What we do
The Campaign to End Loneliness works through research, policy, campaigning and innovation to combat loneliness and inspire individuals to keep connected in older age.
In July 2012 the Campaign to End Loneliness was nominated for a Third Sector Excellence Award under the ’Charity Partnership’ category.
Our application for this award gives an overview of our first year, so we have made it available for download.
We run specific projects to both create and inspire change in others:
Loneliness Harms Health campaigns – This 18-month project aims to achieve a commitment to adopting a target to reduce loneliness in health and wellbeing board commissioning plans. We started in April 2012 and work in six local areas, with the learning in each area a model of creating change will be used to influence change in the remainder of the country.
Marianne Symons, our Campaigns Officer, works closely with local people and charities to ensure the voice of older people is heard and loneliness in older age is addressed at a strategic level in our new health system.
This project is based on research that loneliness has an effect on mortality that is similar in size to cigarette smoking and is associated with other mental and physical health conditions, including increased rates of cardiovascular disease, dementia and disability. This project is funded by the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation.
Peer-learning project on combating loneliness – this project, funded by the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, will be a practical resource for organisations working to prevent and alleviate loneliness in older age. It will support providers of services and activities, particularly smaller organisations, and stress the importance of key aspects of addressing loneliness and isolation in older age through case examples.
The development of this project is supported by a wide range of organisations and will invite discussion and co-production from groups who want to share their examples and models of working.
We bring the latest research to a wide audience:
The Research Hub creates a quarterly Research Bulletin to keep all Campaign supporters up to date with the latest research into loneliness and isolation. By working with university academics and practitioners, we identify the gaps in research on the issue and seek to create fill some of those gaps for the benefit of all. You can receive news about the latest research by becoming a supporter of the Campaign here.
We also have plans for a research conference; on the theme of sharing what is known about loneliness in older age. This will be aimed at academics and practitioners from all sectors and will be held on the 9th-10th of July 2012. This work will be a Campaign to End Loneliness conference, co-hosted and led by Age UK Oxfordshire.
We work with others to ensure loneliness is better understood:
We have also worked closely with other organisations to deliver events, information and policy responses, including:
We always work with other organisations to create more momentum and awareness and to draw on and acknowledge their expertise in a particular area of combating loneliness. Our partner organisations have provided in kind support through staff time from strategic, policy, press, communications and events teams.
All of our projects are delivered with other organisations and we welcome working with other organisations in this way to deliver our core outcomes.
