We are pleased to announce that Manchester City Council, the only UK city to receive World Health Organisation’s Age-friendly status, and Sense, the national charity that support and campaign for children and adults who are deafblind, have joined the management group of the Campaign to End Loneliness.

Together with Age UK Oxfordshire, Independent Age and WRVS they will continue to lead our national initiative to raise awareness about and reduce loneliness amongst older people.

Our management group directs and leads the long term work of the Campaign, agreeing strategic direction, planning future activity and monitoring evaluation and budgets. Our team work closely with the management group and we know that they will bring a wealth of knowledge and expertise to our work.

Paul Cann, Chief Executive of Age UK Oxfordshire and founding member of the Campaign explains why he thinks it is important that Manchester City Council and Sense have committed to the work and vision of the Campaign:

“Loneliness endures as our biggest hidden problem. We rightly celebrate our great success in reducing heart disease and other physical ills. Yet we seem less bothered about the equally tragic heartache of so many who lack social connection, and who feel they have no more value to other human beings.

The Campaign to End Loneliness is taking new steps forward to remedy this.  Our new management group members, Sense and Manchester City Council, represent our drive to embrace the widest range of agencies that can truly make a difference.

Sense tackles the extraordinary isolation experienced by the 365,000 people in the country who have severe visual and hearing impairment. Manchester City Council has, locally, nationally and internationally championed the belief that cities should be great places to grow old not (as often happens) places from which older people are excluded, and turned it into reality. Loneliness is everybody’s business in every locality”.

As a partnership-led Campaign we encourage everyone within the disability and local government sectors to recognise the importance of addressing loneliness and help us reach a wider and larger network of organisations and individuals.