How you feeling?  ‘I’m fine’  – must be our favourite response to ‘How are you?’ But are you, really? It’s National Loneliness Week, hosted by The Marmalade Trust, so we can’t all be fine, given that a quiet epidemic is blanketing the nation, and there’s a national awareness week to shine a light on it!

There is an antidote though. Community is the answer, we’re better, connected. We’re designed for social, for relationships, even if we don’t talk about our feelings, being part of something bigger can help to manage them. 

Cue community transport. It connects communities quite literally, helping those that can’t get out and about or those who are in isolated rural locations to connect, to travel to see friends, to do the shopping, to say ‘hi’ in the shops, and chit chat about the weather – our favourite national pastime. Small threads yes, but when woven together over time build a comfort blanket rather than heavy sense of isolation and loneliness. 

It’s not a cure all for the loneliness epidemic we are facing, but community transport does make a difference. Our minibuses aren’t just buses they are loneliness busters, doing the rounds, making sure every one of our members can get to the shops, meet up with friends, and get out of the house for some supermarket R&R.

Never underestimate the power of company to knock back loneliness especially when it’s a challenge to get out on your own.

If our services can help you as an individual or as a group or charity working for others, please get in touch.