Its Mental Health Awareness Week next week and this year’s theme is loneliness – something we can all experience at some point in our lives.

We all know the effect that loneliness and social isolation can have, and how it can impact on an individual’s health and wellbeing.

As part of the Better Health: Every Mind Matters Campaign the Department for Digital, Culture, Media, and Sport along with the Department for Health and Social Care are encouraging people to lift someone out of loneliness by taking a simple action to help.

VIN runs a Volunteer Befriender Scheme called Happy at Home which matches those who are lonely with those willing to help. In this way, relationships are forged over time and the crushing reality of loneliness and isolation blunted.

If you know someone who is lonely, or if you want to become a Volunteer Befriender then contact our Happy at Home Team at Debbie.larkins@voluntaryimpact.org.uk or roz.bates@voluntaryimpact.org.uk

Let’s all help to lift someone out of loneliness.