Imagine living in constant fear that if you suddenly collapsed in your home, no one would notice for weeks and maybe even months. Well, that’s the heartbreaking reality for the more than half of UK adults who identify as lonely, according to the British Red Cross.

A poll of more than 4,000 UK adults revealed over a third (35 per cent) of adults often feel alone and with no one to turn to. Young adults (72 per cent) and people living in urban areas (61 per cent) were the groups most likely to suffer, the survey found. However, it’s worth bearing in mind that older people find it hardest to admit they are lonely, suggests the Campaign to End Loneliness.

Andy Ross, 52, from Bristol, has bowel cancer and found himself feeling lonely after being discharged from hospital following surgery, with no one to turn to.

“I was in crisis. I couldn’t speak, I couldn’t move,” he said. “I had no one coming in to visit me. I was on my own. Loneliness is a dreadful place to find yourself in, it’s a killer. All I kept thinking was it’s not the cancer that’s going to kill me, it’s the loneliness.”

[Read more: We’re facing a loneliness epidemic in the UK, here’s how to help tackle it]

Andy credits Ian, his British Red Cross support worker, for saving his life. “Ian simply walking through the door was like someone handing me an invitation to say ‘welcome back to the human race’ – it brought normality to my life.

“I didn’t know who I was anymore. I couldn’t remember anything. He reintroduced me to myself. His visits invited me back into ‘me’.”

The Red Cross survey also found communities are becomingly increasingly disconnected. Almost half of those surveyed (47 per cent) said their neighbours are like strangers to them.

Of those who said they felt lonely, six in 10 (62 per cent) said it’s having a negative impact on their quality of life. Over a third (37 per cent) said they have no strategies for coping with their loneliness. 

Laura Alcock-Ferguson, executive director of the Campaign to End Loneliness, said it’s important to remember loneliness can impact people of all ages. “Open discussion will help to break down the stigma of loneliness,” she said.

Older people are far more reticent than younger people when it comes to admitting loneliness. Research by the Campaign to End Loneliness found three quarters of over-65s (76 per cent) would find it hard to admit to feeling lonely because they do not want to be a burden.

The Red Cross is calling on everyone to show their kindness this winter, by helping the charity continue supporting those most in need so they don’t feel alone. Last year it supported over 291,600 people in crisis across the UK.

Zoë Abrams, executive director of communications and advocacy at British Red Cross, said: “We all need someone to turn to in a crisis, but the findings of our research suggest that there are many people in our communities feeling they lack meaningful, human connections. This will be concerning for all of us to hear, no matter where we live in the UK, or with whom.

“Every one of us would want someone to reach out to us if we found ourselves all alone. People who need our help may be closer than we think, and could feel much more connected if we offer them our kindness.”