Scotland’s Baby Box has been refreshed in time for its fifth anniversary. The new look box has updated clothing designs and now includes a baby toothbrush to support early oral health.
Every newborn in Scotland is entitled to a Baby Box, with around 222,450 delivered to families since the scheme began in August 2017.
Speaking during a visit to APS (Group) Scotland in Edinburgh, who pack and distribute the box, Children’s Minister Clare Haughey said: “As every parent knows, the costs associated with having a baby are significant.
“Household budgets are under increasing pressure from the rising cost of living, so it is reassuring to know that all families in Scotland, regardless of their circumstances, have access to essential items needed for the first six months of their newborn’s life.
“Uptake for the Baby Box has grown to about 98% since it was introduced in 2017. As we head towards the fifth anniversary, I am proud that the Baby Box continues to support newborns and their families.”
Chief Dental Officer Tom Ferris said: “I am really pleased to see a toothbrush included in the Baby Box for the first time.
“Good oral habits are essential to achieving excellent mouth health, and this will allow us to support families in achieving this from the very beginning of life.”
Beverley Walsh, Head of Services at APS Group (Scotland), said: ““The Baby Box initiative has created sustainable employment opportunities for local people, where possible supporting targeted groups.
“We work with training organisations, local schools and colleges, with the Baby Box supporting up to four modern apprenticeship positions and work experience placements each year.”
Police are appealing for information following an incident on Portobello Promenade on Sunday, 5 June.
Around 11.30pm, a woman was running along the Promenade when she saw the man who shouted at her. His behaviour alarmed the woman and she reported the matter to police.
The man is described as white, in his late 40s to early 50s. He was wearing a dark coloured jacket, light coloured trousers, a grey coloured flat cap. He had stubble and spoke with a local accent.
Constable Deering said: “We have been reviewing CCTV footage from this and the surrounding area, however, we have been unsuccessful in identifying this man and are asking members of the public to think back and consider if they were in the Promenade area between 11pm and midnight that Sunday.
“If you have any information, please do get in touch with us. Any small detail could assist us in our enquiries.”
Anyone with information is asked to call Police Scotland via 101, quoting incident number, 0010 of 6 June 2022.
Record investment of almost £8.5 billion was committed to support low income households between 2018-22, with almost £3.3 billion benefitting children.
The fourth annual progress report on child poverty, published yesterday, shows that all of the actions committed as part of the first Tackling Child Poverty Delivery Plan, Every Child, Every Chance, have been delivered.
The plan focused on three drivers of child poverty reduction – work and earnings, social security and household costs – and on the six priority family types at greatest risk of poverty, including lone parent families and families with a disabled adult or child.
Key achievements over the life of the plan (2018-22) include:
introduction of the Scottish Child Payment, with more than 1.2 million payments between February 2021 and March 2022 – a £58.6 million investment
increase in the number of real Living Wage accredited employers, with the proportion of people earning the real Living Wage or more rising from 80.6% in 2018 to 85.6% in 2021
increase in the funded hours for Early Learning and Childcare from 600 hours in 2018 to 1,140 hours in August 2021, saving families up to £4,900 per eligible child in 2021
delivery of 35,095 affordable homes, 25,562 of which were for social rent – supporting an estimated 11,585 households with children into affordable housing between 2018-22
extension of concessionary travel to all under 22s, with approximately 930,000 young people eligible for support – saving families up to £3,000 by the time their child turns 18
expansion of universal free school meals to children in primaries 4 and 5, saving families around £400 per child and increasing School Clothing Grant to at least £120 for eligible primary school children and £150 for those in secondary school in 2021
Social Justice Secretary Shona Robison said: “Over the last four years, we have strengthened the foundations of support for children and families and used our powers to support those most in need, particularly with the introduction of our new social security system.
“We are now supporting low income households, carers and helping disabled people lead independent lives through 12 benefits, seven of which are entirely new and not available anywhere else in the UK.
