Cadbury has removed all the words from its Dairy Milk bar as it joins forces with Age UK to help tackle loneliness amongst older people.
Each limited edition bar sold, 30p will be donated to Age UK.
Sold in supermarkets nationwide from 4th September, Cadbury Cadbury said it has “donated the words” on its packaging to Age UK, after research revealed 225,000 older people often go a week without speaking to anyone.
Helping to fund vital services and support when people need it most. The bar will encourage Brits to donate their words by pledging to reach out and have a chat with older people in their communities.
The research of almost 1,900 people aged 65 and over also found small gestures can play a part in helping to tackle loneliness with over 6 million older people claiming a few minutes of conversation would make a huge difference to their week.
Whilst another survey of 16-45 years olds revealed the top five issues stopping them helping someone who they think feels lonely:
1. They’re worried the other person won’t respond well (37%)
2. They’re too shy (30%)
3. They don’t know how to help (27%)
4. Find it hard to tell if someone needs help (25%)
5. Too busy (25%)
Caroline Abrahams, Charity Director at Age UK, said: “Loneliness is a huge problem because retirement, bereavement & ill health mean many older people find they are spending a lot less time enjoying the company of others than they’d like.
“Loneliness can affect your health, your wellbeing and the way you see yourself – it can make you feel invisible and forgotten. Working with Cadbury Dairy Milk on this campaign could really help to raise even more awareness of the issue and encourage everybody to do their bit to help tackle it.
“A friendly “hello” or “how are you?” is something most of us take for granted – it’s just part of every day life, but these latest figures show that hundreds of thousands of older people in the UK will spend today and the rest of this week alone, with no one to share even a few simple words with. That’s why Age UK’s expert advice and support services are so crucial and help people in all sorts of ways, every day of the year.”
For more information about the Cadbury Dairy Milk Donate Your Words campaign visit www.ageuk.org.uk/donateyourwords and pick up a bar in store today.
We’re off to find a bar!
