Christians are being urged to do more to help lonely older people in their community as a bid is launched to recruit 30,000 volunteers to help.
Charity Friends of the Elderly is calling for people to sign up after new figures found 5 million older people are hit by loneliness and that's set to increase by 40% by 2030.
Louise Morse from Christian old persons charity, Pilgrims Friend Society, tells Premier some pensioners can even be isolated from church: "For Christians the church is the epicentre of their community.
"We know how much it means to us and that's why we go as long as we're able.
"The sad thing is that when older people stop going it's gradual and they gradually slip off the radar."
She added there are plenty of ways churches can do more: "They have lunch clubs or afternoon clubs, they can find out who the old people are in their communities from old people themselves, from social services.
"There are all sorts of things that they could be doing."
Hear more from Louise Morse from Christian old person's charity, Pilgrims Friend Society, here:
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