Help combat loneliness and send a postcard from your travels

People across Lancashire and South Cumbria are being encouraged to do their bit to help reduce loneliness among older people - simply by sending a postcard.

Postcards for Kindness was initially piloted by Lancashire County Council in Summer 2018 as a way to help reduce loneliness in care home residents across the county. The project was so successful it was adapted for the festive season and saw hundreds of people sending Christmas cards to their local care homes.

Almost 200 care homes are signed up so their residents can receive postcards from people on their travels, whether at home or abroad.   

Dr Jim Hacking, a Preston GP and clinical lead for mental health at NHS Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care Board said: “Loneliness is a growing problem among older people and Postcards for Kindness is a wonderful initiative encouraging community spirit through the simple and nostalgic act of writing and sending a postcard. There are more than 13,600 people in care homes across Lancashire and South Cumbria and reducing loneliness is a crucial part of improving their physical and mental wellbeing.”

County Councillor Michael Green, Lancashire County Council's cabinet member for health and wellbeing, said: "Writing postcards is a great holiday activity and all the family can get involved.

"We want people to pick a postcard and write a special message for residents at one of their local care homes. It will take you 10 minutes but will make a huge difference to someone's day.

"When people receive the cards, they will talk about holidays from the past and memories of their summer trips away. This will help to combat loneliness, which has a huge impact on people's wellbeing.

"This is particularly important for people living with dementia, as talking about fond memories with others can help to reduce the onset of the condition."

It’s easy to get involved and could really make a difference to local care home residents. E-cards are also available for you to design your own postcard or you can pick one of the designs from the website to download and print at home. You don’t have to be going away to make someone’s day.

For more information and details of participating care homes visit: healthierlsc.co.uk/CardsForKindness