Childline founder says Christmas is ‘especially cruel’ to the old and lonely
Loneliness hurts year round, but Christmas can be especially cruel to older people on their own, Dame Esther Rantzen has said.
The Childline founder, 77, said: “People have memories of Christmases full of light, laughter, warmth and company.
“Now, to be on your own, bombarded with ‘happy families’ adverts, with a frozen ready meal for dinner and noone to talk to ... the comparisons are so harsh.”
The grandmother-of-five points to her service the Silver Line, which gives over-55s a friendly voice around the clock and is inundated over the festive season.
Since its 2013 launch, the service has answered more than 1.6 million calls, offering weekly telephone chats and a pen-pal style letters’ exchange. About two-thirds of its calls come overnight and on weekends when other services are closed.
Dame Esther said she was inspired to create the charity after writing about her own feelings of despair following the death of her husband.
The former TV presenter said: “I was greeted with such a huge response. Putting something into words people feel reluctant to admit can open the floodgates.
“At 71, I was living on my own for the first time and hating it because whatever you did during the day you came home to an empty flat – sometimes cold, always dark.”