Here at The Courier we believe that no-one, young or old, should feel lonely or isolated. That’s why we’re launching The Courier Community Kindness Campaign today – and we want you to join in.
It’s really easy: all you have to do is cut out the coupon on page 26 of today’s (March 6) paper for a free Courier, and the Spar voucher for a free 300g packet of McVitie’s Rich Tea Classic biscuits, claim your free paper and biscuits, and then take them round to someone in your community you know is on their own. At the same time, you can take the opportunity to ask if they’re OK and if there’s anything you can do to give them a helping hand.
It could be an elderly neighbour, someone recently bereaved, a person with disability who finds it hard to get out, a young mum struggling with a new baby, a war veteran or someone who has recently lost a beloved pet.
A recent report by the Scottish Government reveals poignant real-life stories of older people suffering from extreme negative effects of social isolation and loneliness: the older people who go to their doctor each Monday because they have no-one else for company, a woman so socially isolated she lived without power for months, and young people who can forget what it is like to be in the company of other young people.
And yet sometimes all it takes is a knock at the door and a friendly face asking: “Are you OK?” to open the channels of communication and offer a social lifeline.
Our four-week campaign aims to combat these issues by helping to raise awareness of anyone in Courier Country who might be feeling lonely or isolated, for whatever reason.
Help support our forces veterans by holding out the hand of friendship
David McNeill, head of Recovery North at Help for Heroes, is keen to stress the power of the hand of friendship as loneliness and isolation can be a major problem for the thousands of the wounded, injured and sick veterans they support.
“They may be dealing with mental health challenges, such as depression, anxiety or PTSD or have life-changing physical injuries,” he says.
“Often they have moved back to a place they left years earlier or to a new area altogether, where they don’t have friends or family, to access the housing or support services they need for their recovery. They have lost the friendships, networks and camaraderie that was a significant part of their service career.
“We welcome The Courier Community Kindness Campaign to tackle loneliness and isolation in the community and hope readers will take up the opportunity to make a real difference to someone who is struggling with injury or illness.”
An ever-growing ageing population sadly means there are around 100,000 older people facing loneliness and isolation in Scotland. Keith Robson, CEO of Age Scotland, says: “Imagine not speaking to another human being for a whole month. Most of us would agree that would be pretty tough. Yet that is the stark reality for thousands of older people.
“Loneliness has a profound impact on our quality of life, with serious implications for physical and mental health. We believe that no one should have no one and we know how the value of a simple hello can change and lift someone’s day,” he continues.
“We would encourage readers to take part in The Courier Community Kindness Campaign so you too can help to tackle loneliness in your community.
“We want to inspire people to know that through positive action, they can change the world. What we don’t realise, is that visiting for a cuppa or even saying hello, is the world of difference for someone who is gripped by loneliness.”
Stuart Miller, customer development officer for Meal Makers, which helps older people live independently at home, is also fully behind the campaign. “We were really enthused at Meal Makers to find out about The Courier’s Community Kindness Campaign,” he says.
“Simple solutions to bind communities and combat loneliness are often the most effective. What may begin with a chapping on a neighbour’s door to offer a free Courier could develop into a wonderful friendship.
“This campaign is not a far cry from what we do at Meal Makers as our volunteers (‘cooks’) share extra portions of their home cooking with an older neighbour (‘diners’), and while it is the offer of food that initially connects the cook and diner we often find that a terrific friendship will quickly grow between them,” he continues.
“As an older adults’ organisation we are all too aware of the detrimental effects of loneliness and social isolation, but we are also aware of the fact that loneliness does not discriminate and anyone one can find themselves feeling this way. We applaud The Courier for launching this campaign and hope this will prove an effective way of bringing people together in the spirit of community.”
So make it your good deed for the day to look out for someone and help brighten their day. You never know – this simple gesture might lead to a whole new valued friendship for both of you – and all it took was a knock at the door.
