Churches are being encouraged to get involved in a national campaign that launched this week to raise awareness of the growing problem of loneliness - and to be part of the solution.
'Let's Talk Loneliness' is a yearlong campaign that aims to reduce the stigma of talking about loneliness, and encourage open and honest discussion around the issue.
The coalition, Christians Together Against Loneliness (CTAL), was among the organisations consulted by the Government ahead of the campaign launch during Loneliness Awareness Week, which ends today.
Members of CTAL include The Salvation Army, Linking Lives UK, the Pilgrim's Friend Society, FaithAction and Christian disability charity Livability.
Recent research paints a bleak picture of the scale of loneliness in the UK. According to figures from Age UK, there are 1.2 million chronically lonely older people in the UK, with half a million older people going at least five or six days a week without seeing or speaking to another human being.
A joint study by the Co-op and the British Red Cross puts the number of people of all ages across the UK who say they are always or often lonely at over nine million, while half of all disabled people feel lonely each day, according to disability charity Sense.
The figures among young people are stark, with recent research by Action for Children finding that 43% of the people they worked with between the ages of 17 and 25 reporting problems with loneliness, and less than half of this group saying that they felt loved.
READ MORE: Britain's loneliness crisis - a Christian reponse
Jeremy Sharpe, Chair of Christians Together Against Loneliness, said that with the UK being nicknamed the 'loneliness capital of Europe', there was a challenge for churches and Christians to address the crisis.
He said that churches were well situated to be part of the solution, especially in rural communities where there may be few other meeting places.
"The Bible teaches us that we are all to care for those on the margins of society and, by definition, many people struggling with loneliness are often unseen," he said.
He added: "It is also often the case, particularly in rural areas, that church buildings are the only places to meet within the community.
"This should therefore provide a greater impetus to explore ways to reach and engage with people within our local neighbourhoods."
Ideas and resources for churches wanting to get involved can be found at www.letstalkloneliness.co.uk
