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How your donations help…

Lou’s story…

We all feel lonely sometimes, but our research shows that over a third of people with a learning disability feel lonely nearly always or all the time. People like Lou, who told us “I felt all on my own. I felt like I was in a bad place.”

Lou’s learning disability means she needs things explained slowly, and she struggles to communicate what she wants to say. Lou moved into her own home in early 2020, just before the country went into lockdown. She explained “I didn’t have the chance to get to know anyone. My family was over an hour away and some days I didn’t speak to anyone. When I felt in a low mood I’d often have epileptic seizures.”

But soon Lou learnt about Luv2meetU, Hft’s friendship service to reduce the isolation and loneliness experienced by adults with learning disabilities.

“When I joined I was very lonely and Luv2meetU has helped me with my self-esteem… Being part of the group helped me come out of my shell. As I was doing more events at Luv2meetU I felt like I was becoming a different person. It made me realise that you have to love yourself, and then you can love other people too,” Lou said. Excitingly, Lou is now in a relationship with Tom, who she met at Luv2meetU. Lou told us “When I joined Luv2meetU I wanted to make friends and I didn’t expect to find a relationship. Tom is great, we just get on, it’s amazing!”

Taking on Bath Half Marathon means more people like Lou could connect with others and have the chance to find friendship, get out in the community, learn new skills and feel less lonely – THANK YOU!