Loneliness is described by the ‘Campaign to End Loneliness’ as ‘an unwelcome feeling of lack or loss of companionship, which happens when we have a mismatch between the quantity and quality of social relationships that we have, and those that we want’.
Loneliness can affect anyone at any stage of their life and feeling lonely sometimes becomes a major problem when people are overwhelmed by it. Loneliness effects mental health, which can have a knock on effect with other aspects of your life. Thankfully we have recently seen an increased awareness of the issue of loneliness, with charities such as Mind and The Jo Cox Foundation highlighting the importance of recognising loneliness. Townswomen are passionate about helping others and bringing a community together, thus supporting mental health.
Townswomen’s Guilds is made up of over 500 Guilds across the country, which are ready to welcome you with open arms to join in with their meetings and activities. Guilds meet on a monthly basis, where new members are always welcome. You'll have the chance to get involved with additional clubs such as gardening or walking groups - there's something for everyone. Not only would you be making friends locally, but TG meet nationally and you'd have a chance to make connections across the country.
You can find out about your local guild,
here.
The Gift of Friendship Mission - how we can help.
Jo Cox put it perfectly, “young or old, loneliness doesn’t discriminate...it is something many of us could easily help with. Looking in on a neighbour, visiting an elderly relative or making that call or visit we’ve been promising to a friend we haven’t seen in a long time.”
TG has made it our mission to help reduce loneliness, by asking members and non-members alike to encourage any apparently isolated or lonely woman to get involved with their local guild, and if they are able, by gifting them TG Membership. By becoming a member, they will discover the true gift is friendship and that being around like-minded individuals will help combat their feeling of isolation.
You can buy and give the 'Gift of Friendship' – which is a voucher for the National element of TG membership or for full Associate Membership.
For more details click here.
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