Dear Friends

Have you ever wondered “Who Cares “This was the title of our most recent publication from Growing compassionate communities? This can be read in 2 ways, firstly as a challenge and secondly as a simple question.

Who Cares? A question to you. Caring is something we can all take for granted. Yet there are many carers who find themselves on the margins of our community. Being a carer can a very lonely place.

However, loneliness can be a place we can all find ourselves. It can be a very painful place to be in , it can be like a prison cell and challenging to find the door. Often the handle can be on the both sides of the door.

Loneliness is perhaps the one most significant single challenge to our communities at this moment in time and a challenge we need to meet head on. Loneliness is very much a key priority of the Growing Compassionate communities. So, what may be the root cause of loneliness?

• Challenging life circumstances like loss of a loved one, and chronic or catastrophic illnesses like diabetes, heart disease, mental illness or cancer can lead to loneliness and isolation.

• Loneliness can have negative effects on mental health, worsening depression, anxiety, mood disorders and cognitive decline, and on physical health,

• Loneliness does not discriminate, and can affect all ages including adolescents, young adults and older adults seem to be particularly at risk as marked by growing incidence of depression, substance abuse, and suicide.

We as a charity are planning to be proactive in addressing the challenge of loneliness and isolation in our communities. We are beginning to do this through our outreach and groups activities. As well as some key projects and events We do have a long way to go but we have made a start.

I will end this message with a quote to ponder

“The most terrible poverty is loneliness and the feeling of being unloved “
Mother Teresa

Go well
Peter Jones: MA FBACP FHEA FRSA
Chair: Growing Compassionate communities