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Daily wins royal praise as it marks five years tackling loneliness

A regional daily has won royal praise as it marks five years campaigning against loneliness on its patch.

The Yorkshire Post launched its ‘Loneliness, The Hidden Epidemic’ campaign in 2014 with two main aims – for loneliness to be universally recognised as a health priority and to encourage readers to volunteer for support services.

Since it began running, the drive has won the support of prominent figures including David Cameron and Theresa May.

The Post marked the campaign’s fifth anniversary last Saturday, with the Duchess of Cornwall becoming its latest high-profile supporter.

Theresa May is among those to have backed the campaign in the past

Theresa May is among those to have backed the campaign in the past

She told the Post: “Everyone knows what it’s like to be lonely occasionally, but for more and more people, crushing loneliness is what happens every moment of every day.

“I have seen for myself, through my links with some of the charities that help older people, how easy it is for the elderly to become isolated: through bereavement, disability – or simply because they live too far from their families.

“But the problem of loneliness is far wider than that. It can affect everyone, of any age, in any walk of life: new mothers, single parents, or young people moving away from their families and friends to find work. We just see the tip of the iceberg.

“We can all play our part with a friendly word, a timely telephone call or visit to a neighbour. But in this busy world, hidden loneliness can go unnoticed which is why I want to congratulate the Yorkshire Post on its fifth year of campaigning for loneliness to be recognised.

“I know that, as a result, the good people of Yorkshire have risen to the challenge, and volunteered hundreds of hours of their time to give a helping hand to help change the lives of others for the better. Where Yorkshire leads, I hope the rest of the country will follow.”