‘profoundly damaging’ impact on health affects not only the elderly but people of all age groups.

One family we reveal today are planning on opening the doors of their home to strangers to offer them the comfort of a Christmas meal and company. They are not alone. There are many groups in our community doing their bit to bring people together.

But the Commission has called on the Government to play a bigger part in tackling the problem.

They point to the cost of loneliness to the nation, suggesting the cost to employers is as much as £2.5 billion a year.

The Government can play a part in galvanising key players, but it can’t solve the loneliness problem.

That, put simply, is down to us.

If you do one thing this Christmas, please keep a friendly eye on relative, friends and neighbours.

It could save a life.