Can you spare just a few minutes to make Christmas less lonely for an older person?

Shockingly, 10,000 older people in Suffolk will be spending Christmas all alone while the rest of us are enjoying the festivities.

For them, Christmas is almost certainly something to dread instead of the exciting and happy time it is meant to be.

So, Age UK Suffolk, supported by the EADT, is asking everyone to Commit to Call this Christmas.

If you know an older person living in your community, and think they might be all alone at Christmas, then why not give them a call? Or perhaps even pop round to have a chat?

Of course, Christmas is a very busy time for most people, but this really need take only a few minutes, and it could be the most precious gift to transform Christmas for so many people. Commit to Call is part of the Shine A Light On Loneliness campaign, which Age UK Suffolk and the EADT have run successfully throughout this year.

Age UK Suffolk said: “We are incredibly grateful to the EADT and its readers for their support of our campaign this year. It has really highlighted the issue of loneliness among older people and how we can all make a difference.

“For many of us, Christmas is a time of celebration and spending time with family and friends. However, for those who are alone it exacerbates the issue and we can all help by taking time out of our busy schedule to make a call to somone we care about who may be alone.”

So, please, make every effort to Commit to Call at Christmas. It will make a huge difference to someone’s Christmas.