AFC Fylde Community Foundation has secured funding from The National Lottery Community Fund to continue its ground-breaking Loneliness Prevention Project until April 2026.

The Loneliness Prevention Project is a free 12-week programme that works collaboratively with local partners and offers a variety of holistic person-centred support, including one-to-one, group, and other activities to individuals 65+ across the Fylde Borough.

This provision aims to empower those experiencing loneliness and isolation and provide individuals with the tools to take control of their health and wellbeing, whilst also supporting existing groups to be accessible and sustainable.

The need for such a project regionally and locally is alarmingly high, with an estimated 35,000 adults aged 65 or over chronically lonely, whilst 30% of pensioners in Fylde live alone.

Households in Fylde are estimated to be seven per cent more isolated, including nine per cent of all households in Lytham St Annes.

The number of over-50’s experiencing loneliness is increasing and is expected to reach two million by 2026.

Charlotte Rawcliffe, Loneliness Prevention Project Coordinator at AFC Fylde Community Foundation, said: “Following the research and data gathered regarding loneliness and isolation in the Fylde Borough, it’s clear that the need is huge.

“There are older people out there who simply have nobody to talk to from one week to the next, and some individuals are experiencing extreme loneliness through no fault of their own.

“Perhaps they have lost their partner, family members have moved away to find work, their social confidence has been impacted due to COVID, particular disabilities, or simply the increase in poor health and high inflation has made it difficult to afford to socialise.

“This project will focus on combating these issues head-on in the community and ensure nobody is ever on their own.”

Wesley Partington, Foundation Director of AFC Fylde Community Foundation, added: “I am pleased that we can continue with our Loneliness Prevention Project, and there is still a lot of work to be done to support vulnerable people living in our community who are experiencing loneliness.

“We are proud to partner with The National Lottery and thank them for their continued support.

“I’m confident that our partnership approach will enable us to achieve positive results, and I’d like to thank all of those organisations that have stepped in to help and fund this potentially life-changing programme that we are delivering to people across the Fylde borough.”

We would like to thank The National Lottery Community Fund for their continued support.