Where: Bristol based, with partner organisations hosting nationwide. 

What: Marmalade Trust is dedicated to raising awareness of loneliness and helping people make new friendships and connections. We launched the first ever Loneliness Awareness Week (LAW) in 2017, which reached over a million people. It placed the extent of loneliness on the national agenda and actively supported those who took part to increase their social contact and make new friendships.

Why: Loneliness and social isolation is something we can’t ignore. As social creatures, we need to attend to our loneliness just as we would eat if we’re hungry. Social connections are fundamental to our daily existence and help give meaning and purpose in our lives. We want LAW to be an occasion where people come together and take actions to connect.

What can you do for LAW 2018?

Everyone can get involved; as an individual, a community, business, public sector organisation or school. Have a think about how you could make connections. We’ve provided some suggestions below:

• Get to know your neighbours: organise a street party or a picnic in your local park or community hall
• Shared lunch: don’t eat your lunch on the go or at your desk, get together with your colleagues to enjoy a shared lunch in your workplace, or dine out
• Make some marmalade tarts or marmalade sandwiches and hold a bake sale or coffee morning
• Call a family member or friend that you haven’t spoken to for a while
• Disconnect to reconnect: if you travel on public transport, put your phone, iPod or Kindle away and start up a conversation with the person sitting next to you
• Small and easy gestures: a simple smile or hello to a stranger could make their day
• Organise a raffle, quiz, sweepstake or talent show as a fundraiser for the Trust
• Sign up to volunteer for us! Do you have a specific skill you can offer?
• Come along to one of our events.

Why the LAW is so important:

We believe everyone will be affected by loneliness at some point in their lives. You may be going through a period of transition e.g. starting school or university, moving home, changing jobs; you may be experiencing friendship changes, live alone, be a parent, widowed, retired, elderly… loneliness can affect people of any age and circumstance. For many, it is a transitory feeling but for others, it can become chronic and have a serious impact on a person’s health and wellbeing. LAW aims to generate positive action to help combat it.