Nextdoor, the free app and website for neighbours, has partnered with the charity Giving Tuesday to challenge its members to pledge an hour a week to help tackle loneliness, with the aim of giving one million minutes to support neighbours in need in their communities before 2019.

With nine million lonely people in the UK, there’s never been a better time to commit to helping tackle loneliness in your community. According to a recent study, 50% of people have experienced loneliness in the last year, with almost half of people admitting to seeing their neighbours less during the colder winter months.

Whether it’s a chat over coffee, a walk in the park, or a simple ‘hello’ in the street, these small actions can make the world of difference to someone feeling isolated or alone.

Nick Lisher, UK Country Manager for Nextdoor, said: “All over the UK people are using Nextdoor to tackle loneliness and isolation by connecting with their neighbours, starting discussions and forming new friendships.

“Three-quarters of Nextdoor members said that they would give an hour or more of their time per week to support a neighbour in need, whilst almost half (49%) said they were likely to invite a neighbour over if they were alone over the Christmas holidays. That’s why we’ve launched the #HelloNeighbour campaign, with the aim of pledging 1 million minutes before the end of 2018 to help make your community a less lonely and happier place.”

It couldn’t be easier to get involved, and with the majority of British people (69%) craving a sense of community, believing that it would make where they live friendlier, increase property values and lower crime rates, spending more time with your neighbours has many added benefits in addition to helping tackle loneliness in your area.

How to get involved with the #HelloNeighbour challenge:

Step 1: Pledge your support to the #HelloNeighbour campaign by visiting their website. Here you can sign up to be a part of the challenge by posting the #HelloNeighbour pledge on Nextdoor, Facebook and Twitter. Don’t forget to include how you’re planning on meeting the challenge, from saying hello to a stranger to inviting a neighbour over for coffee.

Step 2: Find and connect with like-minded people in your community through Nextdoor to discuss who and how you would like to support the #HelloNeighbour challenge. Perhaps you could join someone in your community in supporting a neighbour in need?

Step 3: Share the message and get as many people as possible to take the challenge to help tackle loneliness in your community.

Step 4: Don’t forget to share how your #HelloNeighbour challenge goes and what you’ve done to help your neighbours on Nextdoor and your other social channels using the hashtag: #HelloNeighbour