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Christmas is almost upon us and everyone here at WISAB would like to wish you all a very merry Christmas and prosperous New Year!

We would also like to say a big BRAVO to John Lewis for its latest Christmas advert. For those that haven’t seen the advert it shows the story of a young girl who sees a lonely old man living in a crater on the moon through the lens of a telescope. She manages to send him a gift and show him she cares and comes with a pongient message “Show someone they’re loved this Christmas”. The advert really pulls on the heart strings and is beautifully put together with a brilliant cover of Noel Gallagher’s song ‘Half the World Away’ sung beautifully by the Norwegian singer Aurora.

There has been a bit of controversy with the ad but it’s great that John Lewis and Age UK are partnering up.  But it’s shocking to realise that over a million older people go for a month without speaking to anyone. Age Uk are right “No one should have no one at Christmas”. It also makes you realise what a great job charities like Age UK do.One of the things they offer is a help line which is open every day including Christmas day. We all know loneliness is difficult at any time of the year, but the festive season can be especially difficult for the elderly and lonely. So its important we all get involved and do our bit and help this wonderful cause.

Click here to learn how you can get involved. If you live close to a local John Lewis store you can go along and buy some ‘Man on the Moon’ charity products where 25% will go to Age Uk. Or you could donate £5 by texting the word MOON to the number 70800 . Why not consider a fundraiser for the cause or volunteer for the charity.

Also lets all think about our own relatives friends and neighbours. Put aside any family differences and bring estrange families back together this year. Think about the elderly people you see locally, are they lonely? Could you pop round and offer support? Perhaps befriend an old neighbor and offer then a seat around your dinner table this Christmas. There really is a lot of things we can do to help our elderly this Christmas.

If nothing else please sign Age Uk’s petition which is asking the Government to take action to tackle this major problem affecting the lives of millions of older people. Local and national governments really do need to understand that older people’s loneliness is a serious public health problem and not a normal part of ageing.

Age Uk

Click here to sign the petition

 

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