The Salvation Army in the UK and Ireland has launched an online hub to help respond to loneliness and isolation

Through the initiative No One Alone The Salvation Army is seeking to deepen knowledge about loneliness to help promote a more effective response. As well as detailing the organisation’s research, the hub features stories from local corps (Salvation Army churches) and centres about how they are tackling loneliness, together with ideas and resources, to help inspire others.

Nationally about three in five people in the UK say that they ‘sometimes or always’ feel their social relationships are not meaningful, and one in five says they feel chronically lonely or socially isolated.

According to The Salvation Army’s findings, the experience of loneliness is unequal – people who experience discrimination or disadvantage are at greater risk of persistent loneliness. The findings also show that it is heightened among marginalised groups, many of whom are supported by The Salvation Army. These include: carers, disabled people, members of the LGBTQI+ community, older people and homeless people.

Andrew Wileman is the Assistant Director for Older People’s Services at The Salvation Army. He says, “Our relationships – being fully known, understood, and loved – are at the heart of our Christian faith. At The Salvation Army, we are dedicated to facilitating genuine connection, community and friendship around a shared vision of life lived to its fullest in Jesus Christ. I hope that ‘No One Alone’ will empower others with resources and ideas for a renewed mission among those individuals who experience systemic loneliness.”

Among the initiatives highlighted for older people in the No One Alone: Stories section are a Memory Café, a Wellbeing Lounge and a Singing by Heart group.

To read the findings of the report and to find resources and stories, visit the No One Alone hub.

The Salvation Army is one of the signatories of Empowering Communities to Care, a framework proposed by Pilgrims' Friend Society to help local people to care for older and vulnerable people in their midst.