Not everyone will have a happy Christmas this year and the Church must pay attention to those feeling isolated

Kat Osborn, CEO at Safe Families, reveals a new course to help Christians join the fight to end loneliness in our communities. 

The UK is in a loneliness epidemic. The ONS found that a shocking one in twenty adults feel lonely often or always, and according to research published in the journal PLOS Medicine, it’s as dangerous as smoking 15 cigarettes a day.

Research from Kings College has found that young people who are often lonely are twice as likely to have mental health problems such as anxiety or depression, and it doesn’t stop there, because a separate study from the Campaign to End Loneliness suggested that loneliness increases the risk of early mortality by 26%. 

As this feeling of isolation sweeps our nation, the Church must pay attention. It is estimated that up to two million adults across the UK are suffering from loneliness, so it is imperative that we seek an antidote to this endemic issue.

It is important to recognise that loneliness holds no regard for age, status, role, or religious belief and Christians aren’t immune. Many Christians are deeply lonely despite their personal relationship with Jesus.