YEP says: Time to talk about Loneliness in Leeds

Prime Minister Theresa May with Jo Cox's sister Kim Leadbeater during a meeting at a social group in London run by a charity working to combat loneliness at the launch of the first loneliness strategy in October last year. . Launching the strategy, Mrs May confirmed English GPs will be able to refer lonely people to community and voluntary activities by 2023, as she paid tribute to murdered Labour MP Jo Cox, who had campaigned to end loneliness before her death.

Loneliness is a modern-day plague, which is silently and stealthily destroying lives across our country.

The late Batley and Spen MP Jo Cox, set up a commission for loneliness before she was murdered, three years ago yesterday.

Leeds West MP Rachel Reeves, took up the baton when she led a Parliamentary group to look at loneliness. Today marks the start of Loneliness Awareness Week, with a campaign being launched by Loneliness Minister Mims Davies which aims to encourage people to speak out.

Let’s Talk Loneliness is the name of the movement which brings together a host of charities and organisations - including the Jo Cox Foundation - to help and encourage people to talk about their feelings and seek help to stop loneliness.

Loneliness, and the effects it has on people’s lives, needs to be recognised. Whilst the Leeds survey was small in number - just over 2,000 people answered questions in a new YouGov poll, just over half reported feeling lonely.

Loneliness does not discriminate - age, sex or background is no barrier to feeling lonely - although children living in poverty are twice as likely to be lonely and it seems younger people are more likely to say they have felt lonely than those over 55.

There are things we can do to tackle this, and we owe it to Jo to do just that.