WHILE most people associate loneliness with the elderly, a new study has found it is actually worse in young people.

For the second time in recent years a study has highlighted the issue of young people’s loneliness, with stats showing almost a quarter of youngsters struggling with isolation.

A survey of more than 4,000 people aged 18 to 30, and 1,100 aged between 54 and 72 suggested that one in four of the younger age group feel isolated.

This compared to just one in 10 people aged 54 to 72, according to the Young Women’s Trust.

But there is only a small number of services on offer for young people struggling with loneliness.

Plenty of time and energy is devoted to making sure the elderly do not become isolated or lonely but there is very little being done to help younger adults.

In 2016 the British Red Cross worked with the Co-op to carry out a huge investigation into loneliness across the UK.

They noted there was a gap in the market, saying: “Most of the research, and interventions, on social isolation and loneliness focuses on older people.

“Much less research has been carried out with younger and middle-aged people and there have been fewer evaluated interventions carried out with people from these age groups.

“Organisations such as Age UK and the Royal Voluntary Service provide a range of support for older people, as does the Campaign to End Loneliness.

“This gap presents opportunities for targeted, and much needed, support.”

This lack of targeted support becomes apparent in Bolton when trying to search for services to cope with loneliness.

Finding something for the 18 to 30s age group is much harder.

The voluntary sector looks to provide an answer.

Bolton CVS has a ‘community asset navigator’ service ­— someone who finds a group suited to a person’s interests which will enhance their life.

The service began in Bolton in January, 2018 and figures up until September show it has helped 430 people.

Paul Makinson, a co-ordinator for the service said: “It’s a person-centred approach and we try and link up with any of their interests. If you like walking, we would find a walking group.”

Mr Makinson said some referrals in the 18-30 age group had been recommended salsa groups. He added: “We have even linked people up to become a befriender with Age UK.”

Mr Makinson said about 7.5 per cent of people who were referred to or referred themselves to the asset navigators were doing so because they wanted help with their social life.

He said: “We try and match interests up with some sort of social inclusion group we may be aware of, like a football team or Park Run.”

While the service “loves self referrals”, a great many are put in touch with the asset navigators by their GP or mental health practitioner.

Margaret Osborne, operational manager for GMMH’s Bolton Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS), said the service has seen first hand the impact of social media on mental health and how it can lead people to feel isolated.

She said: “Today we have more ways to communicate than ever before, but the feelings of loneliness still persist. We know that some adults report feeling lonely, but this occurs more often in adolescents with girls more likely to report loneliness. The children and young people that we see in CAMHS do sometimes report loneliness as part of the reason for coming to seek our help.

“To address perceptions on mental illness, and the associated stigma, as well as encouraging young people to talk about their feelings, Bolton CAMHS, along with children and young people who are ambassadors for the service, has launched a campaign ‘Be Kind to My Mind’.”

Data collected by the Young Women’s Trust found a quarter of young people feel isolated.

One in four people aged 18 to 30 feels lonely (25 per cent), compared to one in 10 64 to 72-year-olds (11 per cent), according to the charity’s survey of more than 4,000 young people and 1,000 baby boomers. The figure rises to nearly one in three for women aged 18 to 24.

Another survey carried out by the Red Cross found 49 per cent of adults in Greater Manchester don’t feel well connected to or part of their local community. They also found 54 per cent of people in Greater Manchester felt they had become far less involved with their community over time and 55 per cent said their neighbours are strangers to them.

Among the reasons for loneliness could be a lack of close relationships, with one in five in the charity’s survey saying they feel like they have no one to turn to. The Office for National Statistics earlier this year found that “younger renters with little trust and sense of belonging to their area” were particularly at risk of isolation. In a bid to tackle this hidden problem of loneliness the Red Cross and the Co-op have funded and created 40 groups called Connecting Communities.

These are aimed at all ages and suggest they can be a place to find new friends. The nearest group to Bolton is in Oldham.

The Red Cross is calling on people to join the movement and volunteer, as a way to re-connect with their community, meet new people, and gain new skills.

Paul Gerrard, campaigns and public affairs director at Co-op said: “Loneliness is something that can affect people at any time; it’s something that does not discriminate, it affects the young and old, the fit and unwell, those living in cities, as well as those living in rural communities.

“The Co-op Foundation is seeking to support projects that tackle loneliness amongst younger age groups, whilst through our partnership with the British Red Cross, we have developed a Community Connector model that operates services in 37 locations across the UK.”