“We have made progress despite significant challenges. The pandemic and the continued impact of UK Government welfare reforms has disproportionately impacted the most disadvantaged and been severe. And, of course, households are all now facing the current cost of living crisis.
“That is why we remain determined to continue with our national mission to tackle child poverty. Our second Tackling Child Poverty Delivery Plan for 2022-26, Best Start, Bright Futures, is ambitious and has a range of actions to support families both immediately and in the long term to deliver change.
“We will also continue to call on the UK Government to reverse their welfare reforms, including the two-child limit. Analysis shows that reversing them would put an estimated £780 million in the pockets of Scottish households in 2023-24 and help to lift 70,000 people out of poverty, including 30,000 children.”
INSTITUT FRANÇAIS D’ÉCOSSE ANNOUNCES FRINGE PROGRAMME
The Institut français d’Écosse is proud to announce the full programme of its 11th edition of Vive le Fringe!
Bringing up on stage some theatre, music and dance, our exciting programme celebratesthe significance of cross-cultural exchanges between France and Scotland.
She has a mesmerizing voice. She is Scottish but sings in French. Each year, she makes us travel through time and French music. The one and only Christine Bovill will return this year to the French Institute in Scotland with her latest show “Paris, From Piaf to Pop”.
Travelling into the 60s and the Americanisation of French music, this show offers a delicious celebration of the Golden Age of French song and how it evolved during the Swinging Sixties.
Stevenson meets the French touch! The French duo Fergessen presents “Stevensongs”. Setting to music some of the most beautiful poems and letters by Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson, the duo creates a live synthetic folk atmosphere, where text and music intertwine. An echo chamber for Stevenson’s words to ring both in English and in French. Here starts a sensitive journey towards inner and faraway places.
Luxembourg-based theatre company Purple Soup Crew will be premiering their latest play “S-ex-iety” this Summer. How come that if millions of people watch porn, we hardly ever talk about it? S-ex-iety is the story of three roommates, Honey, Missy and Babe that come into contact with the adult industry.
Each of them has a different point of view on this subject and obviously, this will lead to many discussions. Without moralising or unveiling the dark sides of the porn industry, the play also raises contemporary issues, while using a good amount of humour.
This Summer, we will dance with Constant Vigier & Sonia Killmann bringing their latest show “Bamboozled”. Sonia Killmann is a saxophone player and sonic artist from Belgium. Constant Vigier is a French dancer and choreographer drawing his influence from his training at Paris Opera Ballet School. Combining live dance, live music, and projections, Bamboozled is a dialogue between its parts in equal measure.
Lastly, we are delighted to welcome the Scottish cult legend Jesse Rae. Known as the Scotland Funk Ambassador, Jesse Rae began his career in the 70s when he moved to the USA and became close to leading soul artists. Jesse Rae wrote many songs full of Scots words and sings with a thick Scottish accent.
Coming to the Fringe with his show “Vive Funk”, Jesse Rae will celebrate William Wallace’s victory against the English troops with powerful Funk music and outlandish staging.
ARGET OVARIAN CANCER LEAD MARCH TO DOWNING STREET TO DEMAND GOVERNMENT TAKE ACTION ON THE OVARIAN CANCER AWARENESS CRISIS
“Enough is enough.” These are the words etched onto paper by over 20,000 people in an open letter, published by Target Ovarian Cancer, urging the government to take action on the ovarian cancer awareness crisis –a disease which kills 11 women every day.
Target Ovarian Cancer campaigners marched to Number 10 Downing Street yesterday to amplify the voices of thousands of people who have signed the open letter demanding that the government take urgent action to save lives.
This momentous milestone – the first time thousands have come together to call on the government in this way – comes following the alarming findings of the charity’s latest research which revealed that four out of five women could not name the key symptom of ovarian cancer, persistent bloating.
This is in addition to the Ovarian Cancer Audit Feasibility Pilot which revealed 14% of women diagnosed in England between 2013 and 2018 died within two months of diagnosis, and 30% died within the first year.
