We can all do our bit so no one need feel lonely at Christmas

ONE million older people in the UK believe they are more isolated at Christmas than at any other time of year.

- Ken Bruce

One in 10 will eat Christmas dinner alone, and a quarter of older folk won't be putting up any decorations.

These stark figures, courtesy of the charity Age UK, paint a picture of loneliness that is hard to conceive. Fortunately, most of us take being surrounded by friends and family for granted, especially at Christmas. But this isn't the norm for some of society's oldest and most vulnerable people. And while loneliness is tough at any time of year, at Christmas it can be frankly unbearable being surrounded by other people having fun when you're alone.

It's shocking to me that in our modern society a million people that's a staggering one in 12 of older people will feel alone. It should give us pause for thought. After all, this could be something we experience ourselves in the future which makes it all the more important to support Age UK in its efforts to help older people.