“For every life that is made less lonely as a result of the work Jo started, we will take great comfort”
Together with our partners who have continued the work on loneliness started by Jo, we welcome the government’s first ever loneliness strategy – echoing Jo’s strong belief that loneliness is one of the most pressing public health challenges facing the country. As she herself said: “Young or old – loneliness does not discriminate.”
It is a tribute to Jo’s work and that of the Jo Cox Commission on Loneliness, together with our brilliant colleagues in the Loneliness Action Group, that we can today celebrate the implementation of many of the recommendations put forward in the Jo Cox Commission’s report published in late 2017.
This is the positive vision that Jo imagined: a coalition of local authorities, businesses, and charities, all coming together to help build a more connected, compassionate society for all.
Jo’s sister Kim Leadbeater said: “The work on loneliness has been a hugely important part of Jo’s legacy and it is heartwarming to see how much progress has been made on the subject since her murder. It is excellent to see that loneliness is now firmly on the Government’s agenda, and I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has been involved in getting us to this point. For every life that is made less lonely as a result of the work Jo started and that we have all continued, we will take great comfort.”
Kim and the Foundation believe that the important thing now is to turn dialogue and strategy into action. We are really pleased to see a focus on GPs’ surgeries pointing people in the direction of activities and support to alleviate loneliness. We also welcome the announcement of funding to go towards more community spaces that will improve people’s quality of life. The Employer Pledge will help raise awareness around loneliness in the workplace, too, and we firmly believe that this is the beginning of a major national conversation that will help to tackle the stigma of loneliness, and to understand how important social connections are to making our communities stronger and more compassionate.