The open letter has been led by Target Ovarian Cancer – the UK’s leading ovarian cancer charity that improves early diagnosis, funds life-saving research and provides much-needed support to everyone affected by ovarian cancer.
As there is no current effective screening process for ovarian cancer, knowing the symptoms – persistent bloating, abdominal pain, feeling full quickly, and needing to wee more urgently – is essential to survival and early diagnosis.
Annwen Jones OBE, Chief Executive of Target Ovarian Cancer, said:“At Target Ovarian Cancer, we know that there is a huge crisis in ovarian cancer awareness and diagnosis and are overwhelmed by the strength of support our open letter has received.
“It’s extremely sobering to see over 20,000 people come together to demand that the government take immediate action to save lives. 20,000 voices cannot be ignored.
“The reality is that too many people are dying as not enough is being done to make the symptoms of ovarian cancer known. The reality is that diagnosis is coming too late because of this. The reality is that we need the government’s support to reach anyone who could be diagnosed early with this disease in order to save lives.
The open letter tells the government what is needed to combat the crisis: dedicated ovarian cancer symptoms awareness campaigns across the UK.
One supporter who joined fellow Target Ovarian Cancer’s campaigners is Annie Griffin, who was diagnosed with stage Ia mucinous ovarian cancer – a rare type of ovarian cancer – in 2020.
Annie added:“If we don’t share our ovarian cancer experiences with our MPs how will they know what we go through? How can we expect change if we don’t speak up?
“The weeks and months that it took to get diagnosed and finally understand what was wrong with me took their toll. I genuinely thought it was middle age, perimenopause, and fibroids. Nothing rang alarm bells, and I don’t want that to happen to other women. That’s why we need more awareness around ovarian cancer, that’s why I’m on a mission to help make that happen.”
The charity was outside Westminster today on behalf of 20,000 people, demanding the government take urgent action on the ovarian cancer awareness crisis.
Della Ogunleye, 60 from London, who was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2019, also attended the open letter hand in, added:“Target Ovarian Cancer amplifies our voices.
“Together, we can reach places and have conversations that we may not be able to achieve alone. The saying goes, if you want to go fast go alone, if you want to go far go together.
“We need greater awareness of symptoms now. By standing together our voices will be louder.”
To find out more about Target Ovarian Cancer or access its support line visit:
Allies will discuss future of NATO at Madrid Summit, as the Alliance seeks to agree a plan for a new decade of growing threats and great power competition.
Allies will discuss future of NATO at Madrid Summit, as the Alliance seeks to agree a plan for a new decade of growing threats and great power competition
UK defence spending projected to reach 2.3% of GDP this year due to UK defence industry investment and £1.3bn of extraordinary support for Ukraine
PM will announce new UK military commitments to NATO, protecting people throughout the alliance in the face of the evolving threat from Russia
Defence budget currently sustains 390,000 industry jobs across the UK, with the UK invested more in defence than any other European country
The PM will urge NATO allies to invest more to modernise defence and restore deterrence in Europe, warning that the decade ahead is likely to be more dangerous and competitive than the last, at the Summit of NATO leaders beginning in Madrid today (Wednesday).
The UK has played a key role in shaping the new NATO Strategic Concept which will be agreed at the Summit. The strategy highlights the evolving and growing threats which the Alliance faces and sets out how NATO can meet them and keep our people safe.
This builds on the work of the UK’s Integrated Review, published last year, which underscored the need to modernise our Armed Forces and develop UK and NATO defence and security capabilities across land, sea, air and cyberspace and invest in new technologies.
On the back of that review the Prime Minister announced the biggest increase to UK defence spending since the Cold War – an investment which has kickstarted a wholesale transformation programme for our military to meet new threats.
Speaking at the Madrid Summit, the PM will argue that NATO allies will need to commit the resources need to deliver on the new Strategic Concept as the security environment is more dangerous since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Since 2006 the UK, along with other NATO members, has committed to spend 2% of GDP on defence in order to protect our people and work to ensure peace and prosperity.
