CTE President and Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby has released a special message on the free DailyHOPE telephone line, in which he acknowledges those who continue to be lonely even after the end of pandemic restrictions.
The DailyHOPE telephone line was launched in April 2020 as a response by the Church of England, Faith in Later Life and Connections at Holy Trinity Church in Claygate to support older people who would not be able to access online worship during lockdown.
The DailyHOPE telephone line is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and is free to call at any time from any UK landline or mobile phone. The number is 0800 804 8044.
Since DailyHOPE was launched, over 2.5 million minutes have been called with a continued monthly average of 10,000 callers. The Christian charity, Faith in Later Life has recently taken over the telephone. The charity seeks to remind the whole church of its commitment to and with older people and was a founding partner of DailyHOPE.
In his new message, Archbishop Justin says:
“In this society where so much goes on at such a pace and with such technology it is so easy to feel left behind. But the good news is: none of us are left behind by God. For he sees everything, he knows everything, he understands everything. My prayer is as you listen to the various offerings on DailyHOPE today that through hearing his word, through joining in the prayers and taking in the reflection you would know this most extraordinary truth – God is with you by his Spirit.”
Welcoming this new message from Archbishop Justin, Stephen Hammersley, Chair of Faith in Later Life and CEO of Pilgrims Friends Society said: “Faith in Later Life is thrilled to be able to ensure that the DailyHOPE telephone line continues. The number of those calling still demonstrates the need for such a service. As Archbishop Justin says in his new message, we need to recognise that there are still many older people who are feeling lonely and isolated. This was the case before the pandemic and the various lockdowns but we see this continuing.
Our prayer is that the message that this phone line continues will be shared with our family and neighbours, who might be still struggling. My encouragement is to think about someone you know who might benefit and share the 0800 number with them.”
Faith in Later Life is a Body in Association with Churches Together in England.