A charity for elderly people are urging residents in St Albans to put on Christmas activities so no-one is left alone.

Friends of the Elderly have found that 35 per cent of people aged 60 and above in St Albans are affected by loneliness.

Last year there were only four Christmas Day activities across Hertfordshire for older people.

Having activities allows those who would usually spend Christmas alone to come together and enjoy the festive occasion with other people in their community.

In St Albans there are 10,934 elderly people likely to spend Christmas alone.

Friends of the Elderly are working with another charity - Community Christmas - to ensure more activities are held for elderly people this year.

Steve Allen, chief executive at Friends of the Elderly, said: "Friends of the Elderly is delighted to be working with Community Christmas this year to support older people facing Christmas alone.

"We know that loneliness can have a devastating impact on older people’s lives and those we work with tell us that becoming isolated from a community they were once part of can be especially difficult.

"That’s why we’re calling on individuals, organisations and businesses to put on activities on Christmas Day to bring together older people in their community who don’t want to be alone."

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