CHRISTMAS is a time for gathering with loved ones, spreading cheer and exchanging the one gift that really counts: human affection.

But the shattering effect of loneliness is keenly felt by thousands in Oxfordshire with no-one to spend the day with, particularly those who are old.

This year Oxford Mail is leading a joint campaign, Lonely this Christmas, with Age UK Oxfordshire to help make the day a little brighter for older people in the county.

About 35,000 people in Oxfordshire aged over 65 live by themselves. Many have no family to go to, and more than 10,000 older people in the county say they often or always feel lonely.

Age UK Oxfordshire chief executive Paul Cann said: “About the most important thing in people’s lives as they grow older is having contact and human warmth.

“It’s feeling that someone cares if you get up out of bed tomorrow, and feeling that it makes a difference having you around.

“At Christmas it’s vitally important. Christmas should be a time of generosity but it’s also a time when people draw in on themselves and get together with their family.

“If you are on your own or your family lives far away you are left out at a time when services and transport are shut down. It’s dark all day, and it’s cold.”

According to a study released in January 2015, one in 10 older people in the UK are termed ‘chronically lonely’ at any given time.

Medical professionals and individuals are better at spotting physical ailments, as a result of advances in medical science, but loneliness can be equally debilitating and harder to spot.

Mr Cann added: “Older people get lonely. So do younger people. You can be lonely in a crowd, or in a couple, particularly if your partner has dementia and is not the partner you married.”

Age UK Oxfordshire has heard from older people who have gone for weeks at a time without talking to another person. Some have gone for so long that they struggle to speak properly.

In recent months the charity has created a ‘map’ of Oxfordshire showing areas where older people are most likely to be suffering loneliness, determined by factors including living alone, poor health and bereavement.

The top three were the Northfield Brook ward in Blackbird Leys, Grimsbury and Castle in Banbury, and RAF Benson.

Sometimes just 15 minutes of human contact can turn the day around for an older person. Age UK Oxfordshire runs a Phone Friends scheme in which volunteers are matched with elderly people in the county and call them once or twice a week for a friendly chat.

By December 25, the Oxford Mail is aiming to raise £5,400 for Age UK Oxfordshire, which will pay for 2,000 phone calls by Phone Friend volunteers. At the same time, 10 kind-hearted people are being sought to step up to the plate and sign up as volunteers themselves over the festive season, particularly with Phone Friends.

And to make a real difference on the day itself, we are asking those organising community Christmas lunches to list them online, so we can promote them to our older readers and let them know how they can take part.

Oxford Mail editor Simon O’Neill said: “Those of us who enjoy a traditional Christmas surrounded by our loved ones can easily forget that there are many people who spend it alone. They are often elderly and vulnerable, as we may be one day.

“I would implore our readers to think what that must be like for one minute and then do something that could help make Christmas better for these often forgotten members of society.”

An online fundraising page has been launched. For more information or to donate, visit campaign.justgiving.com/charity/ageukoxfordshire/endloneliness

HOW CAN YOU HELP

* Donate to the Lonely this Christmas appeal, which is aiming to raise £5,400 by Christmas to support Age UK Oxfordshire and its and Phone Friends service. Text AUKO22 £3 to 70070 to give £3 or visit campaign.justgiving.com/charity/ageukoxfordshire/endloneliness to pledge an amount of your choice.

* Volunteer with Age UK Oxfordshire. Ten new recruits are being sought over the Christmas period. There is no set minimum age and Phone Friends can volunteer from just two hours per week. To find out more, email volunteering@ageukoxfordshire.org.uk. 

* If you’re organising a Christmas lunch for neighbours and older people who may not have anyone to share the day with, register it at communitychristmas.org.uk