Daily Hope, a free phone line, was set up to address that – and since it was launched by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby on 26 April, more than 150,000 calls have been received, totalling more than 1.7 million minutes of listen time. 

Callers hear a greeting from the Archbishop before being able to choose from options including hymns, prayers, reflections and advice on COVID-19. 

We recently received a testimonial from one of our callers, Mary, 89, from Leeds. She has given permission to share her story. Suffering from macular degeneration, Mary has lost much of her sight. She lives alone, almost 200 miles away from her family and like many in her situation, was feeling “extremely depressed and isolated” according to her daughter, Catherine. 

Since learning about Daily Hope, Catherine explained that Mary experienced “such comfort” as “she spends many hours listening to it, particularly in the night when she's unable to sleep.” 

In a letter to the Archbishop, Mary expresses, “I found your message very comforting and listening to the hymns, services and prayers has been very helpful in surviving this difficult time. 

“I am so grateful to everyone who has taken part and would be grateful if you could extend my thanks to everyone who has been involved in putting this together.”

If you know someone like Mary who would benefit from Daily Hope, please pass this on: 0800 804 8044