loveday house in wigton
Rory visited Wigton’s Loveday House on Saturday 26th November to highlight the need to combat the increasing trend in festive isolation, helping national charity Abbeyfield – which runs Loveday House – to launch its nationwide campaign, Companionship At Christmas, which aims to create an alternative to spending the celebratory period alone.
As part of the campaign, the charity is offering over 1,000 overnight stays and 2,000 delicious Christmas lunches over the festive season (24th December – 4th January) across 104 Abbeyfield sheltered houses – totally free of charge – including Loveday House at Wigton. The charity will be inviting members of local communities with elderly neighbours living alone, family members in need of respite support and those who plan to spend the Christmas period alone to get in touch.
Rory Stewart said: “Christmas is a traditional time of family and companionship. It is so sad that 850,000 older people are chronically lonely and, while this is a daily issue, being alone or lonely is particularly heartbreaking around Christmas time. I am honoured to be supporting this campaign and greatly enjoyed meeting and chatting with residents at Loveday House in my constituency to highlight this important initiative.”
“If you or someone you know are over 55, alone over Christmas and currently living independently in your own home, you are encouraged to take advantage of the support Abbeyfield are offering by visiting www.abbeyfield.com or calling 0845 052 3553.You may also wish to nominate someone you know or a family member who may be a long distance from loved ones.”
