‘It’s good to talk’ – so pick up the phone and give someone a call | Ian Hart

One of the highlights of my dear old Dad’s later years was when, for his 80th birthday, we were guests of Sir Peter Bottomley at the Houses of Parliament.
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After an extensive, informative and extremely interesting tour of the Palace of Westminster we had lunch with Sir Peter and I was not only impressed by his historical and cultural knowledge but by the simple fact of what a nice person he was.

One of the things he spoke about at lunch was his constant campaign to help combat loneliness, from his elderly constituents to even a young man who lived near him.

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I took in what he was saying and realised regardless of what any of our politics are locally, we are very lucky in Worthing to have him as a constituency MP.

TelephoneTelephone
Telephone

His words returned to me last July, when, due to a change in my personal circumstances, I found myself living on my own for the first in 56 years.

And it was a seismic change for me – I truly realised what loneliness was and couldn’t imagine what it was like for people who experience it every day of their lives.

It was life-changing for me and, although I’m now back in the family home, through lockdown I’ve been doing something which I hope others reading this will now do as well.

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Get your mobile phone, look at the contacts, and see how many people on the list live on their own.

Ian HartIan Hart
Ian Hart

Then try, if possible, to ring at least one of them every day, if only for a couple minutes, just call them to see how they are and have a catch-up.

Having been on the other end, you will not realise how much good just one simple phone call can do.

It’s during times like these that we truly need to look out for and help each other.

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As the late, great Bob Hoskins used to say on that advert, ‘It’s good to talk’.

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