Spotlight on Britain’s loneliness epidemic…and a solution

Last week Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt brought the plight of the UK’s loneliness epidemic into the spotlight. Mr Hunt said the “problem of loneliness that in our busy lives we have utterly failed to confront as a society”. He said it is a source of “national shame” that as many as 800,000 people in England are “chronically lonely”.

The media ran heart-breaking personal stories of people who simply have no social contact for weeks on end. It is a serious and urgent public health issue that is costing the state millions of pounds, as well as affecting a tenth of our adult population.

Neighbours and local villages once held communities together, however British adults of all ages are leading increasingly isolated lives. This is often the result of divorce, being widowed, retirement, migration, children leaving home or simply committing the majority of their lives to work. Over 5 million people aged over 45 in England live alone.  Half of all older people (over 5 million) say the television is their main company

However, JellyRock is very pleased to be working with a team of people who have an innovative solution to this problem; a way of helping people to take back control of their lives, mobilising them through social contact, and allowing them to live the lives they deserve.

It’s currently being developed and will be ready to launch in the next couple of months. Watch this space or follow JellyRock on Twitter to find out more!