Devon launches loneliness campaign ahead of festive period

Thousands of people in Devon, young and old, experience loneliness to some degree, and it can lead to health problems. Launched at the beginning of December and running up to Christmas Eve, Devon County Council is regularly posting helpful advice on social media with each one suggesting different things that people can do to combat loneliness – to help themselves, or to help others in their communities.

Some are small things that we can all do – encouraging people to think of others – but some might take a bit more effort. None though underestimate the scale of the challenge for some.

The campaign was in response to an independent enquiry published by Healthwatch Devon, which was presented to the Healthwatch England national conference in October. For two years, Healthwatch Devon invited representatives from local government, the voluntary and community sector (VCS), and its members and supporters to contribute to this work about social isolation and loneliness.The report is here.

More information about the Devon campaign is here.

Devon’s Charter to End Loneliness

Members of the Devon Health and Wellbeing Board signed Devon’s Charter to End Loneliness at their meeting on 13 December. The Charter sets out how health and wellbeing partners across the Devon system will work together to address the issue of loneliness. Read the Charter here.