The UK has met the 2% NATO target every year since its inception and remains the leading defence spender in Europe. At the Wales NATO summit of 2014, allies agreed to work toward the 2% target by 2024.
The PM has welcomed the fact that many allies are now stepping up with increased commitments, including support for Ukraine. But the PM has warned that there is more to be done in the decade ahead as NATO begins work on setting new targets for the future.
Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine has shattered peace in Europe, and permanently reconfigured the geopolitical contours of our continent. Both the UK and NATO must adapt to meet new and increased threats to our shared security. That means ensuring that there is long-term investment but also being ready to surge defence spending to adapt to crises and urgent needs.
In addition to long-term investment, since the start of the war the UK has so far provided £1.3bn in extraordinary military support to Ukraine for its self-defence, and deployed more troops to NATO’s eastern flank and increased our contributions to NATO’s air policing and standing naval groups.
Today at NATO the Prime Minister will announce a number of new UK commitments to strengthen the Alliance, including expanding our national headquarters in Estonia to ensure we could provide rapid reinforcements with our high readiness forces if needed, and further increasing the lethality of our forces already based in Estonia through the deployment of capabilities such as artillery, air defence and helicopters.
The PM will also commit to reinforce NATO’s New Force Model through the UK’s world-leading capabilities in land, air and sea – including almost all our maritime forces, extra Fighter and Bomber Air Squadrons and increasing the number of Land Brigade-sized units.
This will help NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Europe plan for any eventuality, knowing that he has the weight of UK defence capability behind him.
These investments, plus the unprecedented surge of support to Ukraine, are projected to increase the percentage of GDP the UK spends on defence this year to around 2.3% – making the UK again the leading European defence spender this year.
As well as keeping us safe, the UK’s defence budget creates and sustains 390,000 UK jobs, including through nearly £20 billion of investment into UK industries every year. 1 in every 130 UK jobs are created by our defence budget. Most of these are high-paying, skilled jobs with an average salary of £45,000.
This includes:
29,800 jobs across the UK, including 13,500 in the Northwest of England, created by the Dreadnought submarine programme
24,000 jobs supported by our shipbuilding industry
300 jobs in Rosyth and elsewhere created by a £30m contract to maintain our two aircraft carriers
More than 100 jobs created in Stevenage, Cowes, Bristol and Bolton by a £300m project to make the UK the first European nation to operate a Maritime Ballistic Missile Defence detect and destroy capability
Our ‘proud record’ on defence has also built a thriving UK defence export industry, which exports an average of £3.75bn worth of equipment around the world – helping to keep our allies safe.
Addressing NATO today, the Prime Minister is expected to say: “The NATO Alliance keeps our people safe every day. But over the next ten years the threats around us are only going to grow. We need allies – all allies – to dig deep to restore deterrence and ensure defence in the decade ahead. The 2% was always meant to be a floor, not a ceiling and allies must continue to step up in this time of crisis.
“I remain incredibly proud of the immense contribution Defence makes to the UK and the world. Defence of the realm is the first order of any Government. But more than that, defence lies at the beating heart of the United Kingdom.
“Almost every family knows someone who has served our country or worked in our thriving defence industry. Moments of national joy are observed from the skies by our incredible Red Arrows, moments of national mourning are flanked by our men and women in uniform.
“And as we think about crafting a future in which the people of the UK are safe and prosperous, we must again turn to defence. To neglect the needs of our Armed Forces is to neglect our country.”
To fully address the threats of the future the UK is investing in long-term strategic projects like AUKUS and Future Combat Air System. These involve cutting-edge technologies which the UK defence industry will be tasked with developing for years to come – bolstering alliances and creating and sustaining jobs across the UK.
