Loneliness Awareness Week Launches For 5th Year

A charity dedicated to raising awareness of loneliness is getting ready to launch its 5th Loneliness Awareness Week, to encourage people to talk openly and honestly about loneliness. Loneliness Awareness Week has a theme of acceptance this year and will take place from the 14th – 18th June. This year’s initiative will see a collaboration with the Department of Culture, Media and Sport and The Great Get Together, as well as businesses like Direct2Florists, who’s 900 members will be offering ‘lonely bouquets’ free to the public during the week.

June 14th – 18th marks the fifth Loneliness Awareness Week, hosted by The Marmalade Trust, which has collaborated with many partners including, the Department of Culture, Media and Sport and The Great Get Together to raise awareness and help remove the stigma of being lonely, whilst also promoting ways for communities and individuals to build more social connections.

The theme of this year’s Loneliness Awareness Week is acceptance. Marmalade Trust is asking everyone to make this the year loneliness is finally accepted as a natural part of being a human being, by supporting the ‘we get lonely’ campaign. A clever play on words, using the word ‘get’ creates a double meaning – ‘do you get lonely?’

Events such as the ‘Lonely Bouquet’ campaign organised by Direct2Florists will take place during the week, which will see 900 florists leave a bouquet outside every day of the week, to be picked up by a member of the public so they can give it to someone in their thoughts.

Last year’s Loneliness Awareness Week saw almost 20,000 organisations, individuals and companies get involved with the campaign. It reached 271.5 million people, with conversations about loneliness taking place every two seconds online on the first day of the campaign.

National figures such as Boris Johnson and the Royal Family expressed their support, along with organisations like the Royal Mail, which printed a Loneliness Awareness Week postmark on all stamped mail during the week.

For more information on the campaign visit: https://www.marmaladetrust.org/law

The Marmalade Trust is committed to creating a society where people freely acknowledge that loneliness can exist, and will actively support those experiencing it to increase their social contact and make new friendships. The Trust offers a vital link between lonely people, communities and resources that can help them, as well as raising awareness of loneliness all year round to help make positive changes within their own lives and communities.

Amy Perrin founder of The Marmalade Trust said,

“There remains so much stigma and shame around talking about loneliness, yet loneliness is a very natural emotion that we are all likely to experience at some point in our lives.  After the last year, we have all seen or directly felt more loneliness than ever before – let’s make this the year we finally accept that loneliness exists and support a positive discussion to increase our understanding.”

Minister for Loneliness, Baroness Barran, said,

“It’s a privilege working with Marmalade Trust for this year’s Loneliness Awareness Week. Feeling lonely can affect all of us, and social connections in local communities can play a huge role in reducing loneliness.

“As we emerge from lockdown, we need to remember that some people will still feel isolated, and loneliness will not simply go away. This is why it remains a priority for us to continue to address the loneliness that has blighted so many lives in the past year.”

Su Moore, CEO of The Jo Cox Foundation, said,

“We’re delighted to partner with the Marmalade Trust for this, the 5th Loneliness Awareness Week. At the Jo Cox Foundation, we believe in the power of connection as one way to reduce loneliness, and our annual Great Get Together will once again begin during Loneliness Awareness Week. We hope that people around the UK use this as an opportunity to come together as we emerge from lockdown, build new connections and support people who may be lonely in their communities.”