OLD age does not have to mean being lonely, but all too often loneliness is the result.

For those who go to school or work, to clubs and groups and who are surrounded by family and friends, loneliness can be fleeting and some look forward to a moment of peace and quiet.

But for those who have lost loved ones, who find themselves isolated from the lives they once loved, whose mobility and health are suffering, it can shed years off lives.

That is why clubs and charities like Halstead Day Centre are so important, particularly for those who live in rural areas.

As people live longer and some outlive loved ones by a matter of decades the risk of loneliness increases but the funding for these clubs is going down.

If there are more lonely people, there should be a greater chance of getting them together and helping to relieve the problem. Sadly this is not the case.

Clubs, societies and charities not only give people companionship for the time they are there, but times to remember and to look forward to.

They must be protected.

If the legacy of the much loved MP Jo Cox is for social isolation to be limited then many who never met her will have benefited from her life.

Prime Minister Theresa May is aware of the problem and has appointed MP Tracey Crouch as the person in charge of a new Government initiative. This is to be welcomed.

What she needs to do is visit places like Halstead Day Centre, look at what they do and work out how to support them.

Of course, social isolation is not just something the elderly suffer from, but they are the group who will struggle the most to access new schemes and they need the most help.

And remember, it won’t be too long until “they” are “us”.