In 2014, at NATO’s Wales Summit, allies committed to the Wales Defence Investment Pledge to invest 2% of GDP in defence by 2024. Between 2014 and 2022 European allies and Canada are expected to spend a total of $350 billion extra in real terms on defence. The UK has led the way, from securing the Wales Pledge to investing $34,741 million more in defence since 2014.
But, as the Government recognised in the Integrated Review, the costs of staying safe and secure are rising. At the NATO Summit today, the Prime Minister will urge allies to start discussions on a new target for defence investment from 2024.
In recent weeks a number of NATO members have agreed to increase their defence spending in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. They include Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Slovenia, Romania and Poland. Poland will spend 3% of its GDP on defence from next year.
PM to tell G7 leaders: We must keep up our resolve on Ukraine
Prime Minister Boris Johnson will tell G7 leaders that any sign of fatigue or wavering in Western support for Ukraine will play directly into President Putin’s hands.
PM will tell major summit of democratic leaders that President Zelenskyy needs western backing more than ever
Meeting in Germany an opportunity for Western leaders to demonstrate to Ukraine, Russia and the world that we will support Ukraine for as long as it takes
UK is ready to guarantee another half a billion dollars in loans to the Ukrainian Government, bringing total UK economic and humanitarian support to over £1.5bn
Any sign of fatigue or wavering in Western support for Ukraine will play directly into President Putin’s hands, the Prime Minister will tell world leaders this week at the first in-person gathering of G7 leaders since Putin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The first few weeks and months of the Ukrainian resistance have been characterised by overwhelming global unity and a huge surge of support for the Ukrainian people. It is essential that this is sustained for the long term. Russia’s behaviour and the atrocities Putin is committing must not become normalised in the eyes of the world.
During his second visit to Kyiv since the outbreak of war last week, the Prime Minister spoke to President Zelenskyy about the urgent needs of the Ukrainian Government. This includes military support, opening up the routes out of the country blockaded by the Russian military and urgent financial support to allow the Ukrainian state to function.
The Ukrainian Government fears it could run out of funding by the autumn unless it is given urgent financial help. To help with this pressing need the UK stands ready to provide another $525 million (or £429 million) in guarantees for World Bank lending later this year.
The new support announced today brings the total amount of fiscal support including UK loan guarantees to £1.3 billion ($1.5 billion) and the combined UK economic and humanitarian support to Ukraine to £1.5 billion ($1.8 billion) this year.
President Zelenskyy will virtually address the G7 Summit today. Following his address, the Prime Minister will use an intervention at the Summit to rally support for Ukraine.
He will encourage all G7 countries to back Ukraine in the long-term, building on the significant pledges already made since February.
The Prime Minister said: “Future generations will be awed and inspired by the truly heroic Ukrainian resistance in the face of Putin’s barbarism.
“Ukraine can win and it will win. But they need our backing to do so. Now is not the time to give up on Ukraine.
“The UK will continue to back Ukraine every step of the way, because we know that their security is our security, and their freedom is our freedom.”
UK loan guarantees are playing an important role in closing Ukraine’s financing gap, enabling Multilateral Development Banks like the World Bank to lend far more than they otherwise could to the Ukrainian Government. This lending is covering costs like Ukrainian public sector wages, and the running of schools and hospitals.
These investments will help preserve the Ukrainian state. The UK only covers the cost of the loan if the Ukrainian Government is unable to pay. They are therefore both an investment in Ukraine’s strategic resilience and an expression of confidence in the country’s future.
Without international support, the Ukrainian Government would be forced to pursue paths which compromise their macro-economic stability and long-term economic security, including running down reserves and printing money. Policies like these would directly lead to mass inflation and humanitarian catastrophe in the country.
Saturday 18th June, 6pm-8pm, St Ninians former opencast mine site, off Junction 4 of the M90
Sunday 19th June, 2pm-4pm
Site is signposted and accessed via the B914, west of the M90.
A stunning event to mark the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee and hosted by TV presenter, magician and comedian, Stephen Mulhern (pictured) is taking place on Saturday 18th and Sunday 19th June at St Ninians, near the village of Kelty.
