LONELINESS is a killer disease – twice as deadly as obesity for old people, says new American search.

Ironic that in this age of instant communication, loneliness is a terrifying problem.

Not just for the old – for teenagers, isolated new mothers and middle-aged redundant workers too, though they are less likely to be physically confined to their homes by disabilities.

Years ago, when I was at home with a new baby, a determined health visitor came up with a wizard wheeze. She dragooned me and other young mums and a chap who’d been made redundant into collecting old people who lived alone and taking them to a weekly tea party at one of the council community centres. There were usually about 30 elderly people, a few young mums, a couple of sixtysomethings who did the organising, the redundant man who talked to the old men and a handful of babies and toddlers who got fussed over, cuddled and extravagantly admired.

Senior Son still remembers the small plastic car that one of the old ladies gave him 30 years ago.

The scheme worked brilliantly.

So well, that it was hard to say who got the most out of it.

There must be scope for more such schemes. Unless red tape stifles them at birth.