Around 590,000 people aged over 65 in the UK won't see or speak to anyone on Christmas Day and 1.4 million will eat dinner on their own, new figures show. Age UK says loneliness and social isolation are year-round problems but particularly tough over the festive period when one in 10 older people will be alone on 25 December.
The charity says about a million older people report feeling more isolated at this time of year than any other. For Rose Hayes, this Christmas will be particularly difficult as it is her first without her husband, who died in February. She told Sky News: "He always used to buy the Turkey… that used to be his Christmas present.".
She said that going out to get one herself will "bring back all those memories". Rose will be spending Christmas Day surrounded by her children, two cats and two dogs. "I enjoy cooking the dinner, putting out all the different foods and they enjoy it… It's a sad occasion but a joyful [one]," she said.
Rose and her friend Carrie Walsh were among dozens of people who gathered for a festive singalong at St Margaret's Church in Edgware, north London. It's among hundreds of events hosted by Age UK across the country in December. For Rose and Carrie, it's a chance to meet other people in the local community, with Rose saying: "I love singing.".