The Platinum Jubilee Youth Spectacular will be held in a newly constructed arena, located at the former mine site
The event is being organised by local Events Manager, Michael Boyle and the former Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo impresario, Brigadier Sir Melville Jameson.
Performers include:
· The Imps Motorcycle Display Team, the world’s foremost youth display team
· Katie Robertson, the award-winning ‘Wheeled Piper’
· Massed pipes and drums from Scottish schools
· Massed military bands
· The musical skills of the massed army cadet force brass bands
· Highland dancing displays and other dancers
· The world-famous Red Hot Chilli Pipers
Stephen Mulhern, hosting the event, said: “I am incredibly excited to be hosting this amazing event. Bringing together a fabulous line-up of young talented performers on what was a former coal mining site is truly awe-inspiring.
“This will be a truly inspiring spectacular event.”
Irene Bisset, Chair of National Pride UK, said: “We are delighted to be sponsoring this spectacular event to celebrate Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee. It brings together an incredible range of some of Scotland’s top performers in the stunning setting of St Ninians, showcasing the amazing skills of our young people.
“The local communities are coming together to show great support for what we are sure will be a fantastic celebration and a brilliant event for all the family to enjoy. We look forward to welcoming everyone onto St Ninians and having a great weekend of fun.
“Those attending this extravaganza are in for a real treat.”
Three thousand art packs for refugees and asylum seekers have been made by the National Galleries of Scotland (NGS) thanks to support from players of People’s Postcode Lottery. Intended as a warm welcome to people arriving in Scotland who have fled conflict or persecution, they are being gifted in partnership with several charities and local authorities.
A large group of Ukrainian children and young people recently picked up their packs at an art workshop at the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art.
Organised by NGS and Dnipro Kids, a charity which supports orphanage children from Ukraine, activities across the day included an introduction to painting with their new watercolour sets, clay sculpture making and exploring the gallery spaces.
Thousands of the packs have been shared among other charities, including Aberlour Scottish Guardianship Service, Scottish Refugee Council, SCOREscotland, Cyrenians and The Welcoming. Local authorities across the country have also assisted in distributing the art materials to refugees and asylum seekers in their areas.
The packs contain 10 high-quality postcards showing artworks from the national collection, specially chosen for the children and young people receiving the packs. The images were selected with the intention of providing hope, to spark their curiosity and to introduce them to Scottish culture.
For instance, Una and the Lion (c. 1860) by William Bell Scott draws on the story of a brave young girl undertaking a frightening journey on her own. The packs also contain a sketchbook, pencil, colouring pens, a watercolour set and paint brush.
Sir John Leighton, Director-General of the National Galleries of Scotland, said: “It is a privilege for the National Galleries of Scotland to play a small part in extending a warm welcome to the people who will receive the art packs, and we very much hope they enjoy getting creative with them.
“We are also grateful to the charity and local authority partners who are helping us with distribution. We would welcome hearing from other such organisations should they be interested in requesting art packs for their beneficiaries.”
Steven Carr, Chair of Dnipro Kids said: “We’re very grateful to the National Galleries for their help. This art packs and visit have been wonderfully stimulating for the kids, who have enjoyed themselves immensely.
“The welcome and kindness from the people of Scotland continues to amaze us all, and this is another example of how people have opened their hearts to our group.”
Laura Chow, Head of Charities at People’s Postcode Lottery said; “We are pleased that players of People Postcode Lottery support the National Galleries of Scotland in extending a warm welcome to children and young people forced to flee from danger in their home countries.
“We hope the art packs offer all recipients the opportunity to spend some time getting creative as they settle in here in Scotland.”
Research also finds that young people, disabled people and the LGBTQ community at higher risk of chronic loneliness
Ministers across a range of Government departments to launch a renewed effort to tackle loneliness as part of national recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic
New research published today by the Government has identified direct links between chronic loneliness and mental health distress.
