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Watch the video below to see the impact of this years campaign!
About us
Marmalade Trust is a UK charity with an international reach. Our mission is to create a society where we recognise that loneliness exists and support each other to find new social connections.
We aim to increase understanding that loneliness is a natural human emotion that we will all experience at some point in our lives. We see it as both a signal and an opportunity to increase social connections that enrich all our lives. We are here to support people in this journey.
A recent joint survey between Marmalade Trust and neighbourhood app Nextdoor revealed that 85% of Brits had experienced loneliness in the past year, with 44% feeling chronically lonely. By increasing our understanding and awareness of loneliness, we can better manage our emotions and support others to do the same.
What is Loneliness Awareness Week?
Loneliness Awareness Week, launched in 2017, aims to open up conversations about loneliness, raise awareness, and reduce stigma. After years of disconnection, we wanted to help rebuild our sense of community and belonging. For the first time since 2019, we supported in person events and activities alongside our digital campaign, reaching more people globally.
Loneliness Awareness Week grows in momentum each year, and we're thrilled to have worked this year with representatives worldwide to create supportive communities and spread our messaging further.
Our campaign in numbers
The total PR reach was 151.4 million people
We reached 268 million potential impressions
86% of people felt more valued and connected as a result of the campaign
Almost 25,000 visits to our websites
1,507 UK and global connection building events and initiatives
96% of people would take part in LAW again
Shouting it from the rooftops!
Our media reach this year saw a colossal surge to 151.4 million as we were featured by The Times, Stylist Magazine, numerous local councils, Hello!, Black Country Radio, BBC UK, Yahoo1 News, Reader's Digest, Bristol Mayor, the Government departments, Foreign Affairs NZ, WDBJ, UK News Group, Radio Woking, Bradford Radio, BBC Points West Radio and well over a hundred more.
Choir of the Earth
brought 416 people together to learn, record and perform Louis Armstrong's 'What a Wonderful World' online.
TogetherCo.
united over 100 individuals from diverse communities with their 'Pier2Peer' event inspiring them to pledge togetherness and engage with their local community.
Connections at the Capitol
This year we went global! Partners from fantastic loneliness organisations across the world joined the campaign, including an event at Capitol Hill, Washington D.C.
Summer Party
Marmalade Trust hosted a summer party in the sunshine with 45 members from our community, many of whom met their volunteers for the first time. Read more about the event here.
Kindred
held a week-long in-person celebration, TogethernessFest, dedicated to rekindling human connections and forging physical bonds through daytime socials, club nights, talks and brunches. Partners included London Writers’ Salon, West London Queer Project and How Mental.
City Girl Network
spread the word with their 110K global network, created a Loneliness Awareness Week landing page on their website, and hosted 9 events to create opportunities for new connections.
Sky
brought smiles to Leeds with a special Ashes Cricket 2023 screening and pub lunch for guests from their befriending service, including local charities and a cricket legend. Through various internal digital initiatives, they also encouraged their 15K+ staff to live more connected lives.
Connection Matters Conference
Reach and Connect Haringey themed their conference around our campaign, bringing policymakers, professionals and the public together to address the issue of loneliness at a local level.
British Deaf Association
delivered a series of live-streamed events on different aspects of loneliness, how to reduce the feeling of loneliness and what support is available for deaf people if they are feeling lonely.
Tonic Housing
Tonic Housing invited businesses Knight Frank and Wiser to learn about isolation and loneliness within Older LGBT+ communities. Brave stories were shared as part of their aim to create an inclusive and vibrant LGBT+-affirming retirement community.
Say Hello Benches
Coseley organisations sparked over 100 conversations by inviting park-goers to 'Say Hello' as well as creating pom poms for loneliness. This led to increased community engagement and people joining new local activities.
Your feedback made us smile...
Partnerships
We're excited to have partnered with neighbourhood app Nextdoor on groundbreaking research, released at the start of our campaign. To coincide with Loneliness Awareness Week, The Cares Family and Lonely Not Alone unveiled their latest initiatives.
Our collaborations spanned Sky, Famileo, Choir of the Earth, TogetherCo, Charity Retail Association, Eden Communities, Camerados, and NatWest, among many others.
We're grateful for the collective effort of these fantastic organisations, businesses, communities, and individuals and their wonderful feedback:
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Contact us
If you'd like to get in contact with our team directly, send us an email at info@marmaladetrust.org. We'd love to hear from you.