Charity chief launches appeal to combat isolation

The chief executive of a charity which runs respite holidays is Southport is aiming to highlight the effects of isolation and loneliness by launching a festive fundraising appeal.

Chris Simmonds, head of Revitalise, which runs the Sandpipers respite holiday centre in Southport, which provides much-needed respite breaks for disabled people and carers from across the region, has raised the issue of the growing problem of social isolation and loneliness among disabled people, older people and carers.

In a study for the Jo Cox Commission on Loneliness, this year the Charity Sense found that more than half of disabled people reported feeling lonely, with almost a quarter saying they felt lonely on a typical day. This feeling is also shared by unpaid carers – a study carried out by Revitalise late last year found that nearly four in 10 carers felt lonely.

The Revitalise Appeal is raising funds which will enable disabled people and carers in financial hardship to take much-needed breaks with the charity. In response to increasing demand, the charity’s hardship funding has increased four-fold in the past five years. By the end of January 2018, Revitalise hopes to have provided funding in excess of £650,000, helping over 1,300 people in financial hardship take much-needed Revitalise respite breaks.