Loneliness Awareness Week
Created and hosted by Marmalade Trust, our annual campaign raises awareness of loneliness across the UK (and beyond!) and gets people talking about it.
Let's talk loneliness.
Loneliness Awareness Week is a week dedicated to raising awareness of loneliness. It's all about creating supportive communities by having open, honest conversations. Loneliness is a natural human emotion - we are hardwired to need social connections. By talking about it, we can support ourselves and others.
The campaign centres on a powerful message which resonates with many. We've trended on Twitter, reached 271.5 million people in one week with the campaign, and each year we've seen tens of thousands of organisations, charities and individuals get involved, including the Royal Family, the Prime Minister, Major of London, NHS trusts, and all Government departments.
Loneliness Awareness Week 2024
Loneliness Awareness Week 2024 will be held from 10 to 16 June. This year's theme, Random Acts of Connection, encourages everyone to increase those simple, everyday moments of connection which help us feel happier and less lonely. Get involved by hosting or joining an event on the Connection Map, learning about loneliness or making your own #RandomActsOfConnection!
Find out more → lonelinessawarenessweek.org
Why is raising awareness so important?
Whilst we’re seeing an increase in discussion on the subject, stigma remains and there are some key misconceptions that still need to be challenged. Ask anyone to picture a lonely person and most will imagine an older person living on their own. As such, we often rebuke and dismiss feelings of loneliness because ‘that doesn’t apply to me’.
By identifying and acknowledging all the times that we have personally felt and experienced loneliness, we can start to change our viewpoint, accept it and understand how to take action to manage the feeling (and our social connections) in the future.
Stay up to date about Loneliness Awareness Week
We'd love to keep you in the loop with our plans for Loneliness Awareness Week 2024. Sign up below for occasional email updates.