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This week Marmalade Trust was invited to the launch of the Government’s much-awaited Loneliness Strategy in Westminster.
Our founder Amy Perrin was amongst a select number of influential names in loneliness who personally implemented into the strategy. Says Amy: “It was a fantastic evening recognising the importance of our work and recognising loneliness as something that is part of our daily lives. I was particularly delighted to see that this strategy has normalised loneliness and has put it on the national agenda.”
The extent of the mental, physical, social and economic effects of loneliness are now being recognised and 2018 has been the year that loneliness has become part of a national conversation. In January the UK announced the appointment of the world’s first Loneliness Minister and earlier this year Prime Minister Theresa May announced that £20 million pounds will be put into raising awareness of loneliness and providing practical solutions.
Amy said: “We are particularly excited to see that one of the major points of the strategy is the need to develop a national campaign raising awareness of loneliness. Marmalade Trust launched the UK’s first Loneliness Awareness Week in 2017. After the initial exceptional interest the campaign has grown year on year to reach an incredible four million people. Loneliness still has a stigma of negativity and it’s hugely important as a society that we realise that we are human beings who need human interaction.
We know first-hand from launching LAW the amazing power of bringing people together to remind them of the importance of connecting.”