Loneliness Awareness Week is an opportunity to talk about loneliness and make everyday connection easier. You can take part with a small invitation, a thoughtful conversation or an activity that welcomes people without putting them on the spot.
The campaign is created and hosted by Marmalade Trust. Let’s Just Talk OK does not organise the campaign, and this guide is not an announcement of a partnership or an event.
When is Loneliness Awareness Week 2027?
Checked 3 November 2026: the organiser’s official campaign website describes ways to take part in 2027 and says more information will be shared closer to the campaign. We could not verify confirmed 2027 dates from that announcement, so we are not presenting provisional calendar listings as confirmed.
Use the official website for the next confirmed dates, theme and resources before printing posters, booking a venue or promoting an activity.
You do not need to wait for a campaign week to contact someone or make a local activity more welcoming. The ideas below can be used at other times of year too.
What is the week for?
The campaign’s own explanation focuses on raising awareness, encouraging conversations and creating opportunities for connection. Marmalade Trust launched it in 2017.
For someone feeling lonely, a campaign can be an opening to say something they have struggled to explain. It should not become an expectation to share a personal story, attend a large gathering or suddenly feel different.
Our plain guide to loneliness explains why being alone and feeling lonely are different. A person can have a busy life and still miss close connection. Our guide to feeling lonely in a relationship explores one example.
Five manageable ways to take part
1. Send a specific invitation
Rather than “We must catch up”, offer something simple: “Would you like a short walk on Thursday?” or “Fancy a cup of tea after work?” Let the other person suggest another time or decline without having to explain.
These are illustrative examples. The point is to make an invitation easier to answer, not to test whether someone wants company. You can keep inviting a person while respecting their preferences.
2. Make an existing activity easier to join
If you already run a group, think about what a first-time visitor needs to know. Clear information about location, transport, cost, access, timing and what happens on arrival may be more useful than a broad promise that everyone is welcome.
Consider a named person to greet newcomers, a clear way to ask questions and permission to watch before taking part. Check what the group can actually provide before advertising access arrangements.
3. Offer a small shared activity
A shared lunch, a book discussion or a gentle activity can give people something to focus on alongside conversation. You do not have to design a large event or ask attendees to discuss loneliness.
Our activities guide offers ideas to adapt. Choose according to the people involved, rather than assuming one activity will suit everybody. Quiet, short or text-based options can matter too.
4. Share reliable information
You could point people towards the official campaign, appropriate local services or guidance that helps them put a feeling into words. Check links and current service information before sharing.
Avoid attaching a dramatic health claim to make a message more noticeable. Loneliness does not need to be presented as a diagnosis or a personal failure for it to deserve attention.
5. Keep one useful change afterwards
Think about whether a welcome message, regular invitation or accessible format can continue beyond the week. Do not promise ongoing contact unless someone can realistically maintain it.
A small, dependable arrangement may be easier to sustain than a busy campaign calendar. Ask people what they found useful rather than assuming attendance means an activity met their needs.
If you are planning something at work
Keep participation optional. A colleague may want company without wanting their manager or team to know that they feel lonely. Avoid requiring personal disclosures, public introductions about wellbeing or stories of difficult experiences.
You could offer a voluntary coffee break, an interest-based chat or a clear list of local activities. Include remote workers and people whose shifts, caring responsibilities or communication needs make the usual format difficult.
If somebody does share something personal, ask what they want from the conversation. Listening and directing someone towards appropriate support are different from trying to become their counsellor.
If you share stories or photographs
Ask for clear permission before sharing an identifiable story, photograph or quote. Explain where it will appear and do not pressure someone to participate because they attended an event.
A person does not have to tell a moving story to justify being included. You can describe your activity without labelling attendees as lonely. Respect anyone who wants to stay out of photographs or leave early.
If you use campaign materials, follow the organiser’s current guidance. The official resources page currently labelled 2026 provides examples of campaign materials; check for the correct year’s versions before reuse.
If the week makes your own loneliness feel more visible
Awareness messages can feel encouraging or uncomfortable. You are allowed to read quietly, take a break from campaign posts or choose not to attend anything. Participation is not a measure of how well you are coping.
If you want to speak to someone, our guide to asking for help offers manageable starting words. If low mood, distress or difficulty coping is affecting daily life, contact your GP or another appropriate professional.
If you need urgent help
If someone’s life is at risk or you cannot keep yourself or someone else safe, call 999 or go to A&E. In England, for urgent mental health help, call NHS 111 and select the mental health option, or ask for an urgent GP appointment. See the NHS urgent-help guidance and our urgent help page.
For free listening support, call Samaritans on 116 123, day or night.
Ordinary conversation outside a campaign
For adults aged 18 and over, our someone to talk to service offers booked, phone-only befriending throughout the year, subject to available appointments. It is not therapy, counselling or crisis support, and it is separate from Marmalade Trust’s campaign.
Campaign information checked 3 November 2026. Confirm 2027 dates and theme with the organiser before making date-dependent plans.
