Cadbury removes words from Dairy Milk and team up with Age UK to tackle loneliness

Chocolate lovers will notice a difference when they pick up a Cadbury Dairy Milk bar.

In a bid to raise awareness and combat loneliness among old people, the iconic chocolate bar will feature nothing but its traditional purple colour as well as its distinguished glass and a half logo.

Cadbury Dairy Milk has partnered with Age UK to launch a new campaign, 'Donate Your Words' where recent figures suggest that 225,000 older people can go a week without speaking to anyone - at all.

Laura Gray, brand manager at Mondelez said: “We’re so proud to announce this partnership and to be supporting Age UK - it’s such an important charity that is really tackling the issue of loneliness.

“We are donating the words from our bars of Cadbury Dairy Milk and encouraging people up and down the country to donate theirs through small gestures that could really help change the lives of older people."

The campaign will also encourage Brits to donate their words by pledging to reach out and have a chat with older people in their communities.

A study has found that thousands of over 65s admit they often go a week without speaking to anyone. In a typical week, 22 per cent of over 65s, almost 2.6 million will only have a conversation with a maximum of three people they know.

'Loneliness can affect your health, your wellbeing and the way you see yourself'

Caroline Abrahams, charity director at Age UK, said: “Working with Cadbury Dairy Milk on this campaign could really help to raise even more awareness of the issue and encourage everybody to do their bit to help tackle it.

“Loneliness can affect your health, your wellbeing and the way you see yourself - it can make you feel invisible and forgotten.

“Loneliness is a huge problem because retirement, bereavement and ill health mean many older people find they are spending a lot less time enjoying the company of others than they’d like.”

Ms Abrahams hopes the campaign will raise more awareness of the issue and encourage more people to do their bit to help loneliness.

“A friendly 'hello' or 'how are you?' is something most of us take for granted – it’s just part of everyday life, but these latest figures show that hundreds of thousands of older people in the UK will spend today and the rest of this week alone, with no one to share even a few simple words with.

“That’s why Age UK’s expert advice and support services are so crucial and help people in all sorts of ways, every day of the year.”

The limited-edition bar will be sold in supermarkets nationwide with 30p from each bar going towards Age UK to help provide vital services and support when older people need it most.

For more information about the Cadbury Dairy Milk 'Donate Your Words' campaign click here