Charity's work to fight loneliness

“When I started attending, I had to have someone come in with me and then bring me home because I didn’t have the courage to walk in by myself," she recalls.

Having suffered from a nervous breakdown following the break-up of her marriage, Val was at a desperately low ebb.

"I had gone three months without seeing anyone, I wish I could give you a picture of what I looked like than compared to what I look like now, just to show you how I have changed," she says.

But in just four years, Val has gone from somebody who was afraid to even interact with strangers, to someone who now works as a carer, visiting the elderly and vulnerable in their homes to make sure their needs are taken care of.

She attributes her new-found confidence to the work of the Rockspring Community Centre in Ludlow, where she started volunteering as a gardener.

“They saved my life and gave me my self respect back. Life is good now.”

Val is not alone. A study by The Co-op and the British Red Cross says that more than nine million people in the UK across all adult ages – more than the population of London – are either always or often lonely.

Research by Age UK found that 3.6 million people aged 65 or over said television was their main form of company. A separate poll by Independent Age found more than more than a third of over-75s said their feelings of loneliness were "out of their control".

It is not just the older age group, either. A survey by Action for Children found that 43 per cent of 17–25 year olds who used their service had experienced problems with loneliness, and that of this same group less than half said they felt loved. The charity also found that 24 per cent of parents also said they were always or often lonely.

The disabled and those suffering from Alzheimer's have also been identified as high-risk groups.

"Nobody knows what things are like for people once they shut their door, and they have got nobody to talk to," says Val, 62, who lives in Ludlow.

Val became involved with Rockspring after being approached to help with the garden.

"They asked me because I was a good gardener, but I didn't have any confidence," she says. "But when you get into a group you find people who have suffered the same things. Now I'm the boss, people ask me what to do, it's given me the confidence to meet people. I don't think people realise when you have a breakdown of any sort how bad it is."

Rockspring is one of two community centres run by Shropshire charity The Furniture Scheme, which was originally set up more than 20 years ago to provide recycled furniture for the most excluded people in society. It also runs Craven Arms community centre, and across the two sites offers a range of activities to ensure people do not feel isolated.

Computer courses, carpentry workshops, and gardening groups are all available, and there are holiday schemes for young people, weekly community lunches and a choir.

Chief executive Jean Jarvis says: “Loneliness is a huge problem for many people and can affect anyone at any stage of their life. It’s a massive factor in people’s recovery from illness, grief and injury and can be brought on by a change in lifestyle such as retiring, bereavement or people’s children growing up and moving away.

“Research shows us the impact loneliness can have on a person’s health is comparable to smoking and obesity, so it’s vital we act to try and reduce its effects.

“Here at our centres, we aim to combat loneliness by offering a variety of activities and courses, as well as a place people can come and meet others, have conversations and begin to improve their confidence. We hope people know that we’re here and that they are welcome to come along and see what we have on offer.”

As well as the obvious hardship from those who suffer from loneliness, it is also thought to have a big impact on the economy too. Research commissioned by the Eden Project found that disconnected communities could be costing the UK economy £32 billion every year.

Of course, charities like The Furniture Project are themselves battling to raise funds in these straitened times, but Val says her own experience shows why they are so important.

"If we didn’t have places like Rockspring then what would happen to people like me?," she says. "I would have stayed in the house and got worse. I couldn’t do anything until I came here, I was like a zombie."

Research undertaken as part of the campaign to get people talking about the ‘silent

epidemic’ of loneliness shows a fifth of the population are always or often lonely, but two

thirds of them would never confess that in public.

www.furniturescheme.co.uk

or call 01584 874922 for more information about the

charity.