CSAN welcomes launch of Jo Cox Commission on Loneliness
Yesterday saw the launch of the cross-party Jo Cox Commission on Loneliness, which will look for practical solutions to reduce the effects of loneliness on families and individuals. The Labour MP for Batley and Spen had taken the first steps towards setting up a Loneliness Commission before her death last June.
Phil McCarthy, CEO of Caritas Social Action network (CSAN) said: "This is a positive step towards reaching out to those who put themselves in the fifth of the British population who are 'always or often lonely.'
"We welcome the Commission's aim to promote community cohesion and raise awareness of the impact of loneliness on people from all walks of life by encouraging people to do simple things like visit an old friend or strike up a conversation with their neighbour.
"We can all play a role; noticing and including in our parish lives those who might feel isolated in our churches."
A study commissioned by the British Red Cross in partnership with Co-op, found that over nine million people in the UK privately admit they are "always or often lonely."
See: www.redcross.org.uk/%7E/media/BritishRedCross/Documents/What%20we%20do/UK%20services/Co_Op_Trapped_in_a_bubble_report_AW.pdf
Caritas Social Action Network (CSAN) is the social action arm of the Catholic Church in England and Wales. CSAN is a network of 42 charities that work across the field of social action including families and children, prisoners, elderly people and homeless people. More information can be found at: www.csan.org.uk