The findings, which coincide with the start of Loneliness Awareness Week, analysed mental health wellbeing and the impacts of loneliness over a sustained period, with results showing that chronic loneliness played a significant role in the onset and continuation of mental health distress.
The analysis also shows that mental health distress can play a significant role in the onset and continuation of chronic loneliness. Chronic loneliness is defined as people reporting they ‘often’ or ‘always’ feel lonely.
It suggests that targeted early intervention may play a more significant role in combating the effects of loneliness on mental health in the short term.
The Minister for Civil Society and Youth will now bring together ministers from a range of government departments to drive forward a renewed effort to tackle loneliness. The group will develop a delivery plan which will draw on this new evidence and set out new government action on loneliness early next year.
It will build on the 2018 Tackling Loneliness Strategy and the Government’s work to tackle loneliness during the pandemic through its £750 million charity funding package.
Minister for Civil Society and Youth Nigel Huddleston said: “Loneliness can affect all of us and the research published today highlights that young and disabled people, alongside those with long-term health conditions, are disproportionately affected by loneliness.
“As we start Loneliness Awareness Week I encourage everyone to reach out to someone they think may be feeling alone or isolated.
“The Government prioritised tackling loneliness through the pandemic and we will now redouble our efforts to protect those most at risk.”
Since the strategy for tackling loneliness was launched in 2018, the Government has continued to play a world-leading role, including appointing the first ever Minister for Loneliness.
It has joined forces with a range of charitable partners to invest over £50 million pounds to help tackle the issue, with funding helping thousands of people to connect through the things that matter to them.
The independent research from the National Centre for Social Research was compiled from data encompassing over 35,000 people aged 16 and over from 2013/14 to 2019/20. As part of the study, researchers looked at what types of people were vulnerable to loneliness, whether risk factors for loneliness had changed, the relationship between mental wellbeing and loneliness, and what factors alleviated loneliness in the short term.
The new findings show that, in addition to the link between loneliness and mental health distress, specific groups of people are more vulnerable to the effects of loneliness:
Young people between 16-34 were found to be particularly at risk, with research showing they were at five times greater risk of chronic loneliness than those aged 65 or older. Drivers of loneliness in young people were identified as negative social experiences, such as bullying from peers and siblings and arguments with parents.
People with a disability or long standing health condition were 2.9 times more likely to experience chronic loneliness, and were less likely to move out of loneliness than those without a disability.
Those in the LGBTQ community were also disproportionately affected, with people who identified as gay or lesbian 1.4 times more likely to be lonely, and people who identified as bisexual 2.5 times more likely to be lonely.
Those in the lowest income quintile were 50 per cent more likely to experience chronic loneliness when compared with the wealthiest quintile.
Minister for Mental Health Gillian Keegan said: “Loneliness is a growing issue – and this research emphasises the continued need to ensure those feeling lonely can access the resources they need.
“We’re accelerating the rollout of mental health support teams in schools and expanding community services for adults and young people to make sure everyone can access support, as well as providing helpful advice and resources on the Every Mind Matters website.
“We’ve also recently opened a call for evidence to gather views from the public to inform a new 10-year mental health plan which will focus on ensuring the nation is in positive mental wellbeing.”
Dr Sokratis Dinos, Director of Health at the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen), said: This research highlights the significant relationship between loneliness and mental health. People experiencing chronic loneliness were shown in our study to be nearly four times more likely than people without chronic loneliness to be in mental distress.
“Poor mental health can lead to difficulties connecting with others, social withdrawal and loneliness, while loneliness can equally contribute to poor mental health.
“Our research highlights the benefit of targeted support for people at different life stages, and community based activities for people with shared interests to improve outcomes.”
During the pandemic, the Government made tackling loneliness a priority by allocating loneliness as a specific target category in the Government’s £750 million charity funding package.
The Government continues to encourage people to ‘lift someone out of loneliness’ as part of the Better Health: Every Mind Matters campaign, emphasising the benefits of social connection this Loneliness Awareness Week.
