It is a truism that, at Christmas, we feel more together with other people, but more alone when we’re lonely. So, these stories struck a chord. Before her untimely death, Jo Cox helped gather evidence about loneliness in different parts of society: children who are desperately sad, new mums, isolated disabled people, men suffering from depression, and older people. And her work lives on, picked up by Rachel Reeves MP. Academics and charities, including the Campaign to End Loneliness, Age UK, Action for Children, the Co-op and British Red Cross, the Royal Voluntary Service, and Sense, have contributed to the commission. Their evidence shows that more than 9 million people in Britain, almost a fifth of the population, say they are always or often lonely. The Red Cross and Co-operative research supports that figure. Nearly one in five people are always or often lonely, they say. ‘Always or often lonely’—to me, that is an extremely sad phrase, a shocking figure. But what can we do about it? Loneliness is part of life. It was the American writer and philosopher, Henry David Thoreau who wrote:

The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation.’

People have described this as the age of anxiety. But we can act, and we should act, because loneliness and social isolation is a public concern, as well as private unhappiness. For one thing, it is a public health issue. Loneliness is associated with physical symptoms like hypertension, heart disease, depression, mental ill health, drinking and substance misuse. We debated obesity earlier this afternoon, and some research will suggest that loneliness can be as damaging to health as obesity or smoking. So, there is a clear public health argument. More broadly, loneliness is a combination of personal, community, and wider societal issues. It negatively impacts upon communities as well as individuals. People withdraw. They become disengaged. They contribute less. They take time off from work. So, it affects everyone directly or indirectly. As the title of the debate suggests—’Hidden in Plain Sight’—loneliness is a problem in every street, in every neighbourhood, and probably in nearly every family.

So, how do we tackle it? First, we have to identify it, and that is where the commission and the research can help massively. The Red Cross and the Co-op research shows that nearly three quarters of those people who said they were always or often lonely fall within the one of six categories that are linked to changing circumstances or life’s events. And they are: being a young mum, those with health issues, the recently bereaved, people with mobility limitations, people who have recently divorced or separated or retired, and people living without children at home. What is clear is that loneliness doesn’t have one simple cause. So, there isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution. Rather, a mix of activities are needed to prevent these issues, to respond to the experience of those people, and to restore the confidence of those who have been affected for some time.

Age, of course, we all know is an obvious and well-documented risk factor for loneliness. In its submission to the commission, Age Cymru last November surveyed over-60s in Wales, and the results highlight the importance of things like affordable transport to and from social events, lunch clubs, social clubs, and face-to-face visits. That is why people continue to campaign passionately to save services like their local day centres, and why the Labour group on Powys council have also campaigned, and others continue to campaign elsewhere right across the piece. And it is why the Welsh Government’s decisive action to save the bus service between Aberystwyth and Cardiff was vital. I’m sure that the Minister or the Cabinet Secretary will talk more about the Welsh Government’s commitment to supporting our resilient communities. That word, ‘community’, tends to be overused, and it’s applied too loosely. I wince when I hear such things as ‘a mortgage-lending community’. But community—the true meaning of ‘community’—is integral to Welsh life, and I strongly believe that.

Rurality is another risk factor for loneliness and social isolation, prevalent in my own region, though, of course, people can be isolated without being lonely, and they can be lonely without being isolated. Transport and facilities are especially important in a rural setting but so too is a good internet connection, and Superfast Cymru has helped in some aspects. But, again, what’s clear from the commission’s research is that loneliness touches all parts of society: women and men, urban and rural, old and young. ChildLine has helped more than 4 million young people, with more and more coming forward in recent years to confide how desperate and sad and lonely they feel. Social media is, of course, a great way to keep in touch, but is not a substitute for talking to people face to face. It can often make people feel more lonely, and it can amplify how connected other people are, or appear to be.

So, we do need a holistic approach to tackle loneliness, one that, undoubtedly, will have to cut across policy areas and Government departments, both locally and nationally. For the next two years, the Red Cross will provide direct personalised support to 12,500 people in 39 locations in Britain, including those four areas in Wales that I said earlier—Carmarthenshire, Conwy, Newport and Torfaen. Teams of dedicated community connectors and support-at-home staff and volunteers will deliver specialist psychosocial support, safeguarding and assistance to people experiencing loneliness and social isolation. They will provide 12 weeks of intensive person-centred care, identifying activities, interest groups, and local services to help people gain confidence.

I’m looking forward to visiting the Carmarthenshire project, where nearly a third of the population live alone. One service user there, Janet—not her real name—was referred to the Red Cross last spring, having recently suffered a stroke that inhibited her walking. Although she’d suffered with anxiety before the stroke, since she had developed agoraphobia and panic attacks. She had not left her house, even out of the back door, alone since her return from hospital several weeks prior. She wanted to be able to walk to the end of the driveway one day to greet her husband when he came home, and she also wanted to be able to visit her son in Copenhagen at Christmas and to be able to walk independently from the train to her son’s apartment, which was about 400m. Janet was introduced to a Red Cross volunteer, Heather, and they got on well straight away. Heather started visiting her weekly and they would practice going outside the front door, just standing there, and coming back in. In a very short period of time they went in Heather’s car for a visit to the coast, at Janet’s request, and her confidence grew. Soon after, they were walking along the driveway, and Janet started walking it alone, with Heather standing at the other end. By the time Heather’s support stopped, after the three months, Janet was using her mobility scooter to go longer distances alone to the local post office, and she was regularly practising walking alone. And she did, yes, manage to visit her son in Denmark at Christmas.

Age Cymru also do tremendous work in this area and they are launching a new major campaign soon. So, what can we do here in the Assembly? What can the Welsh Government do? Loneliness spans lots of policy areas, as I say, but by formulating and scrutinising more policy and legislation through the lens of loneliness and social isolation, we can begin to tackle it more effectively. That’s the politics. But personally, we can all act and we can all do more. As the Christmas glow fades and the winter chill remains, we could, actually, start a conversation: we could pick up the phone and talk to an elderly or isolated relative and we could, actually, make time for people.